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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Talk Amongst Yourselves: Potty Training


, Talk Amongst Yourselves: Potty Training
So, today, you ladies are talking amongst yourselves in the comment section below.  
Our topic…
Potty Training.
Yeah, I’m the worst potty training parent in the world.
Tips, advice, questions, suggestions…feel free to leave it respond and reply!
I know a lot of mamas out there need help!!  Potty training was by far the most difficult, complicated, frustrating, hair pulling time in my preschool aged kids’ lives…and I know I’m not alone.
Happy Talking!
And for breakfast this weekend or your supper tonight…
, Talk Amongst Yourselves: Potty Training

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Seriously, they are so good!  See the recipe here.

, Talk Amongst Yourselves: Potty Training

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Comments

  1. Annalee Beck says

    Step 1: wait until your child is ready!!!!
    Step 2: get rid of all diapers/pull ups- they can't be an option
    Step 3: go to Target with your child and stock up on skittles (or another favorite small reward treat) and their choice of undies. Let them pick out a larger prize, but don't buy it yet!! (This is what they will work for!!)
    Step 4: Stay in your house for the next 3-4 days and pass out praise and skittles like it's your job when they have a success! Be prepared for lots of messes the first days, but stay the course!! Mention their special prize throughout the process.
    Step 5: once they are clean and dry for at least 24 hours, take them back to the store and buy their prize!!
    I just finished potty training my 3rd daughter and this is what worked for me- obviously it won't work for everyone because all children are different. Good luck!!!

    • Jill Tereshinski says

      This is what I did with my daughter, days 3-4 were the hardest. I also did the no pants method. Yep, she walked around naked for about a week and then didn't wear underwear for another week or so. I would wait to go to the grocery store until right after she went potty and put her in shorts only, they would come off when we got home! Other than the grocery store, we stayed home for a week! I do think my daughter picked up on it quickly, but I am a little nervous about my son who will be 2 in November! Anyone want to come potty train him? 😉

  2. kimm atwood says

    I have potty trained 5 kids….and after the first one I learned to just wait until they were ready. I found potty training to be so stressful and it was just easier to wait until they were older. My motto was they won't be going to kindergarten in diapers or with a pacifier 😉

    • Angie says

      Not an easy answer, but just wait it out. My oldest (now 26+) was the exact same way. She was afraid to go #2. At first she went #2 one time without any thought and then she wouldn't do it again. It was made her afraid to go to see something come out of her. #1 she couldn't see. Anyway, eventually (and it was quite a while) she went again in the potty and it was like, "oh, so that's it". Nothing you can do but wait it out and let them work through it. 🙂

    • Kendra Henderson says

      We had the SAME problem. We used Miralax (as directed by our pediatrician)… My little guy REFUSED to poop on the toilet. I got rid of ALL diapers in the house and if he said he wanted a diaper, I'd sit him on the toilet. Miralax makes it difficult for them to hold it in and now, only a week after we started it, he goes regularly on the big boy toilet. It's overcoming the fear, most of the time! 🙂 I have a whole blog post up about this today! 🙂 Good luck!
      henandco.blogspot.com

    • Lindsay at Lindsay'sSweetWorld says

      Oh for the love, I'm so glad to hear that other people are struggling with this, too. My son just turned four – FOUR! – last week and he still won't poop on the potty. It has seriously gotten to the point of absurdity. Up until now it hasn't been a huge problem because his school has been very understanding, but on Monday he starting K-4 at a new school and they are telling us that all kids need to be fully potty trained (obviously) with the exception of an accident here and there. I am totally stressing out! We have tried everything under the sun (with the exception of beating it out of him) and we don't know what else to do at this point. His problem is partially because he's scared and partially because he is SO stubborn. We have his 4 year well visit in two weeks, so I'll be talking to his pediatrician for sure!

    • Stephanie says

      following – we are in the exact same boat – but now my son is 3.5. he's at preschool and has accidents in his underwear all the time. not only is it a mess, but it's expensive! he will not go back in a diaper, which i'm fine with but it's been such a struggle. we are now working with the school to have the same potty chart between school and home. so i'm hoping this consistency gets us over the hump! so, i have zero advice – but other than i'm in the same boat and i can't wait for it to be over!

