Potty Training 101

Tomorrow marks three weeks of being totally accident free for Reef. He still never goes outside the house and I still stress about it, but I think we can officially say that potty training is done! In honor of that, I'm going to do a quick blog on all the ups and downs so that I remember everything when it's Jonas' turn. So, faithful fans, you may want to stop reading now!
Reef initiated the potty training. I think this was key to success.
We started with 1 M&M for pee and 2 for poop. After the first week, he kind of lost interest and we only gave them when he asked.
Reef did have a regression phase between 2-3 months after starting training. So frustrating for me! I need to remember that 1) it's common, 2) it's temporary, and 3) stay patient! The worst part was the pooping regression. Ways we conquered this phase:
-started rinsing him with cold water after an accident. He hated it and we only had to do it twice to stop the problem!
-We changed from the M&M system to "day-counting" system. After 7 days of no accidents, Reef got to go out for ice cream. We discussed what day we were on frequently and let him pick his own ice cream at the shop. We'll probably stop this after next week, since that will mark 1 whole month!
Another big thing for me to remember is to not stress the boys out. Troy says I ask about the potty too much and make Reef sit on it too often. I'll try to be more relaxed with Jonas.
We also tried the timer method during our regression phase-setting the timer for 1-2 hours after Reef pottied to remind him to go again. This did NOT work. He loved the timer but never had success when it went off. I have to let him make his own schedule!
Things not to do with Jonas...keep potty in the bathroom! And maybe start on the big potty so we don't have to make that transition. I think it's going to be a hard one for Reef...