I'm a mother of twins, RDA accredited Cloth Diaper Circle Leader, and an RN discussing parenting tips, green living, and products I love!
Well we have been using cloth training pants for the twins since we started potty training a few months ago. What I have learned is that training pants are not necessary in the first week of training. It is best to have kiddos run around naked so that they can start to identify the sensation of urinating. After they start to get the basics of going on the potty down, and you feel comfortable enough to leave the house, then trainers come in very handy!
We bought three different types of trainers when we started potty training and I wanted to let you know what worked best for us!
Pic via Amazon.com
Pic via Amazon.com
Blueberry Trainers: These trainers are great if you are looking for a padded underwear. They are super comfy and don’t even think of leaving a red mark on my little ones. They have a waterproofing layer in the wet zone. They are absorbent enough to hold one small pee but because the outer layer is made of cotton, they wick this moisture to the outer layers quickly. These are a one time use and wash trainer. If they get wet the soft microfiber lining can not be wiped out and will need to be washed with each accident. These look a lot like underwear and are fairly trim. They do not have snaps and can create a bit of difficulty when kiddos poo in them. Great option for trained kids that just need a bit of extra confidence if they start to leak before they get to the potty. I do not recommend these for nap or nighttime use. Cost = $15.95 each.
Pic from flipdiapers.com
Flip Trainers: These are my go to trainer! I love that these inserts are organic cotton (easier to keep clean than microfibers). These are size adjustable for size 20-50 lbs which makes them great for special needs kids who may take longer to potty train. The side panels snap on and are stretchy. You can pick different color variations. These were the priciest trainers we bought BUT, we use them the most. The shell is wipeable on the inside so that you can reuse them after most accidents, and they come with FIVE cotton inserts. I also love that these inserts could be used in a cloth diaper if needed. We are still using cloth diapers at nap and night time but we have used these on a couple occasions for nap as well. I doubled the inserts and they worked fine! Finding a trainer that can be used for nap and night is quite a feat and I am happy to be able to suggest one! My little ones are also quite capable of pulling these trainers off and on with ease. It is very cute to see how proud they are of themselves! These are pricy at a cost of = $34.95, but like I said, we use these for an entire day or more sometimes. I don’t need to have 6 pair. Two are plenty for us since I only worry about changing the shell if poo gets on it. I love these for kids in all stages of potty learning.
Those are the three trainers that we have personally used. I would have loved to have tried the next two but funds are limited in this house – as are in most unfortunately.
Pic from superundies.com
Super Undies: Super undies are a non wicking washable training pant. They have a microfiber lining with 3 or 4 layers of absorbency according to which size you get. The video on the website suggests they hold half a pee contained and will leak to your children’s clothing with a full pee so that you are able to tell that they need attention. They have a sewn in version and a pocket version which might be better used (and stuffed with more absorbency) for nap time. Cost = $19.95-21.95
Pic via Gro-Via.com
GroVia Trainers: These trainers seem to me to be a cross between the Flip trainer and the pocket super undies. They are a pocket trainer which allows you to stuff as much absorption as your child needs into each trainer. They are a one sized trainer with snaps on the front to adjust the rise. The snap on stretchy side panels come in sizes 1T-3T. The absorbent layer is a hemp cotton blend. I think these might just make for a great nap and night time trainer. The pocket makes the absorbent layers a bit more contained. The only drawback that I see, is that they are a one time use and wash trainer if toddler has an accident. GroVia trainers cost = $18.99 each.
I believe my ideal trainer stash would consist of two GroVia trainers per kiddo for nap and nighttime and two Flip Trainers per kiddo for the rest of the time. What is your favorite trainer? Have you used and loved any that I haven’t listed? Please tell us about them in a comment!
Are you as shocked as I am that Thanksgiving week is already upon us? This month has been a busy one for us and I am struggling with how quickly time is passing lately! Did we really start potty training 5 weeks ago? The twins are going to be 3 in less than 4 months! It’s no wonder that I melt down most years around November/December…. My husband’s birthday and mine are in December, and we celebrate Christmas, so there are lots of gifts to be given!
Many years I have made many of the gifts we give, but the holiday season has snuck up on me too fast for that this year. So, because I can’t make gifts this year, I am attempting to buy local or hand crafted gifts. If I haven’t already decided on a gift that is only available at a larger retailer, then I will do my darndest to find something appropriate on Etsy or at a local small business. We can all do our part to help local businesses which will decrease our holiday carbon footprint as well.