    • allisonwest says

      My daughter struggled some with #2….and could hold it for a while. I didn't want constipation to complicate things, so I started giving Miralax (or the target brand) every single morning with her milk. It made it easier for her to go when she needed too, made it so she'd go about the same time every day and kept her from getting backed up and miserable. I think it really helped her. We used it for 6-8 months or so because she also ate few fruits and veggies at the time, now (she's just over 3) her diet has improved and her "schedule" is regular without it. see if that helps.

  4. emma bircher says

    My son was a breeze to train … I just put him in training underwear, juiced him up, & took him to potty every 20-30 minutes. He only had 1 accident & by the end if the day … He was trained. He is very type A & it was a breeze.
    My daughter was a bit different … She's a little more "independent." It took several days to train her. I basically did the same … Training panties, juice, & set the kitchen timer for 30 minutes. When the timer rang, she knew it was potty time. It took a few days, but it worked! & for the longest time afterward when I was cooking & the kitchen timer rang, she would head to the bathroom! Bless!

  5. thebusybrunette says

    Oh, boy! What a topic. You know, I don't necessarily think there is a "right" answer. Every kid is different and so is every parent. Each of our situations dictates how we decide to go about potty training. Some of us are home with our kids all day while others work full-time. Some kids struggle with it and some kids don't.
    When I was first starting our potty training adventure, I read so much online and got so many ideas… and there are a lot out there! But, for us, the old school method worked. I just gave my son a lot to drink and we kept practicing sitting on the potty. I kept him in his underwear and we spent a lot of time outside in case of accidents. I *may* have bribed him a little with Swedish Fish, but we were lucky in that he picked it up pretty fast. However, I have friends who have had totally different experiences.
    My advice? Be patient. Do what works for you. Don't give up… even when you're tired and frustrated… because that will definitely happen!
    In fact, my son is 5 and still has nighttime accidents. I'm trying not to make a big deal out of it, but we're working on cutting down on his liquids before bed. I think he just sleeps so soundly that his brain doesn't wake him up. I'm trying not to stress too much about it. It'll get better eventually. I don't think I'll be sending him off to college and he'll still be peeing in his bed, you know?
    Those of you in the potty training stage… hang in there! It DOES get better!
    The Busy Brunette
    http://thebusybrunette.blogspot.com

    • Scarlett says

      I agree with what you wrote. I just put mine boy in underwear, if he had an accident, he had an accident. He didn't get in trouble but we just talked about it. One day, something clicked and he hasn't ever had an accident. I bribed him like crazy too. My boy still wets at night, but I wet the bed until I was 12. I don't remember it ever being a big deal growing up either.

  6. Andrea Towne says

    Oh I am definitely coming back and reading all of these! We have been potty training our son since last September and still aren't accident free! I think we started a little too early. He was just shy of two and a half. Dumb!

  7. Kathy Stevens says

    I am the worst potty trainer. My philosophy is the same for potty training as bike riding…if you wait until they are old enough and ready, there is very little "training" involved. Good luck!

  8. Narci says

    🙂 Both boys were over 3 when we potty trained them…we took them outside, taught them how to pee on a tree, and told them to do it in a potty. Presley was 2, and didnt want to be the only one in diapers so she was so easy to motivate! My advice is to wait until they are super ready, and then it will be a piece of cake!!

  9. adrienne chyba says

    I will be stalking thus post today…we are in full potty training mode over here and I am ready to pull my hair out! I agree Shay-by FAR the hardest thing I've done as a parent 🙁

  10. acerny says

    We just finished potty training last week! I know everyone says when they are ready, they are ready…and it's so true! What worked for us was…all summer we started putting him on the potty and getting him to occasionally go (1 and 2), we bought undies, talked about it and read lots of potty books! First I had picked a day that we were going to do the three-day, but he was NOT into it yet! I just kept asking every morning of he was ready to wear underwear, and one day he said yes! So, that day we started the three-day..and he had a couple accidents, but did great! (He will be 3 in September by the way!)

  11. Julie Magdic says

    I'm working on this right now with my 2 year old and I feel so….lost. I started the 3 day method and then decided that it was a little too intense for us. As of right now, she knows what to do when sitting on the potty but has yet to be able to tell me that she has to go BEFORE she goes. I'm realizing diapers are sooooooo easy compared to potty training.

    When do you know it's ok to ditch diapers?

    Also–my little one is super tiny….still wears 12month clothes….does anyone sell smaller undies besides 2T? I imagine they would be HUGE on her when the time comes.

