Jelly Belly Elle

I stuffed Elle full of jelly beans today. It's all part of my plan to potty train her. No, really. Stick with me here.

See, I didn't potty train Joseph. My mom did it. For a long time Joseph had no interest whatsoever in being potty trained. Then one weekend he came home from an overnighter with my parents and he was totally potty trained. I don't know how she did it but I suppose the fact that he was nearly 4 at the time didn't hurt her efforts at all.

I was glad my mom was able to potty train Joseph but at the same time there was a little part of me that thought "How come she can do it and I can't?" I mean, what kind of a mom can't potty train their own kid? And if I don't figure it out then how will I be able to potty train my granchildren when my own children come to me someday and say "I just can't do this!"?

So, come hell or high water, this one is all mine. I am going to potty train this child matter what it takes. And that's where the jelly beans come in.

First off, I'm pretty sure that Elle is ready to start trying. Lately when she poops (or pees or even toots) she comes to me with a very distressed look on her face and says "I poopy!". If I don't change her fast enough she'll start trying to take her own diaper off. So while she seems so young to be potty trained she is giving me some signs that she's ready.

Second, there's really no hurry here. I've read some things about how you can potty train your child in a weekend or a day or 6 seconds or whatever but those seem to high pressure to me. My plan is just to have Elle sit on the potty a couple of times a day and try to catch her at just the right time.

"Good god woman!" you're not doubt saying by now. "What about the jelly beans?" Well, I am not above rewarding Elle for productive potty sessions. So today I let her get a taste for them. From here on out she'll get one whenever she uses the potty. Now some things I've read say that you should never, ever bribe your child with treats when potty training. Some things say it's a-ok. I guess it's just one of those times when you have to take everything you know and then decide what seems right to you. And if you could see Elle's face when she's eating a jelly bean then you would know that this is right.

And anyway, if all else fails I have always have my mom potty train her.

Oh, and on a totally unrelated note - I will be going to a Trader Joe's for the very first time ever on Monday. Can anyone reccomend some absolute must-haves from Trader Joes? I hear they have good snacks and I want to know what to be on the look out for.