Alison's Potty Mis-adventure

Alison hasn't really wanted to sit on the potty much lately. For that I blame her father. At bath time on the day she tinkled on the potty, we had her sitting there again while Kevin was making sure the water wasn't too hot or too cold. She stood up just as she started tinkling. Kevin does not handle these things very well, so instead of gently trying to get her to sit back down, he freaked out and shoved her down on the potty. In the process the lid kind of fell shut on her. She got a little in the potty, but the majority of it went all over her and the floor. She became hysterical (she also became hysterical early last week when she happened to tinkle on herself while getting her temperature taken). Next morning we couldn't get her near the potty.

That was two weeks ago. Until earlier this week she would not go near the potty. Then I needed someplace for her to sit while I took her cruddy outside shoes off after we had washed our hands. So I sat her on the potty and she was ok with it. Ok, she would occasionally sit on the potty, as long as the lid was down and she was fully clothed.

Today I brought the potty into the living room and she played around with it and sat on it a little, even with the lid up at one point, but still fully clothed. Tonight she kept pestering me for goldfish crackers, so I figured a little bribe was in order. I told her she could have one if she sat on the potty. Then I told her she could have one if she sat on the potty with the lid up. Then she could have one if she sat on the potty with the lid up and just a diaper. Then she got to have one if we could take the diaper off. By the time we got the diaper off, I knew she wasn't going to actually go because it was soaked, and recently so. The funny thing is that one of the times she sat down with her clothes still on she said she was tinkling. Apparently she really was. :) I think she's starting to figure out what "tinkle" means because if she hears Kevin or I going, she'll tell us that's what we're doing.

She sat on the potty again before her bath, again with the goldfish bribe. I don't even care if she goes while she's sitting on it. I just don't want her to be afraid of it anymore. Hopefully we'll soon get to the point where the goldfish bribes won't be necessary.