    Thanks for this post 🙂

    • The Shaw Shack says

      I potty trained my son at 2 and he was (and still is) a small waisted, little guy. 🙂 I was looking around for smaller underwear too and I found that Gymboree's size 2 had a much smaller waistband than others that I had tried. Old Navy's undies have a very loose waistband so don't try that! Hope that teeny suggestion helped.

    • allisonwest says

      See if buying 2t and washing in hot and drying hot will shrink them. set timers and take them every single time it goes off. Increase your time little by little. You can do it!

    • Sarah says

      We searched and searched for our little bitty too. We finally found potty patty and Hanna Andersson both come in sizes smaller than 2t. Good luck!

  12. Zoe says

    Not proud to say this but my trick was bribery… every time my daughter went to the bathroom on the toilet she got an M&M or a sticker. She was almost completely potty trained in three weeks. Potty training is the absolute worst though, so my prayers are with you Shay! I

  13. Karen says

    How do you know they're ready?? My daughter was 2 in May. She holds her pee for awhile and then goes so when she finally goes she pees through her diaper. She's in the biggest size and I've tried all kinds of diapers. She still pees through. She even holds it all night. She won't pee on the potty though. I feel like I need to train her bc she is peeing all over the place anyway. It's like her body is ready but her mind isn't. Any advice??

  14. Holly says

    So I started potty training my daughter when she was 2. I felt the pressure from others to get on it. I read a lot. She did excellent for a couple months then she regressed to the point she was peeing everywhere all of the time no matter what we did. (There were no life changes or reason) I felt like a huge failure & super discouraged. I put her back in pull ups & took the advice of my SIL & let it be. At 3 her communication got a whole lot better & she started to show signs she was ready & wanting to be independent. It's been 3mos and she is now learning to go on her own without any assistance. So my best advice is take your time & give her time. She's been through a lot of changes. Take it from a Mom that spent a year in this struggle only to realize until it clicked with her I was wasting my time & energy. I promise you she won't go to school with a diaper on.

  15. Laura says

    Okay, I need help. We have a 4 year old with Down syndrome who has a favorite hobby…sitting on the potty. She doesn't really grasp the concept yet, but does tell us when there's something in her diaper. If she goes at her preschool (she's with all typically developing kids), I drive to change her. We also have a 3-in-September daughter who I swore was ready at 2. She wasn't. She still isn't. She just doesn't care. Has anyone potty trained their second kid…first? She KNOWS we have diapers because she wears the same size as her older sister. She loves M&Ms but would just rather pee in a diaper. I threw in the towel and didn't send her to preschool this year. Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙂

    • Carrie says

      Have you tried naked potty training first and then moving to underwear? Put a dress on her ( or both of them) with out underwear and stick around the house for a few days. I am a preschool special ed teacher and I will work with parents on potty training. Does your 4 year old receive early intervention services and could they help?

  16. EC says

    Ditto to the advice of waiting until the child was ready. Because my family and I travel internationally on long-haul flights to go back home, we deliberately waited to toilet train until our oldest two daughters were three years old. They were old enough to hold it in (if we were stuck in a car or in a grocery store or anywhere else) and also old enough to verbalise their need to go.

    Literally, both kids were toilet trained within seven days when they turned three, and my oldest was night-trained within the month. My middle child had some bed-wetting issues, but that was more of a laziness of not wanting to get out of bed when it was cold outside. 😉

  17. Dawn Dannenberg says

    I will be reading these comments for sure! My 1st daughter was pretty easy to potty train, though, she wasn't ready until right when she turned three. My middle daughter is now three and could pretty much care less about going in the potty until yesterday. Of course, she just had her tonsils and adenoids out in Friday and decided that the worst recovery day,(pain would be at its worst) would be the day she is going to wear her big girl underwear! Needless to say, it didn't work out so well. Back to the drawing board!! I'm convinced that potty training in one of the worst mom jobs ever. Lol

  18. Allison says

    My son was super easy to potty train once we really stuck to it, but once he learned to stand up to pee he reverted back to going number 2 in his pants. It's the most frustrating thing. He waits until he is in a pull up at nap or bedtime and then goes. He knows it's not what he's supposed to do because he's completely disgusted by it and will always say, "Oh no, I'm sorry!" I never scold him or get onto him, but do lots of reminders and constantly ask him. He will even tell me that he is supposed to go in the potty. Poor guy! I'm not sure how to fix it, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