What are you making for the holiday dinners? This Thanksgiving I am bringing a veggie and a cherry cheesecake pie! The veggie will be sliced zucchini and yellow squash sprinkled with garlic salt and parmesan cheese. (10-15 min at 350, depending on slice thickness) Everyone who has tried it in our family loves it! I am veering from the recipe my mom gave me for the cherry cheesecake pie just a bit. It is usually made with Vanilla Wafers for the crust, cream cheese and condensed milk, and sweet (not tart) cherry pie filling on top. This year I found organic vanilla wafers and a pie filling called Baker Naturals Cherry pie filling. No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or corn syrup. I couldn’t find an organic sweetened condensed milk but maybe that’s because the only ingredients are milk and sugar. I guess I’ll stick with good ole’ Eagle Brand. So, once I give this recipe a try, I’ll post it here if it turns out well. I once tried to use low fat vanilla wafers and had to hack at the crust with an ice pick (ok, maybe just a really sharp knife) to get the crust out of the pie dish. It was really embarrassing to me because it was for a party with fellow classmates in college. Oh how life has changed…. Now I can walk around wearing pants soaked in my children’s urine without suffering embarrassment. This is just life. If you never want to be peed on, then don’t have children. And, if you are repulsed by the fact that my child had an accident, then I don’t want you near them anyways. Sympathy for children should never be a stretch.
Anyways…. rant, rant, rant….
This Thanksgiving (even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving for my readers in Bulgaria, Latvia, Canada, Chile, Romania, and Indonesia – yes I know you are there! I see you in my stats! ) I wanted to say that I am ever so THANKFUL for all of YOU! Seeing each pageview, each like on Facebook, each vote for me, warms my heart. I LOVE writing and sharing the things that I have learned and I hope it makes parenting just a bit easier for you. Raising good human beings is the hardest job there is, and there are no guarantees in the end. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season – whatever holidays you celebrate. And, er, If I have helped you or even just entertained you a bit, I’d love for you to share my blog with your friends and family. Every page view brings me closer to the dream of being paid for doing the work I love!
Um, sorry. Didn’t mean to gag you on all that cheese……
On the potty day 2
This seems to have drawn out for FOR-EV-ER! But I think the kids are finally getting the hang of it. I’m not constantly mopping up the floor with vinegar water but my laundry sure has increased! Until the kids get better control, I’m not going to stress too much about the fact that I’m still putting them in diapers for nap and bedtime. My original plan was to just dive in head first, never looking at another diaper again. I’m just not sure what that method would do to DD & DS’s confidence. We are doing so great at complimenting and staying positive about using the potty that I’d hate for constant accidents durring nap and bed time to ruin the positive vibe. As it is, DD will randomly cry if she has an accident and I’m not right there to take care of everything. I don’t make a big deal about accidents. I tell them “next time let’s try to make our peepee on the potty” (in a cheery tone) and take them to the bathroom to get cleaned up while they sit on the potty and try to see if they can make any more pee. Still, there have been several times where DD cries like she got injured and all I can figure out is that it was because she peed in her clothes.
I’ll continue with the daily reports since this was the information I would have loved to have had. All the info I found was very general and while I know it isn’t good to compare one child to any other child, it would have been helpful to compare specific notes for any tips I hadn’t read about or thought of. For example, a friend recently told me she would add in treats for staying dry for a certain period of time. Love this idea!
Day 6:
DD had 4 successes, 2 accidents (1 poo & 1 pee) and was wet from nap. DS had 3 successes, 3 accidents (1 poo & 2 pee) and was wet from nap. A positive trend started this day with both kids having successful trips to the potty before lunch and right before nap.
On day six I changed tactics a bit. I no longer kept the potties in the same room as the kids. I put the potties in the bathroom (no toys allowed while on the potty to make for quicker more focused trips) and started telling the kids “You are the boss of your pee pee! You are in charge of your pee pee. You tell your pee pee when to come. You tell mommy when it is time for you to use the potty.” I didn’t tell them all of this at once but stated each piece regularly throughout the day. Then, on top of putting them in charge of potty time, we had regularly scheduled potty trips. We go potty before going outside to play, before lunch, before watching a show, when we wake up, after snack etc. I don’t ask if they have to go, I say “Ok! Time to go potty before we eat lunch!” They have yet to prompt me “Mommy, I have to go potty.” but DS will tell me “Mommy, pee pee potty.” after having an accident. PROGRESS!
