The topic “potty training” can be very complex. The results of potty training vary for each child because each child is different. It also depends on the style and speed in which parents use to potty train their children. Developmental differences are also a factor when deciding if a child is ready to began potty training. Some children are much more tolerant in learning while others simply are not that interested. Regardless of which category your child falls in just remember that it will eventually happen.
So far, potty training has been the only thing in parenting that has made me truly cringe. Yes, I would rather go back to sleepless night with a newborn. I can take vomit at 3 a.m. (knocks on wood), tantrums in public places, and messy poopy blowouts on the way to church, but that potty training, whew! Potty training use to give me the total creeps and anxiety and especially when we were on the go or in public restrooms.
I want to give you all of the tips and resources that have helped me potty train both of my children without the necessary stress. It’s a lot and it’s free, so I’ve decided to break it up into three parts. In part 2, I will share tips to help get your child interested in potty training. These tips will also help them stay interested. In part 3, I will share my resources and supplies that will help you survive potty training at home, on the go, and in public restrooms.
When my son was in preschool a mom friend told me that she successfully potty trained her daughter in a weekend. Of course like the other moms in our kids preschool class we wanted to know how. She swore by the 3 Day Potty Training ebook. I read it and let me tell you it does have some helpful suggestions and methods. At the time my son had just turned two. I wasn’t focused on him mastering potty training. The mom friend from his preschool was expecting another baby so it was adamant that her first born child began potty training.
I started changing my son into pull-ups and we started practicing potty time at home. When he woke up in the morning we guided him to the potty, he pottied alongside his dad, and we started taking him to the potty shortly after meals. His preschool teachers requested that we began sending him in pull-ups only as they would help him to practice potty training during the day. Kids are very motivated when they see their peers doing something, so this definitely sped up our efforts at home.
With my daughter, the challenge was a little different. She hasn’t started preschool yet, so she has no peers to compare or practice potty training with. She is also very determined when she makes her mind up. That also meant her saying, “no I don’t have to go right now.” a lot. I alternated between pull-ups and diapers with her the entire month of December but I have to admit I mostly used diapers. It was just easier to change her.
I began to follow the same method that I used with my son. We went to the potty first thing in the morning, she barged into the bathroom most days, so I allowed her to watch me, and of course, we took her again after meals. I did not do this consistently. I know, that’s pretty bad. Personally speaking, potty training just wasn’t a rush for me with either of my children. My mom purchased my daughter several packs of Peppa Pig panties as an incentive to potty training. I decided that I would start training her seriously and on a schedule at the top of the new year. It still wasn’t a rush for me, so we started our real efforts on the 2nd week of January. We went full fledge undies on a Monday morning and she cried. She was just a little stubborn and a little scared. Of course, I convinced her that nothing would hurt her and I would be right there with her as she sat on the potty. I was not looking forward to all of the cleanings and I guess she just didn’t want to hear me constantly saying, “let’s go to the potty!” We did it anyway and she was fully potty trained by the weekend. Fully potty trained to me means very few to no accidents during playtime or mealtime. Naps and sleeping at night is an adjustment for most toddlers. Can toddlers be potty trained in 3 days? Yes, but that all depends on several different things. I will share all of those things with you in Part 2.
Potty training doesn’t have to make us exhausted when it’s done realistically. Do you have a mom friend or dad friend that could benefit from these tips? Share this post with them and don’t forget to subscribe and follow The Mommy 365, so that you don’t miss Part 2!
6 Comments