  19. Amy says

    As a nanny, I potty trained 4 girls (between 18 months and 3…. Just depended on the parents preference and child's readiness). With all 4 I just kept putting them on the potty very 30min or so and it worked great, minimal stress and accidents. With my own son, we started encouraging him to go about at about 2 1/2. He would go a few times a week, but obviously wasn't ready so we didn't push it. I did start telling him (probably about 3 months before his birthday) that when he turned 3 he would he would wear underwear and go on the potty (whenever anyone would ask how old he is, he would say, I'm 2 and when I turn 3 I wear underwear ?). So on is birthday we put underwear on and went about every 30 min, he did ok, but had multiple accidents. On day 3 he said he wanted to wear his diapers and "maybe next time I wear underware and go on the potty". I was wasn't sure how to proceed, but I didn't want to push it, so I went with it. He went back into diapers for about 2 weeks and then he literally woke up one day and said he needed his underwear because he was a big boy. That was 5 months ago and we've only had 2 accidents since! I was frustrated at the time, because I was so over diapers, but in the end it was so worth it. It was completely stress free and he is totally independent!

  20. Emily says

    You all are way more patient than I am. 🙂 I potty trained all 3 of mine (now 7, 5, and 3) at 2 or under. I used the "3 day method" and it worked like a charm for all 3. In my opinion, it works better if you do it before 3 because they don't have an opinion yet. We all know that at 3, they know what they want, they will do what they want and I've seen sooo many moms struggle with potty training and it was super easy at 2 when they still do what you tell them to do.
    Strip them naked
    Give them as much liquids (think water, juice, anything they don't typically drink)
    set a timer for 20 minutes and go
    Day 1 will be messy, pee/poop everywhere (I literally blocked off my kitchen/living room area which is hard wood and brought toys there so they wouldn't pee all over my carpet)
    Day 2 will be better as they figure out the feeling they get when they have to pee but still have a hard time holding it
    Day 3 will typically have minimal accidents
    My oldest took about 5 days and he was 100% trained, my 2nd was 4 days and my youngest (a girl) who asked to be trained at 18 months potty trained in 2 days.

    It's seriously an amazing method!! I didn't have the patience to wait until they were ready and didn't want to buy diapers for multiple kids at a time (and they are close together) so we did it and it worked!

    • Nicole Deterding says

      This is the exact same thing I did with my older three and it worked so well, they were all trained within 3-5 days! My daughter asked to not wear diapers at 18 months. My boys were closer to 22-24 months! I'm hoping my 4th is just as easy as my older kids were!!

  21. Kara Block says

    So happy for this post. I'm planning on potty training my son in a couple weeks, so I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's tips and experiences.

  22. Erika Slaughter says

    The important thing to remember mamas is…when they are grown adults no one will remember if they were potty trained at 18 months, 2, or 4. Give yourself grace and wait until they're ready!!

  23. Angela's Product Reviews says

    We potty trained daughter using the three day plan which can be found on Pinterest. I was skeptical, but it worked perfectly. For parents who are struggling to potty train a child, I would give it a try. I am super glad we did!

  24. The Santa Ana's says

    I had they easiest and stress free potty training. I did no training or anything. Both of mine decided when they were ready. Mine did it completely on their own, my son at 2 1/2 and my daughter 3 1/2. Mine did wear pull-ups in public and to bed and it didn't affect them at all. They each one day said I need to potty and they went. I feel because I let them do it when they did it we had no stress and very little accidents. I have 18 month twins that I plan to use the same strategy on, when they are ready.

  25. Jessica says

    My oldest son, who is now 7, was a piece of cake. He had just turned 3, and his daycare teacher and I had him potty trained within a week. I thought I had all the answers. That is until I had my youngest son. He is 3 1/2 and still not potty trained. He knows what to do. He can do it. He has shown me many times he can. He's even told us several times when he has to go. But he's still not trained. He simply just doesn't want to. He's very stubborn and hard headed. I have not found what clicks with him yet because bribery does not work with him nor does peer pressure. I look forward to reading all these responses because I feel like I've exhausted all avenues. He's not going to preschool this year because he's not potty trained. Frustrated doesn't even begin to describe what a nightmare this has been. That said, I know that one day these might be some endearing qualitites that I end up loving about him. In the meantime, mama doesn't like it so much when it comes to potty training. 🙂

  26. schoene7 says

    Help! My 3yo daughter will not (did I mention not because I meant NOT!) go #2 on the potty. She will just go during nap/bedtime. We have resorted to pullups during I got tired of cleaning out her undies. We have tried food bribes, charts and she currently has a wide array of toys on her dresser for her taking if she would just do this one thing. Still…NADA. Any tips would be great. She's heading to the babysitter in a couple of weeks and I'm freaking out.