I ask the kids if they can pull their pants up and down on their own. DD will do this most of the time without aid but DS still asks for “Help Mommy!” regularly. I also give them more power over the situation by asking them if they want to use the big potty or their little potty. The big potty still makes DD nervous (even with the little potty ring on) but DS gets a kick out of sitting on the potty with no ring. I have to have a stool in front for him to rest his feet on while he holds on to me squatting in front of him, but he thinks he’s pretty hot stuff after having peed on the big potty.
I have also learned that bribes don’t really work well for DS. DD loves “special prizes” and will make progress when one is figuratively dangled in front of her. DS fixates on the prize or treat and can’t focus on the task. He’s ok with sticker rewards but when I told him that he gets a Micky Mouse shirt if he makes one more pee pee in the potty, he sat on the potty whining “Mickey Mouse!” over and over and over. Durring one of the many days that he held his pee for FOUR-ISH HOURS, I offered him stickers AND crasins if he made a pee pee. Then he just kept saying “CRASINS! CRASINS!” Live and learn.
Day 7:
On day seven we had a regularly scheduled Kindermusik class. It was not only the last day of this session, but the kids were also encouraged to come to class in costume so I knew this was a class they wouldn’t want to miss. We attempted our first venture out of the house after a week of training. (I’m sure others of you who weren’t trying to train 2 kids at the same time might have been braver than I was, and would have attempted this before a whole week had gone by.) The kids first got on the potty at about 8AM. DS decided not to pee before we left the house. Knowing that he can hold it for HOURS, I decided this should not stop us from our day. DD had a successful potty before we left.
I packed us all up after breakfast and we were on our way at 10AM. I put the potties in the back of the Honda Pilot, packed the diaper bag with spare trainers, wipes, and pants and we were on our way. I put a gDiaper disposable insert in the potties to absorb pee and brought some biobags for collection if necessary. When we got to class, I put DS on the potty in the back and asked DD if it was time for her to use the potty. She said no and had gone before we left the house so I did not push the issue. DS did not go, and said “no mommy, no potty” so I hitched up his pants and we went on into class. Throughout class I kept reminding them “Tell mommy if you need to use the potty” and “Good job keeping your trainers dry!” No accidents! They did not want to sit on the potty before going home and went right after getting home. YAY!!!!
We also went for a walk around the neighborhood after nap that day with no accidents. It was a great feeling to get out even if I was pretty paranoid the whole time!
Day 8:
At this point I haven’t been to the store in over a week, my husband has been bringing home dinner almost every night due to lack of time to cook and lack of food in the house, and my confidence in the kids is beginning to build.
I explain to the kids that today we are going to the store AND, if they make a pee pee before we leave, we will also go to story time at our local library. DD starts the day like a pro and pees in the potty after breakfast. DS has an accident minutes after getting up from this scheduled trip, but at least they have both gone and I can start this venture knowing I have a bit of time. I pack up the potties like the day before and we are off.
While in the store I remind them just a couple of times that they need to “Tell mommy if you need to use the potty.” We make it through shopping and I put them on their potties in the car. As I’m doing this an elderly man passes by and says something like “They keep you busy, huh?” I smile and then see his expression change to one of surprise. Apparently, he has seen that the back hatch door opened with the push of a button and he asks “Does that door close automatically too? You might want to…” and he motions something like closing the door with his hand. THIS is where parenting is only the parents business. This guy obviously doesn’t have a clue that this is our second trip out of the house sans diapers, but REALLY? It’s not like it’s ME pissing in the back of my SUV! Do I enjoy having two potties in the back of my car? Um, no, it’s not my idea of heaven. I didn’t say anything to this guy because he just doesn’t know what he is talking about. There’s no way I’m shutting my kids in the back of my SUV for his or their privacy. What if their fingers got stuck in the door? I’m pretty sure DS would FLIP out like I was leaving him or something. Was this situation ideal? No but I’m dealing the best I can. YAY MOMMY! (in my best you-just-made-a-pee-pee-on-the-potty-voice). On our trip to Kindermusik, a lady walked by while I had DS on the potty in the back of the SUV and she smiled and said “I remember those days.” It was nice. It was comforting. She survived, just like I KNOW I will. It just doesn’t feel like it at times.
