Charlie and Henry Using the Potty

Charlie has been potty training off and on (mostly on) for nine months.  Yes, NINE MONTHS!  I have officially declared him potty trained a few times (usually right before a vacation or other large interruptions in daily life), but then he regresses.  We have struggled for a long time even though he knows everything, but he is really just lacking the motivation to use the potty.  What really seemed to do it for him was that we took away his undies.  He went around with a bare bum which he did not enjoy.  I let him know that once he keeps the floor clean (or wherever the current accident was) he can have his undies back.  It worked!  He had two successful Sundays at church and has gone on lots of outings without any accidents.  He really thinks he is a big boy now.  Such a big boy that he doesn't need his potty seat anymore.

So in one of my last blog posts I told you about Henry using the potty for treats.  Henry really got into eating treats and so whenever he was hungry he would sit on the potty and get a treat and then a minute later want to repeat the whole process over and over again.  I had to hide the treats and tell him they were all gone for him to stop sitting on the potty just to eat tic tacs.  He still loves to use the toilet and about half of the time things happen.

He goes into the bathroom, lifts the toilet lid, and signs to me that he wants to use the potty.  I put the potty seat on the toilet and then hoist his 24 lbs on to the toilet.  He does his thing and then lets me know he is all done and signs to be taken off of the toilet.