A Great Potty Success

Vashon starting potty training around 2.5 yrs old, but wasn't fully trained until Feburary of 2010. He caught on fast and everything was great. We were finally out of diapers. Sure he had a few accidents here and there but nothing to stress over. In May Vashon began the worst of all regression as he would poop in his pants or on the floor twice a day. We tried everything, I seriously lost my patience and considered putting him in daycare, I was losing my mind and what started off to seem like just accidents ended in what I believe deliberate wrong doings. Vashon learned how to get under my skin, but I didn't know how to get under his.


Finally after one night when I was just too tired to yell, to exhausted to take all his toys and it wasn't worth it to spank him. I cleaned up his mess and went down stairs without saying one word to him. I cried.........Then I said "no more candy". We used 1 or 2 jelly beans as a potty reward but we also used candy as a be quiet when we're in adult stores, we used candy when we went on long trips that he was well behaved on, it was an easy treat to buy him when we went to the store. After thinking about it Vashon got a lot of candy during any given week. It was clear to us he loved it, but clear to him that he didn't really have to successfully use the potty to get it.

I set the rules and we stuck to them...the accidents continued. Then while at the store I saw a chore chart. I thought I wonder if I can get Vashon into this potty thing with a chore chart and prizes. I shopped around for cheap $1 and $2 gifts, when I got home I sat Vashon on the counter and me and Van explained to him that he would get to pick a prize at the end of every wk if he went poop in the potty every single day. We went over it many times. We reminded him many time. I even kept the prize box in his sight but out of his reach.

The potty chart was a success. it's been about 3.5 weeks now and Vashon is a potty pro again.

Vashon does get 1 Jelly Bean for every time he poops to keep him motivated, and he's finally upgraded to being able to have candy under special circumstance but not as much as he used to. Some of the prizes in the prize bin are candy.