Anyways, DD & DS have both had 3 successes and 1 accident today so far. I’m very proud of them. They are getting it. I’m starting to feel more comfortable with leaving the house and know that they WILL eventually get it. I think I’m done with the daily counts but will give an update when they start telling me they need to use the potty and when they start staying dry through nap and night time.
Link to the first post of this series HERE.
Link to the second post of this series HERE.
And so the potty training saga continues….
Potty training clotes: babylegs & bare buns!
So much for “Potty train in 3 days”! I suggest that you prepare to stay house bound with your pottier in training for a full week, thinking it will take that long, and be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t. Sorry, today I did not get my dark chocolate latte, and really just want a big glass of wine with my copy of “Breaking Dawn” I’m re-reading for the 4th time, but instead I’m being challenged to reach into the deepest depths of my Marry Poppin’s bag to pull out whatever cheer I can manage. Can you tell day 5 has not gone so well so far?
Day 2 finished pretty well. DD had a total of 4 accidents plus one during nap that is still totally expected. She did have 6 successes, one right after sitting down! DS had 5 accidents plus one for nap and 2 successes. It’s funny because, I was expecting DS to be the one who was “the most ready” for potty training since he has been having dry diapers. Guess that only suggests his bladder is stronger than DDs.
Day 3 was interesting. It was a bit easier since it was the weekend and my hubs was home to help. We stuck with keeping the potties in whatever room the kids were in and sat them down often. We pushed fluids to keep the pee aflowin’ but there’s always the challenge of how long do you let them sit? No, we don’t want the kids to have a permanent red ring on their bottoms from sitting on their potties so long. I think it’s important to let them sit long enough to have made a couple successes on the potty, so that they can see what it is like to get rewarded. After a certain period of time (not sure how long it should be), you need to give them the freedom to know what it is like to have accidents also. They will eventually start associating these accident feelings with a need to sit on the potty. I’m guessing this is the part that is different for all kids. We made sure to not have big reactions when they did have an accident. I don’t want them crying and making a big scene every time there is an accident. Who needs that on top of all that pee to clean up? Not to mention I don’t want them feeling bad about something they don’t have control over yet.
Lunch was…. a challenge. We sat them at their little table instead of in their highchairs because they had bare bottoms and it would take us longer to get them out of their highchairs if they suddenly decided to tell us they needed to pee. (wishful thinking – yes.) We sat them both on their potties before lunch with no success and then sat them down to eat. I swear I took two or three bites in a row the whole meal. DD had 3 accidents and DS had one. I didn’t really know it was possible to hold that much urine in such a tiny little girl and THEN to pee 3 times in a span of 20 minutes was icing on the poo cake. I was REALLY glad it was nap time after that.
In the end DD had 5 accidents, and 5 successes (one being a poo which she got a special prize for!). DS had 4 accidents including a rather large “gift” on the floor and 2 successes.
Day 4 was a pretty great day. On day four I was hopeful that the kids would get to school in 2 more days. Daddy was home to help on day 4 as well which was very nice. DD had 5 successes plus a poo success and only one clean up on aisle mommy. She even stayed dry during nap! DS had no accidents other than wetting at nap time, and he had 3 successes! Lunch went well also! I reminded them to “hold your pee” while they ate or complemented them by saying “good job holding your pee”. The potties were still in whatever room the kids were in so we never had far to go. They did so well that I told them they could wear their big kid underwear after they woke up from nap.
Day 5 started out like every other PT day. I had the kids sit on the potty first thing with no results. They went downstairs to get their milk and sat on their potties again with no results. I reminded them during breakfast to keep their underwear dry and that they would sit on the potty again after breakfast. They stayed dry and DD finally had a success after breakfast. DS did not. Grandma & Grammie (great grandma) came over to visit and other distractions added to a struggle to get the kids to go. DD had 2 accidents and 1 success by the time lunch came around and DS WAS STILL HOLDING IT! I can’t believe this kid held it from before 8 (when I got them up) until 1:30! After lunch we had them sit on their potties and tried everything to get them to go before nap. There were MAD BRIBES going on. NADA. Finally, Grandma said that she had to take Grammie shopping and they would leave in one minute if the kids didn’t make a pee pee. She set the timer for a minute and said she would stay to read a story before they went to bed if they made their pee pee. This, unfortunately, made no difference to their defiant bladders. We even tried pushing the pee pee button (belly button) to tell their pee pee to come to no avail. We sang rousing water related songs like itsy bitsy spider and row row your boat. NADA. After Grandma and Grammie left, I threw in the towel, and headed upstairs with the kids. I was more than frustrated. I knew I would have to change and wash the sheets and water proof pads, yet again, due to these full bladders. I let them climb the stairs bare bottomed, having taken away big kid underwear privileges, with trainers stuffed with bioinserts in hand. When we got to their rooms, I had them sit on their potties in their rooms one more time. DS was first, and while I took DD to her room, he FINALLY peed. It wasn’t the boatload I was expecting but whatever. On went the trainers and off to bed. DD had gone when I got back to her room as well. Sneaky buggers.
