Potty Time?

Today was Lili's 1st day of "official" potty training. To be quite honest, we probably could have started this process months ago, but we didn't. Why? Because Drew and I weren't ready. I know that sounds ridiculous, but if you don't think you can be consistent, then why start? It's hard for a child to be successful when you aren't doing everything you can as the parent, to encourage them and ensure that success.

Lili actually went pee-pee on the potty for the very 1st time back in the spring of this year...I think maybe it was around 20 months? Soon after that, she went poo-poo on the potty for the 1st time. Since then her diaper has been completely dry at least 5 out of 7 mornings and she has been using the potty a few times each week. She shows a lot of interest in it, as well as in the Hello Kitty panties we bought her. I'm sure you're wondering what took us so long to jump on the potty training wagon? Aside from Drew and I not being ready, having our hands full with two so close in age and worrying about being inconsistent...we also were concerned about starting it "too early". I know there are signs of readiness and I know Lili was displaying a lot of them, but one of the key things we did not believe she could do was follow a set of instructions. Sure, she could follow very basic instructions, but she was very random in when she would "choose" to follow them. I felt like her mood controlled her actions way too much and sometimes she was so impulsive it was hard to imagine her latching on to the potty training process. Things have changed so much in the last few months though and now, at 27 months, the timing seems a little better for everyone involved.

My biggest dilemma right now is whether or not to use Pull-Ups. Some people swear by them and made sure their kids could keep those dry before moving onto underwear. Other people believe you should go cold turkey and the 1st time they feel the ickiness of wet underwear, their lives will change forever. At this point, I don't know what I think. I definitely see both sides. We did purchase some Pull-Ups...but we also purchased underwear. Lili is VERY excited to wear the Hello Kitty undies, however I feel like if we're going to go cold turkey, we need to do it over a period of time when we will be at home with her for more than just a weekend. The problem with that is that we don't have many of those opportunities and this isn't something I would feel comfortable throwing on the shoulders of our poor daycare lady. So, for now we're moving forward with Pull-Ups and an M&M "system". 1 M&M if she goes pee on the potty, 2 M&Ms for a poo. I bought a Dora reward chart too, so every time she goes she puts a star on her chart. The stats for her 1st day of potty training? 4 pees on the potty, 2 pees in her Pull-Ups (1 was during nap time though and the other was because I waited too long to ask if she needed to go...that would be considered a parental error). The hardest part for me is going to be remembering to check in with her FREQUENTLY! I need to stay FOCUSED! GO LILI GO!!!