When my daughter was around 18 months old, she started showing an interest in peeing on the potty. I decided to buy her one of those cute infant toilets that looked like a big-kid toilet, with a flushing sound and a portable pot to do the deed in. She even managed to pee on this potty several times and was super excited about it.
The natural germophobe that I am would not let her pee directly into the pot, but in a plastic bag that I wrapped around it. And the thought of her pooping and me dumping it in the toilet grossed me out (more than her poopie diapers), so we never even went there.
It was, however, an adorable little potty, but ultimately it was a huge waste. After she lost interest in this new training “toy,” a few weeks later, the toilet just sat in our bathroom, taking up unnecessary room, and she never peed on that potty again. I did not push it on her, after all, she was still pretty young.
But there comes a time in each mother’s life when she is done with diapers.
Those huge diapers full of pee, but mostly those stinky poopie diapers that, honestly, used to make me wonder how so much poop could come out of such a little person. I am talking adult-size poops!
After she turned two and was well-adjusted at preschool, I realized that the perfect time for me to start really potty training was over winter break, when she was out of school. All my mom friends told me to try the 3-day method, which I did, and it worked, but not without aches and pains along the way. But moms, be persistent and don’t give up, even when you want to!
There are so many books out there, and some of my mommy friends recommended the Oh Crap! Potty Training book. I also used Potty Training in 3 Days by Brandi Bucks, which worked just fine.
Here are a few key tips that I suggest when potty training.
1. Make sure your child is actually ready.
If you have a goal in mind but your child is not physically or emotionally ready, this whole process can backfire and take much longer than it needs to. Remember, they have been peeing and pooping in their diapers for their entire life, and that is what they know. All of a sudden, they have us coming in to change their lives by telling them to do it another way.
2. Get them excited.
Hype up potty training weeks before you actually start, so they can mentally prepare and get enthusiastic about it. Tell them they will be pooping and peeing like their parents or big sis or big bro! Also, show them their new underwear that they will be wearing. If your child is opinionated about clothing choices, have them choose their underwear.
3. Toss out any small potties that you have.
Let’s be honest, who wants to teach a child to pee on a little potty and then do it all over again on the big potty? That is just more work for you and more aggravation for them!
4. Try not to use pull-ups.
They are essentially diapers, and your little one will soon catch on. We used pull-ups before this method, and it backfired on us. However, do use nighttime pull-ups.
5. Incentives do work!
We used a sticker chart. Have them peel the stickers themselves and place them on the chart. We also used candy (M&Ms, in particular). I am not keen on giving my daughter sugary rewards for things, but this was an exception, and I felt like the M&Ms were small enough. Needless to say, she LOVED this incentive. And often, after she poops, she still asks for M&Ms, and I may or may not give in.
6. Show them how it works if this is in your comfort zone.
I was fine with my daughter watching me pee and poop. Who has privacy these days with a toddler anyway? I feel like this also helped my daughter realize that pooping was totally normal and not something to feel weird or gross about.
7. There will be periods of regression.
They will fight you and will not want to poop (peeing is usually much easier for them to learn). This may even lead to some constipation at times. Do not force them to poop; it will backfire on you. Take a break from potty training at this point. We went through this a few months after she was potty-trained, where my daughter would hold in her poop. We finally convinced her not to do this, that pooping was totally normal, and that mommy and daddy did it just like her. Hence, the showing by doing as explained above.