  28. Three Gals and a Guy says

    What a perfect topic that I can so relate to in this point of my life! My almost 2.5 year old is JUST showing interest and has been staying dry for extended periods of time. We completely held off in even trying potty training until she expressed interest and I have to say, what a difference that makes. No fuss, no muss- she says "potty," we take her and she goes. No fighting or accidents or headaches. My newly turned five year old- is still in pull ups at night and I've been stressing about that. Last week, we ditched the pull ups and tried underwear at night and she only made it through one night without an accident. She had her Kindergarten physical and the pediatrician told us to calm down, put a pull up back on her and stop worrying. I felt so relieved to hear that even a five year old still doesn't have the full bladder control to hold it all through the night or the brain development to wake up when they have to go either. So, potty training is pretty easy in the sense that if you wait when THEY are ready- there is very little training to do or very little headaches, either! 🙂

  29. Goodbyebreadandcheese says

    I did a 3 day boot camp with my son when he was 2 1/2 and seemed ready. No matter how bad it was, I was committed to sticking it out for 3 days (and believe me, day 1 was awful). I put a potty seat in the kitchen, which is in the middle of the house with a bunch of books, put him in underwear and loaded him with juice. He went through at least 10 pairs of underwear that first day (maybe even within the first two hours) but I stuck with it. Each day was a little better and by day 4, we were ready to leave the house. He would have accidents from time to time initially but overall, he got it. One tip that I got from a friend, which was awesome, is when you're in a public restroom, have your little boy sit backwards on the toilet to pee, which gives him a little more room to pee and you don't have to worry about it shooting straight out at you. I also taught him to go sitting down and then he started peeing standing up when he was older. Good luck to all of you toddler moms out there!

  31. House of Hylton says

    This is a strange question but how did you mama's know they were ready. My daughter is 2 1/2, has gone on the potty (very occasionally), loves the idea of wearing undies but only wants to try to go after she has gone in her diaper. If I can tell she has to go and I encourage the potty it just ends in screams but then wants to try once her diaper is full?! Does this seem like not ready or just plain stubborn? 🙂

    • Jaime says

      My daughter did the same thing. She would tell us that she had to go potty AFTER going in her diaper. However, one day she walked up to me and said, "I have to go to the potty." Since then, she just did it. Never looked back. Let me also say that bribes worked well for us. She found Frozen (the movie) jelly beans that she was excited about. That was a big motivator. We also said that when she went #2 for the first time, she would get a new baby doll. My husband was really stressed about potty training, and I kept to the idea of she will do it when she is ready. Let me assure you that your daughter will get it. Just give her more time, and a few good bribes work wonders.

    • Three Gals and a Guy says

      My 2.5 year old started to hate wearing diapers so that was a sign. Also, when I tried to force and I would take her to go to the potty- she would say no and almost throw a fit. So I knew it wasn't time and that I needed to back off. Now, she says "potty" on her own and willingly sits on the potty by herself.

  32. Rachel says

    This topic dominates our house right now! My middle son is 4 1/2 and will be starting preschool in a few weeks. He has been potty trained for over a year now, but has issues with going #2 in the toilet. He has never had an accident in his underwear in regards to #2 and will always ask for a diaper/pull-up when he knows he has to do his business. We finally got to the point where we ran out of diapers and then told him he had to go in the toilet. The first time we tried, he held it for 4 days and finally we caved and gave him back diapers because he was so miserable. This past week we tried again and after 3 days he finally gave in and went #2 on the toilet BUT we compromised and let him wear a pull-up but cut a slit in it so it would just fall in the toilet. That was Saturday and after being stubborn for 3 more days he finally went the same way yesterday. He did not fall for bribery at first but now he will at least sit and try as long as he has tootsie rolls to snack on. It is one of the hardest things we have done as parents as we just can't understand what about it stresses him out so much. He's also the kid that will sit and go #1 unlike his older brother who stands. We also have a third son who will be 3 in November and we've realized that they will give you indication when they are ready and it's not worth it to push the issue. Good luck to all the other parents out there!

