What You Should Know BEFORE Potty-Training

I had no intentions of potty training Henry until he was three because I wanted to avoid the the horror stories of months of volleying back and forth between underwear, pull ups, diapers, rewards, and accidents.  As friends started one-by-one sitting their tots on the pot, I just sat back and felt completely at ease knowing if Henry had to go, he would.  In his diaper.

Until one day he quit taking his nap.  (And Henry NEEDS a nap.)

Instead of napping, he destroyed his room…and after the destroying was finished, he would take his diaper off and pee on the floor.

After way too many skipped naps, stepping in puddles of pee, and a curtain rod pulled out of the wall, I realized he was ready to be potty trained.  Because not only was he not napping, but he was also on a positive note taking himself to the toilet a few times a day to pee without any direction from me.

So I borrowed a copy of 3 Day Potty Training from a friend, read it in its entirety, went to the store, had Henry pick out his big boy undies, a seat for our toilet, M&Ms for rewards, and vowed to start that Friday.

And after three days, he was potty trained!

If potty training meant pee training.

What we endured for the next nearly three weeks were so many ups and downs of trying to get our stubborn little boy to #2 on the toilet.  He knew what he was supposed to be doing.  He just wasn’t doing it.

Would I use the three-day method again?

Yes.

But with the following in mind.

1. Nearly everyone that I’ve talked to has had success with this method in terms of peeing on the potty if you follow the book religiously.  Stay the course and reap the rewards.  For me, that meant having Henry ready for preschool in the fall, crucial as I will soon have three kids three-and-under.  I do not need three kids in diapers.

2. Poop training didn’t happen in three days for us.  In fact, I’ve only heard of one friend having success in that time frame.  You follow the same principles, but it comes later.

2. Try to potty train when you aren’t pregnant.  Just kidding.  But kind of not.  The thought of cleaning Henry’s soiled underwear makes my stomach turn.  And I’m not even one to get nauseous while pregnant.  Also…wine.

3. The little potty chair really does make a difference.  Especially with the serious business.

4.  If you have any other children around during your three-day bootcamp, you need help.  It’s a two-person job.

5. If you feel like you’ve hit a road block, call someone.  A nurse at our pediatrician’s office suggested we let Henry pick a toy out at Target he could hold while on the potty, but if he didn’t go  #2 it would take its place back on top of the fridge.  If he was successful a few times in a row, he got to play with it.  Huge turning point for us.

6. Just as the book says, you have to leave the power of pottying in the hands of your toddler.  Which is so maddening/difficult/annoying/frustrating/hard.  If we backed off and nonchalantly said, “tell me when you need to go pee or poop, okay?” Henry would quickly after make the decision to go.  Figure out what phrases motivate them the most, and keep using them.  All of which can be filed under #thingsyouneverthoughtyouwouldsay as a parent.

7. Your house is going to feel gross/out of order for a while.  Of course I’m talking about the little dribbles that happen, but also about the stash of toddler wipes, Lysol wipes for the cleanups, extra toilet paper, and suckers (for #2 motivation) all stacked up on our toilet, not to mention his potty chair in our teeny tiny bathroom, and almost every time Henry runs to the bathroom with me in tow, so does his little sister so we’re all three tripping on each other around the white throne.  These are not glamorous days people.

8. Potty training is really isolating.  You end up spending much more than three days cooped up at home.  Maybe not all at once, but there are times when you’ll miss a playdate at the park or trip to the zoo because even though you’re toddler is “potty-trained” taking care of things in public is not the same at home.  As your confidence builds, so will your time out.

9. Make sure your child is ready.  Had we done this even two months earlier, I have no doubt it would have been a disaster.

10. Girls are supposed to be easier.  I’m just putting this on the list for myself for motivation to do it again.  Nelle’s up next, and surely it will be easier.  Right?  RIGHT?!