Photo for today

Okay photo was totally staged after the event, but I didn't really want to take a picture of her on the toilet itself!

This little girl has totally made my day today! We have been trying for over a year to toilet train ... without success. It's involved tears & tantrums on her part, frustration on mine and total grossness for anyone unfortunate to have to change her nappy or pull-up!

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Some days have just been awful. Some weeks we just let her be and then try again. Sometimes she would surprise us and do wees on the toilet as nice as you like, other times it would be a definite NO, and try as we might, there was no way she was going to the toilet!

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One of my lovely sister-in-laws sent me a couple of parenting magazines recently and one of them had an article in it about toilet training. It suggested that you encourage your child to just go to the bathroom and do their business in their nappy. When that was a habit, then encourage them to sit on the toilet and do it still with their nappy or pull-up on. And then once that was mastered encourage removing the nappy. I thought I'd give it a try ... I was willing to try anything actually! ;-)

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So over the weekend we talked to Maddison about going to the bathroom and either sitting or standing to do poos and she could still leave her pull-ups on. She would nod her head and agree, smile and go on her merry way and then do her business while hiding under her bed, under the dining table, or while playing! So we'd explain again that it wasn't nice to do that sort of business anywhere other than the bathroom and again she would nod and agree!! (You see why I was frustrated?)

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Anyway on Monday she spent some time in the bathroom - she chose to go (in the dark because she didn't want the light on) but nothing eventful happened in there - it happened later on in the bedroom!! Tuesday after school she was standing looking funny and I just happened to notice so I asked if she would like to stand in the bathroom and she nodded and stood there in the dark (her choice!). SUCCESS :-) Wednesday and Thursday were successful too. Today though was terrific ... she did wees in the toilet before going to school and wearing pull-ups went off to school. During the morning one of her teachers took her to the toilet and made the suggestion that she might like to wear her knickers instead of a pull-up and Maddison said "okay" :-) So she's worn knickers all day (a couple of small accidents) and asked to go to the toilet and actually SAT on the toilet and did business!!! Whoopie DooDaa ... fingers crossed that she's got it sorted in her wee brain that that's what's supposed to happen! :-)

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Her reward was to choose a sticker for her reward chart and I also gave her a little mermaid book she's been asking for.

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She was so excited for herself that she asked to go back down to school to tell her teachers heheehe .. so of course I said yes! :-)

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Sorry to those of you that read my blog and don't have kids having to put up with me rambling on about toilet training ... but today this has made me soooo happy! It seriously has! :-) Definitely worth a place in our life 2011 album don't you think?! :-)

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