Friday, September 25, 2009

The Trainer

Potty training Wyatt has been a breeze. I guess training the second kid is always easier; Lauren and I know what tricks, signs to look for, and motivation worked with Max. Wyatt also has the advantage of having his older brother teaching him the ropes when it comes to using the john.

The best motivator Lauren and I have found is using treatsas a reward. Wyatt gets three miniature marshmallows if he pees on the potty and he gets five Skittles if he poops on the potty. We make a big deal of the "event" offering congratulations, high fives and words of encouragement while announcing to the house that Wyatt went either pee or poop. Then we divvy out the candy.

Maxfield also participates in the celebration and he too also gets pee or poop treats (you can't give candy to one kid and not the other). Max is now treating Wyatt's bowel movements as some kind of currency at a vending machine. He has figured out the quickest way to get sweets is to talk Wyatt into using the bathroom. And when Wyatt goes, Max is there in the bathroom cheering him on. Max has become quite the "corner man" in the bathroom.

"C'mon Wyatt. You can do it. Are you peeing? Maybe you should poop? We can get Skittles if you poop. C'mon Wyatt, poop! Skittles Wyatt. Skitttttles."

Max has become the Micky to Wyatt's Rocky.

"You're gonna eat lightnin; you're gonna crap thunder."

21 comments:

Lois Lane said...

Hey, I found you through Dr. Phil. You're a riot and kind of a big shot now. :) Congratulations!

P.S. I wish someone would give me candy for all of my bathroom successes.

Unknown said...

ROFL that is classic!! I can totally see Nathan doing that for Alex too, although so far Alex is totally clueless about what you are supposed to while sitting on the potty. Bribery has no effect yet, because he has had zero success yet. Easier with the second kid? My ASS.

Anonymous said...

Yes, and you forgot to mention how Wyatt has now figured out how to portion out his pee in order to get multiple treats out of what should technically be one trip to the pot.

Bogart said...

When you hear him say "Cut me Mick" you will know it is time to stop.

Anonymous said...

LOL, just wait until Jackson is potty training! I don't even remember working with my 3rd one... his brothers must have done it all.

eclectic said...

We simply took our son camping that summer and let him spend his daytime hours that weekend sans pants of any kind. With the addition of visual input, he figured the system out quickly, and was in control of his bodily functions by the time we returned home. Plus, he just really liked peeing in the woods. To this day, that's his favorite part of camping. Ugh. Perhaps the Skittles aren't such a bad idea afterall.

Susie said...

OK, portioning out his pee? Yea, you're gonna be on Dr. Phil alright. But not for that alleged support group you're running there...

SciFi Dad said...

Wait... first you hook up with the L&O chick for a playdate and now Dr. Phil is sending you traffic? Dude, you're my hero.

No, wait, Wyatt is my hero because at his tender age he already figured out that he should ration his pee for more treats. Next lesson: pinching the loaf!

Anonymous said...

and you know who is connected to Dr. Phil.... Oprah she is bound to have a show on Daddy Bloggers the way the economy is going.. more men are at home blogging. You will be the first she thinks of. Awesome!!!

Jess said...

Same is happening at our house. My son is cheering for my daughter every time she uses the toilet...and for me every time I use it, too. I volunteered to leave him to cheer for the next lady that was using the stall after us at a public restroom. I think she might have been tempted...

Alisha said...

We're doing the EXACT same thing for Ramona V. Flowers! ...except it's with puppy kibble, not marshmallows.

Maybe if I switch to marshmallows it'll stop the occasional accident.

James (SeattleDad) said...

I fouind you through Dr. Phil too.

Coincidence?

sorry, I am into the whole coincidence thing this week.

And I totally need to use that skittles trick on Lukas.

Melinda said...

Really good idea with the marshmallows and skittles. When do you stop giving them the reward?

(Dr. Phil? Are you hitting the big time? About time! Remember all us little peoples.)

Cole said...

Bill, you and Lauren are sick and twisted people that you've made your oldest boy a poop cheerleader for his younger brother.

This post was the funniest thing I've seen in weeks.

And congrats on the Dr. Phil plug. More exposure. I'm proud of you, man.

Anonymous said...

Apropos. My five year old son, Dylan, just yelled to his gaggle of friends as he ran back inside from playing: "I'll be right back, I just have to poop!" Bill, are your kids pushing Skittles on Dylan?

BKP said...

Oh crap. Is THAT what I've been doing wrong with my sweet Thing Two?
Here I've been using M&M's and I can NOT get the kid to poop in the potty to save my life. Not for a WHOLE bag will he do it. Sad to say, but the Mars Co. may be losing a customer to Wrigley's...
While Wyatt is hoping for more Skittle's due to Max's poop, who knows what's in store for you?
You may get the MOTHERLOAD of FREE Skittles if this type of promotion takes off.
And a BIG shout out to Mainline Mom, ditto. It's so not easier with the 2nd.

Robin McGraw said...

So sorry I interrupted Phil just as he was about to change your life forever by telling everyone to come here. But that baby was SO CUTE!

Anonymous said...

6 degrees from Batman.

Kid poops on the potty
Other kid trains him
Skittles and Marshmallows
Burgess Merideth reference
Burgess Merideth was the Penquin
You are Batman

Holly said...

hahahaha! That's awesome! I totally just laughed & snorted out loud in the middle of a very BORING meeting, now everyone thinks I'm crazy (thanks).

Unknown said...

Actually, that isn't true (that the second child always trains more easily), because with girls, it doesn't matter. My little sister was FIVE YEARS OLD when she finally stopped wearing diapers at night, then wet the bed occasionally until she was EIGHT, whereas I was dry 24-7 by age 33 months.

But what I'd really like to know is, why do men believe that we, as females, do not poop? One of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard is that some males, who grew-up without any sisters, believe that "girls don't poop!" You can Google this phrase if you don't believe me, to see what I mean, and I've even asked about it on various sites, only to be told that I'm silly for believing that they really think that.

But what I'd really like to know is this: why would men continue to believe that we never poop, after learning in biology that all fetuses start-out looking female, regardless of their actual sex, until the genitals form around the 12th week of gestation? I mean, it seems ridiculous for anyone to believe that, considering that all babies poop in their diapers.

I'm sure there are also some men who, after learning that baby girls do, in fact, poop in their diapers, decided to tell themselves that we stop pooping upon menarche, then resume after menopause, which is every bit as ridiculous as just thinking we never poop at all!

So why do men think we're so radically different than they were at age 12 (or however old they were), when they had pubic hair but hadn't yet gotten their big voice drop? I mean, they'd like to paint us as these "mythological creatures," kind of like angels, with no "disgusting" bodily functions! But I can assure you that after menstruating for 20 years now, what I produce multiple times a day is every bit as brown and stinky as anything produced by any non-impregnable creature!

Unknown said...

P.S.: Any boy who potty-trains early or wipes his butt cleaner than I do is a budding homosexual!!!