So, my frustration lays here. I have to change my technique. AGAIN. When the kids get up, their potties will be in the bathroom. No more sitting for 15 minutes. I will tell them that they are the boss of their pee pee and remind them that they need to tell me when it is time to go. I don’t plan on asking “do you need to make a pee pee?” anymore. I will instead say “remember, DD or DS needs to tell mommy when it is time to go pee pee!”
I’m very sad that they will miss another day of school tomorrow. I’m even more sad that I will miss the acupuncture appointment I had scheduled for my free time while they were supposed to be in school. I really needed that appointment. I have had an increase in migraine lately and my back and neck have been protesting all the effort potty training has physically cost. I know, I know, at least I have a back and neck, right? I knew this wouldn’t be easy but I could sure use a vacation right about now. If only my sitter were still here! We miss you Jen! I would bring in someone new but I’m sure it would do more harm than good since you aren’t supposed to make any big changes in a potty training kids life. Change sucks but it also keeps the world spinning so I’m grateful for it.
More updates to come! I’m sure a post about our first trip out post-potty training will be entertaining. Please leave suggestions in the comments. Help is appreciated!
Link to the first post of this series HERE.
I’m half way through day two of potty training the twins and I have to say that today is much better than yesterday. Maybe it’s only because my mom was gracious enough to bring a dark chocolate latte from good ole Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to me this morning, maybe it’s a new method. I’ll never know.
Let me begin by stating that we have been introducing the twins to the potty since they were 18mos. Every night before bath we have them sit on their potty for 5ish minutes while we talk about the day. We wanted them comfortable with the potty. There were a few times they actually went pee, and we jumped all around and made a big stink about it. We also demonstrated how mommy and daddy were “big kids” and wore “big kid underwear” by peeing in front of them on the “big potty”. We made a point of saying “Do you hear that? That’s mommy making pee pee!” This really excites them and gets them comfortable talking about these “unspeakable” bodily functions everyone tries to hide – UNTIL they are potty training their kids!
We wound up getting 4 potties. YES 4. This is not a issue if you don’t have stairs in your house. If you do, and your children’s bedrooms are upstairs, you get why. We got the Summer Infant Step-by-Step Potty Trainer. Two in pink and two in blue. I did see several potties at a consignment sale and I wished I had thought to find potties there before buying ours. Oh well, at least I can pass this on to you! We wound up taking the lids off these potties because they were more of a distraction or game to the kids. I would vote for the plainest potty around, but the cushioned seats were key for me since I knew the kids would be spending lots of time sitting during those first few days of training.
In preparation for potty training I got some poster board (one for upstairs and one for downstairs) and divided it into two charts. One side for DD and one side for DS. I basically just drew rows (although looking back I could have just divided it into a sitting section, pee pee section and poo poo section). They put the stickers wherever they want anyways! I picked up stickers from the dollar bin at Target whenever I saw them and splurged on a few packs of special stickers with Dora and Thomas the Train on them. (You could also use stamps if your child doesn’t like stickers or to save some money. YES I actually know a kid that doesn’t like stickers.) My husband and I really talked up big kid underwear, using the big kid potty, and told both kids how excited we were to see DD and DS go pee pee and poo poo on the potty. I told them that we needed to give our diapers to a baby to use because they were big kids and didn’t need them any more. I also read “Potty training in 3 days” and loved it. I ordered several pairs of cloth training pants (I will review them at a later date), even though I could have used the AI2 shells to our cloth diapers. I wanted to make sure the kids realized that THESE WERE NOT DIAPERS. I also have some GroVia Biosoakers (a biodegradable absorbent insert) to put in trainers or underwear for nap or night time while the kids are learning some control. We also bought a few “special surprises” that the kids could earn along their potty training journey (a couple disney shirts and a disney blanket each). The last thing we did was get a fun rug for the kids room (to save our carpet from spills). This is the rug were the potty sits at nap and night time.
