Potty Training...again

At Max's two-year check up, I mentioned to the doctor that we were going to start potty training.  

He basically said, you can try this early, but most likely it won't happen.

I knew that was true, but I also knew how interested Max was with the big boy potty situation...and wearing underwear like his daddy.

We are on week 3 of potty training and Max is doing awesome!  

Most of the time, he will go on his own, but I still ask him a zillion times a day and I always make sure he goes before we leave the house.

Disclaimer: Max still hasn't mastered going number 2.  

He will only go in his diaper (that he wears during nap and at night) and is scared out of his mind to go in the toilet.  

However, the other day, I came downstairs to him cleaning up rubbing poop with a towel into our wood floors {cracks and all} right in front of the toilet.  I guess it's a step closer.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

Obviously, every kid is different, but this is what worked for us.  

I also don't have other kids to give attention to.  

I'm sure that's a whole different ballgame...

* No clothes allowed - The first 2 days, Max just wore his "birthday suit" and we didn't leave the house.  I took him to every room and said, "If you need to go potty when you are in this room, you're going to run, run, run to the potty and go" while taking his hand and running to the potty.  He thought it was so funny.  My friend gave me this tip and it worked wonders.  If he had an accident we would do this scenario all over again.

* Eat, drink and go pee - I needed Max to feel the sensation of going to the bathroom {without a diaper on} and the longer he was on the potty, the more likely it would happen.  I let Max drink water and eat a snack on the potty...also a suggestion from above friend.   

* Story time - I would also read books to him while sitting on the potty.  Harmonicas work too...

* Like clockwork - I set the timer and every hour I plopped him down on the toilet.  Sometimes he would go, but when he didn't go I would say, "It's fine that you didn't go potty, but you cannot go in your underwear." Max now chimes in with a resounding, "Nooooooo."

*Use underwear - This is just a personal preference, but I think Pull-ups are too expensive and too much like diapers, so we didn't use them.  Maybe my tune would change if I had #2 accidents to deal with... 

* Go out in public - The third day of potty training, I had errands to run.  We went to 4 stores.  I was so nervous.  I brought a towel for him to sit on in the carts just in case he had an accident.  We went to the bathroom every time we went into a new store.  Sometimes we went before we left the store too.

* Bribery - Max gets 2 m&m's when he goes to the bathroom.  Suckers are waiting for him for when he goes #2.  Every time he goes to the bathroom, he says, "I pooped, Mommy!"  Nice try, Max...nice try.

I'm sure all of this potty talk was way more information than you wanted to know...but I'll be happy I have it written down for the next little one God brings our way.

What potty training tips worked for you?