I’m no expert, for sure, but I did manage to potty train my 20 month old successfully and with only a slightly elevated amount of daily tears (from both of us). A few of you requested a blog post and so I figured I’d oblige. I honestly hope to write all of this down and completely block those few weeks out of my head forever. You’ll understand once you start! HAH!
Let me begin by saying that I don’t believe there is any right or wrong way to potty train your child. I don’t even think there is a right or wrong time as long as you’re not doing your child a disservice by waiting until it’s embarrassing for them. You do YOU! And only you know what is best for your child. AND what works for one kid, might not work for another. I mean, honestly, parenting in general is just a trail and error kind of gig.
What I do believe is this: Your child’s age, capability, and personality has very little to do with potty training. What matters the most is YOUR resolve & YOUR attitude. If you’re wishy washy about it, they will be too. But if you’re taking it seriously and mean business, they’ll catch on and follow your lead. The reality is that pee and poo all over your home is not a casual experience, so don’t treat it like one. Make a plan and stick to it. Children live up to their expectations and are usually much more capable than we give them credit for.
First things first. I bought this book about 2 weeks before I started and read it basically cover to cover skipping over a few sections I knew I didn’t need at the moment. I was originally planning to wait until summer, but the book motivated me to get started sooner. And knowing that it was possibly was all the motivation I needed.
Once you’ve decided when and devised a plan, gathering the necessities is the next step. We got this tiny potty and this potty topper. We started with the tiny potty in the living room and now (3 months later), she basically only uses the topper.
I also bought this potty watch after a friend told me about it. It can be set to sing every 30, 60, or 90 minutes and it was a big help for both Kate and me. I mean, who can remember to take someone to the potty 1000x a day. Which is basically what you’ll be doing for the next few weeks.
Panties were a challenge. Since I was diving into this so early, I had a VERY hard time finding panties small enough for Kate. I found one brand on Amazon called ‘New Day’ that had them in size 12-18 months that fit her perfectly. I went back to order a few more packs since they worked so well and they were seriously GONE! I can’t find them anywhere. I’ll keep an eye out, but they’ve basically disappeared. I’ll link a few more options here, here, and here but they’re all 2T size and still too big on Kate. I washed them in hot water and dried them and they seemed to shrink a little, but certainly not enough. No training panties in this method.
We basically followed the book word for word. She was basically naked for 4 days straight and then commando for the rest of the first 2 weeks. She did wear pull ups at nap and bedtime at first. We stopped wearing them at naps about 2 months later and we just mastered through the night about 3 months later. She went back to Mother’s Morning Out week 2 and wore panties on those days. She did totally fine!
The first few weeks are brutal. Don’t expect a straight line of progress. There will be MANY ups and downs. Here are a couple of tips I can give you that might help.
- Have help. Especially if you have other children. But even just so that you can take a break, because you’ll need it. Potty training is EXHAUSTING. I literally stared at Kate for a week straight waiting for her to show signs that she needed to potty. My mom came in for the first weekend to help with Max and Keith was off work as well. It took all three of us to manage the two of them.
- The book talks about throwing away daytime diapers for good. This sounds easy but you WILL want to pull the diapers back out. RESIST the urge, my friend. You can do it. I cried so many times and had to be talked off the ledge, but my resolve held strong and I’m so glad I didn’t break down and quit.
- Put the potty in your Car if you’re going somewhere even 30 minutes away. We travel to my parent very regularly. The drive is about 2 hours and we’ve had to stop on the side of the road a BUNCH. So glad to have the tiny potty so she can go easily. We will probably continue to do this until she’s like 4!
- Buy some good cleaner and avoid carpet. I have laminate in my living room so that wasn’t a big deal, but the path to the nearest bathroom is a carpeted hallway. I laid towels down for the first few days just in case we’re peeing on the go, if you know what I mean! Also remember that pee is sterile. It’s not pleasant but there’s no need to bleach your house. Poo on the other hand…
- Say goodbye to your kid’s onesies and rompers. At least for a while. Think about having to take off a body suit to pee – only you have zero control over your bladder and need to go exactly at that second… not ideal. I went to Walmart and grabbed some cheap shorts and T-Shirts to get us through that time and we started buying lots of little dresses and separates. One day, we will have enough control to wear a romper again, but I’m not taking any chances.
- There will be accidents. LOTS OF THEM. Be ready. Have wine.
We are about 3 months out and doing great! The first block took about 3 days and block 2 & 3 took about 2 full weeks. The blocks are laid out in the book. We took a trip to Chick Fil A on day 4 and she did great. Then we got home and she peed everywhere… She’s actually never had an accident outside of the house. It will happen. I’m sure.
We still have about one accident a week (not poop, only pee) and it’s usually when she’s playing and forgets until the last minute. Then she runs to the bathroom leaving a little trickle in her wake!! My sister also took the liberty of showing her how to pee outside. Only she didn’t specify that you have to pull your pants down first, so we’ve had one of those accidents as well.
Speaking of pulling down your pants, she’s still not great at this. I think it comes with being so young, but we still accompany her to the potty each time and help her pull down her pants and get on the potty. I’m sure it’ll come with time.
I’d be super happy to answer any other questions you have. But the ‘Oh Crap’ Book is a lifesaver and I can’t recommend it enough. Most of all, YOU CAN DO IT! Believe in yourself mama (or dad) and you’re little one will be JUST fine! Good Luck and may the force (of wine and/or xanax) be with you.