Day one:
I started by putting the kids right on the potty when they woke up. Bummer was, they would not pee. We sat there for 15 minutes and I know they were hungry so I let it go. Pretty much as soon as I pulled those trainers up and we got down stairs in their highchairs, they were wet. Of course I didn’t realize this until after breakfast….
After breakfast they sat on their potties again while I read a couple stories to them. Since they had just gone, there was no success, but they were on their second cup of liquids for the day, so it wouldn’t be long. They then got up with new trainers on and played for a bit. I thought I noticed DS hesitate for just a moment AND…. there was poo accident number one. Clean up and new trainers. I believe this is when DD had her first success and a party began. After they got their reward stickers (1 for sitting on the potty, 2 for pee, & 3 for poo) we called Daddy and Grandma to share our exciting news. Then shortly after that DS had his first pee success. Again we had a party, sang, danced, got stickers and called Daddy and Papa. This was the height of the day.
I can’t express how much energy it takes to stay excited, and entertain two 2 1/2 year olds. There was very little clean up (even after meals) done, except durring nap time. Usually I let the kids entertain themselves a bit while I observe from the kitchen and clean up after breakfast and lunch. This was just not possible if I was going to stay on top of potty needs for two. All in all, DD had 5 accidents on day one (including poo durring nap) and 2 successful pees on the potty. DS had 6 accidents (counting the poo and nap) and 1 success. It didn’t look very good.
For nap time I put a GroVia biosoaker in underwear and at bedtime we put a night time diaper on the kids.
Day two:
I started again by putting the kids on the potty first thing. I put trainers on them after another 15 minutes of sitting on the potty with nothing to show for it. I let them know that if they wet these trainers they were going to go naked for a while. After breakfast, DD’s trainers were wet so I sat them at their potties and removed the trainers. Their potties were in the kitchen and they read books while sitting on the potty while I cleaned up after breakfast. No results, so they got up and played a bit while I rolled up the two large rugs that cover our wood floors. Naked time was going to be messy and I was preparing. I also covered their little foam couch with a waterproof pad I used to change diapers on. After the rugs were out of the way they sat on their potties again and I gave them puzzles to play with. DD had a successful pee and stickers ensued. We played some more, had some accidents, and then sat on the potties again for more story time. (PS I had a bowl of vinegar water in the sink and a prefold diaper waiting and ready to clean up accidents.) While I read, DD had ANOTHER success, which made 5 successes and I gave out stickers and her “special prize”. She got a disney princess shirt and wanted to wear it right away. I had DS sit on the potty again (and sister followed to get another sticker) and he had his second success! Party, phone calls, stickers, you get it. The kids played for a bit and then I sat them in front of the TV, on their potties, to watch The Wiggles while I put lunch together. (I can see them from the kitchen.) I put trainers back on them for lunch and reminded them to hold their pee while we ate lunch. I am constantly reminding them to keep their trainers dry when they have them on and we “think hard about making a pee pee” when they are sitting on the potty.
For nap I put a biosoaker in their trainers and took them upstairs for nap. I put their potties in their rooms and told them that they were to take off their trainers, call mommy, and sit on the potty if they needed to make a poo poo or pee pee. I in no way expect them to do this but I want them to know that this is what is expected of them for the future when they have control.
So far, as of nap time, DD has 3 accidents and 3 successes. DS has 1 accident and 2 successes. I don’t make a big deal about accidents. I just remind them to make their pee pee on the potty next time they feel like they need to go. I ask them to help celebrate the other’s successes so they know how good it feels and to rally support.
I think that having the trainers on, in the beginning, hinders the training. They are used to peeing and pooing in a diaper and the trainers aren’t that different. When they see and/or feel the spray of pee each time they have an accident it makes them associate the feeling with the action. I’m sure the trainers will be handy after they have grasped the basic concept of urine and bowel control but for now they only frustrate.
Here’s crossing my fingers that the kids are “trained” enough to make it to school early next week! We have 5 days of training total before their next school day! I’ll update you in a few days about our progress. I hope this perspective helps some of you get through THE DREADED POTTY TRAINING!!! (just in time for Halloween!) 
