As you know, I have three children. My son was the easiest child to potty train. He is a December baby, so I waited until the summer to potty train him and it took just a few days. I mention summer because you are able to take the potty outside so on, but we will get into the details in a bit. Unfortunately, I did not have the knowledge with my son of potty training that I have now. Isn’t that always the way?
My daughter on the other hand LOVED her diapers. I tried on several occasions to potty train her and she would scream at the top of her lungs and cry when put on the potty. If you read all the textbooks, they say not to push the experience as it would frighten them and delay training. Honestly, if I listened to this, she would have never been trained. She was able to verbalize that she went pee and poop and even went the extra mile to tell me to change her and she would climb into the changing table. It was getting to be a little much.
With our daily schedules and the fact that we were always on the go, we just could not fit potty training into our lives. I also wasn’t willing to fight the battle at the time. My plan of action was to wait until summer when we would be home for a consistent amount of time and wouldn’t be traveling on the road.
Then we were mandated to stay home due to COVID-19. I figured, what better time to potty train then when we had nowhere else to be and nothing but time. I decided to take on the task of potty training my toddler and I did do it in three days. (Yes, I will give myself a big pat on the back for this one). It was hard, really hard. I will not sugar coat it.
I held my ground and I didn’t give in or give up. I put her on the toilet every 15 minutes and kept up with it. The first night we were in the bathroom 1.5 hours before bedtime. She would not go to the bathroom. I was extremely patient and was very calm. I rubbed her back and let her know I was here for her. I painted her nails while on the toilet (it was the only way she got on the toilet). I must have painted her nails 50 times in the course of three days. I was the only one she would go on the toilet for, but she did scream daddy’s name when we were in the bathroom. As I mentioned prior, I know she would have never gone on the toilet willingly, but we did it. I assure you, I did cry because I was so gosh darn proud of her.
Give them Incentive
In the beginning the incentive did not work for her. I literally bribed her with anything and my girl loves candy and chocolate. She only wanted one thing, her diapers. After the first day, the incentives worked. I stocked up on mini marshmallows, jelly beans and gummy bears. She was given the mini lolly pops for going poop. Her brother also favored pretty well during all this as he reeled the rewards too.
Celebrate and PRAISE
When she went potty, I cheered her on and clapped so hard. I literally jumped up and down with excitement. She was so proud of herself. She went through the entire house telling everyone that she peed. My son said, “I am so proud of you, your such a good girl.” I say it every day, I am the luckiest mom and am so proud of my babies. We are about a week out now and we still cheer her on.
Read Books and Watch Videos (not on the toilet)
I make sure to point out that you shouldn’t watch videos about potty training while they are on the toilet because they have to have little distraction. I recommend reading books leading up to the days of the initial process of potty training. I also searched videos on youtube kids for my daughter to watch. It can be really scary talking about something coming out of their body. My daughter literally ran into the other room in fear because I told her her pee was coming. She thought it was a monster. They really need to be told in detail about the process. This is why I highly recommend an external seat, not a toilet seat cover.
Buy them a Toilet (not an insert)
The kids need to see what is happening in the toilet to fully understand the entire process. If they pee into the actual toilet, they cannot see their pee. I think this is very crucial. Once this is achieved and potty training is mastered, then you can move on to a toilet seat cover.
No Liquids ONE HOUR Prior to Bedtime
My daughter only had one accident through the night. Her first two nights she was dry. When she did not master going poop yet, she had an accident during nap. You do want to limit liquids prior to bedtime and make sure that they go right before bed. If they want a sip of water, that is obviously ok, but not an entire glass. Some kids cannot hold their bladder throughout the night and you may have to wake them up every 2-3 hours during potty training.
Their will be Accidents and Messes!
I would purchase a cloth tablecloth and line them on the sofa. I also recommend taking up the area rugs or lining the floors with the tablecloths as well. I put mattress protectors on her bed and put one over the sheets as well.
No Diapers or Pull Ups
This is where I went wrong the first time around. I put pull ups on my son during the night when I trained him and that was a mistake on my end, but I had no idea. Once you put on pull ups during the night it is an extremely difficult process to get them out of them. It is easiest to get rid of all diapers and pull ups at once.
Apparel
This is extremely important too. I only put a shirt on my toddlers when they are potty training. If they have something on their bottom, this early on, they will still associate it with diapers. That means, as cute as their new underwear is, don’t put it on yet. After day three, I introduced underwear and taught my daughter how to pull it up and down prior to going to the bathroom. I dressed her in my shirts and her long dresses.
My take away is to have patience and to not back down. It will be exhausting and tears will be shed, but the outcome is pretty awesome. You end up with a child that is pretty proud of themselves and no longer have to change diapers! Ok, I am really happy that I have less diapers to change, but I did get a little sad that my little girl is onto her next chapter in her life. The thought that you changed her last diaper makes me super emotional. Parenthood, its just never easy.
