It was a bit odd to be on the other side of the potty training conversation. How did that happen? Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m very, very happy to be on this side of potty training. It’s just that it hasn’t been long since I was the one calling a friend to ask for advice.
So, when my friend called me to ask what I would do if I were her, I told her honestly that I’d try again later. After three days, her daughter was making very little, if any, progress. They’d given up things they normally do in order to stay home to focus on potty training and it just wasn’t working. I’ve offered this advice more than once.
I started thinking about what I would tell moms who are in the midst of that crazy little thing called potty training. In no particular order, here is my advice after training three very different children.
Wait until your child is ready. It doesn’t matter if grandma says she had all her children out of diapers by 18 months. If your toddler isn’t ready, she isn’t ready. Pushing the issue will only guarantee that you are cleaning up accidents for the next four months. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? If your child is showing signs of being ready, then by all means, give it a shot. If it doesn’t work, try again in a few weeks or a few months. I tried potty training my two youngest when they turned two. It didn’t work for either of them. I tried a few months later and both of them were trained within a few days with minimal accidents. On the other hand, my oldest was potty trained by 22 months, but I foolishly started potty training her at 18 months. That meant four months of cleaning up accidents. I’m certain if I’d waited longer, the experience would have been a more positive one for both of us! Only you know what is right for your child. I promise that if you are a concerned and dedicated parent, your child will NOT start Kindergarten in diapers!
Skip the disposable training pants except when leaving the house. It’s true, disposable training pants are nothing but a glorified and overpriced diaper. In fact, I’ve found that they’re less absorbent which makes them a horrible choice for children who still need something at night. If your child is ready for potty training, then go straight for the real thing. However, do not hole yourself up in your house and refuse to let your child ever wear a diaper when you leave the house. No one, especially you, wants to experience an accident in the middle of the grocery store. Do yourself a favor and let your child wear a diaper when out and about, at least for the first few days or weeks of potty training.
Put underwear under a diaper. Okay, so this might contradict what I just wrote, but trust me, if you’re having a day where you can’t face the thought of cleaning up one more puddle or worse, try this trick. Simply put underwear on your child and then put on a diaper. Your child will be uncomfortable when wet, but there is less mess for you! I wouldn’t do this all of the time, but it definitely works when you’re faced with multiple accidents or you want to start transitioning your child to wearing underwear when leaving the house.
Stop asking people for advice. Do you remember discussing how to get your baby to sleep? Do you also remember how everyone had an opinion and you could have driven yourself crazy if you tried to do what everyone else thought would work for your little bundle of joy? The same thing goes for potty training. Some people will completely disagree with me and think that once you start, you shouldn’t give up. They think that children need to know that you are in control even when it comes to potty training. That’s fine. That’s their opinion and it might work just fine for them. If it works for you, that’s great as well. However, if you insist on asking lots of people for potty training advice, you will simply get lots of different advice. YOU are the expert on your child!
Stock up on disposable disinfectant wipes. Last but not least, be sure to keep plenty of cleaning supplies on hand. I typically try to avoid paper towels and disposable cleaning wipes. However, I definitely made exceptions when it came to potty training my children. I knew that in order to make the experience as positive as possible, I had to make clean up an easy thing to do. Disposable cleaning wipes were the answer for me.
As I told my friend the other day, it won’t be long until you’re on the other side of potty training. You might even laugh about how seriously you took it when you were in the midst of it. I know I’ve laughed a lot! Until then, hang in there and take it easy. Save your energy for fighting those battles that really matter and impact your child’s character. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have a child who is potty trained later and is kind to others, than the other way around! Good luck!
What are your best potty training tips?