Potty Bribes

Hmmm...not sure how I feel about them this time around. With Kaden we started out using M&M's to bribe him to sit on the potty, and it worked fairly well. He was happy w/the one M&M he got just for sitting on the potty from what I can remember. I also recall that he got more for actually peeing and even more for #2.

Well, Camdyn has been showing zero interest in using the potty. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Whenever I change his diaper, I ask if he wants to sit on his Elmo potty and the answer is always a big fat NO. At diaper changing times I also talk about how soon he'll be a big boy and he'll use the potty to go poop and pee and won't need diapers. Again, he typically tells me no. Or just ignores me. Depends on his mood, I guess. I seem to remember Kaden being very agreeable during these talks...even though he wasn't ready to be potty trained. LOL

Anyway, June of 2006 was the big month for Kaden. Before that he randomly would sit on the potty now and then. I don't really remember, but I imagine he had some random successes too. But until that June, he wasn't interested so we weren't pushing it (believe me, we had done plenty of that in the months prior...and quite unsuccessfully I might add). Then out of the blue one day Kaden decided that using the potty was super cool! He had one accident that day (poop) and that was it. Starting the next day he used the potty 24/7 and rarely had an accident.

So, I'm hoping that since it is once again June and we have an almost three-year-old boy in our house again (What the heck?! Is Cam really almost 3 already?! Wow!), that this month will work magic in the potty training area. Again. Is it too much to hope for that it will really be that easy all over again? I hope not! Anyway, Cam has little interest in even sitting on the potty, so I decided to start the M&M potty bribes again. I know he'll train when he's good and ready (just like everything else he does), but I thought this might at least get him interested in sitting and maybe even trying to use the potty.

I filled a Thomas bowl with M&M's and set them on the back of the toilet. During teeth brushing time tonight Cam noticed them and asked for one. So, I explained that they are only for little boys who sit on the potty, and if he sits and tries to go pee he can have ONE. Wow! He did a 180 and was SUPER excited to sit on the potty! He sat for a bit, tooted a few times (and thought it was hilarious! LOL), and then declared himself done. Once he was re-diapered he chose an M&M...and then a mini-meltdown ensued...he wanted MOOOOOORRRRRRRE! I explained (again) that he gets ONE for just sitting and more if he actually pees and/or poops. Ugh! I didn't think this through on Cam terms...well, if nothing else he did try. We'll see where this leads!

p.s. did I mention that Kaden complained, because he wanted one to? Geesh! I told him they are potty M&M's (that doesn't sound very appetizing does it?) and he can only have one if he pees...so he did. LOL Little turkey!