Final Answer

Since the moment I found out I was pregnant with my daughter Zoey, I dreaded potty training. I'd just heard so many stories and it all really comes down to the will of the child, which is something I can't control, which freaks me out. I like to be in control, can you tell?

Although Zoey hasn't worn diapers for 6 months, even at night, I've refused to consider her potty trained because every day was still a fight. The bribing and the forcing to go potty, constant guessing when she really needed to go because she wouldn't tell me if she did. We started working on potty training with her at I guess about 21 months. It wasn't long before I figured out with her this was going to be a really....really...really long process. But today I come before you and give you my final answer, she's potty trained! She will tell me every time she needs to go potty then run there by herself, pee, wipe, and wash her hands all by herself. No night time accidents. Okay, on occasion she still does pee a tiny bit in her panties before she makes it to the potty, but she'll go upstairs and get clean undies and put them on all by herself.

 I'm so glad it's finally over, just in time to start all over again for Ian. Is there no rest for the weary? I think he'll pick it up faster once we're serious about it. One can hope at least.

Another discovery I made during this process was the choosing of the potty training seat was so frustrating and bothersome. If you're potty training or about to start, let me save you the trouble. I recommend 100 times over any other product, this one:

Mayfair NextStep built in potty seat

Skip the separate small potty, skip the universal separate potty seats. This one is all you'll ever need while you have tiny bums in the house, and my kids are tiny so I expect it will get much use for the next few years. I tried 3 different seats before this one and they were all bulky, slippery, heavy, stinky, or otherwise annoying to use. I basically stopped using any bathroom the kids would because I couldn't stand going in there and removing the seat or moving the kiddy potty, which always resulted in getting pee on me somehow. I thought boys were supposed to be the messy pee-ers but Zoey somehow manages to get it all over. I don't know how. After I bought and installed this all in one, the bathroom doesn't stink anymore, I don't get pee on me, Zoey doesn't get red marks from sitting on it too long, she can put it up and down all by herself, and all her pee always ends up in the potty and not on the potty seat. The lid on the toilet closes all the way. and the whole contraption, both seats snap on and off for easy cleaning. It's just fabulous. Ian likes it too and he hasn't had any problems using it to go potty either. Win Win Win. I'm buying another one for the kids' bathroom upstairs.