  33. Kary D says

    Wait, wait, wait. The more stressed you are, the more stressed they will be. Think about someone telling you to sit down on the toilet and going on demand. It would be tough as an adult, let alone a small child who barely understands how their bodies work. My daughter was almost 4 when she finally decided it was time. She never looked back. Never an accident at night and a rare accident while playing. Good luck to all the mommas!

  34. Corbie Baugh says

    @gypsy soul interiors… my son was the same way. He potty trained himself so early but refused to go #2 in the potty; he was terrified of it and NOTHING worked… not even time so my husband got creative. Our son would run and get a pull up to go #2 and then go hide and do his business. One day my son was running around looking for a pull up (and could not find them) and he was panicked and had to go #2. My husband brought one out and gave it to him with the condition that he could use it but he had to be sitting on the potty to use the pull up. My son finally agreed and went #2 and he heard it splash into the toilet and was shocked. My husband had cut a hole in the pull up!! Once our son heard the noise and knew there was nothing to be afraid of he was thrilled and couldn't wait to go again without a pull-up. Phew…!!! Problem was finally solved! Good luck!!

  36. CrazieChrisa says

    I'm of the belief that you don't train until they are fully ready and then they basically train themselves! That's what worked for my daughter and we will see if it works for my son. Lol

  37. Queen In Between says

    Totally waiting until they are ready is the answer. I have had lots of friends go through it early and there were lots and lots of accidents and I just didn't have time for that. One time I was watching Oprah and the guest simply said "you never see a kid go to kindergarten in a diaper" and I was like for real I'm not going to worry about this anymore! For boys..my other tip is to sit them backwards on the real potty when they start and it really keeps the pee shooting into the toilet instead of everywhere else and they don't have the fear of falling in.

  38. CB says

    Just to throw in my .0002, make sure that the child is able to dress and undress themselves. Nothing can be more frustrating for both Mom and child is having so many layers, snaps, buttons, etc. that getting the clothes off is difficult. Making sure that the child is physically and mentally ready is important.
    My second piece of advice is to model the behavior you want to see. Yes, this may mean having your child watch your or your spouse or (best option) another child their age. If they have never seen someone actually use a toilet it might be intimidating. For full disclosure – in my house EVERYONE sits until a certain height is reached.
    Most importantly (and mentioned above) patience and consistency! Don't try to do this when you are days away from starting school, a new job, going on vacation, having them be in a wedding (trust me on this one), etc.
    BTW- I have toilet trained 56 children so the advice above (plus what Annalee said- kudos!) is what worked for 56 people (now all adults) in this world. However, as also mentioned above each child is different and you will want to see what works for them.

  39. LJo says

    What have you guys noticed as signs of ready/not ready ? I have a 2 1/2 year old that is excited about the undies and all that but is not seeming to grasp the feeling of needing to go. It's been a loooonnng week over here.

  40. Cindy Gowin says

    We are just starting this with my son! Eeekkkk! What do you all do at night? He's still in his crib, we are waiting until baby brother comes in January, so he's not able to get up by himself yet. So, we've been putting him in pull-ups, but I feel like that is holding him back.

  42. Tara G. says

    We lived next to a retired special ed teacher who offered some great wisdom that worked for our boy. Once he could pedal a trike/ big wheel, muscles in the groin strengthened and he began to tell us when he needed to go. We had very few accidents.

  45. Dawn says

    You must know that we are in the middle of potty training!! Ahh- this is probably the one thing I dread the most with parenting!! (Until those teenage years ?) My daughter has gotten #2 pretty much down but still working on #1. We are trying to be as consistent as possible and just taking the plunge of going out in public with her in her undies….we tried giving a treat for each time but then she would just say she had to go for the treat! They learn young, don't they? I would love to hear everyone's suggestions and what has worked for them.

  46. Frannie says

    I just wanted to add, if you're pulling out your hair, stressed, and your kids are having a hard time with this, they are not ready!! Drop it completely and pick it back up when they show interest. There are two things we can't force kids to do- eat, and go to the bathroom- it HAS to be on their own terms. When they are ready, make it part of the routine- sit on the potty at waking, before leaving the house, before nap, before bed, etc. But it has to be on the kid's terms. If you have a kiddo already suffering from anxiety around the bathroom and/or constipation, STOP all potty training. My little girl wouldn't poop in the potty- I just calmly told her that one day when she was ready, she would. So she would wear underwear and ask for a diaper to poop. I always gave her one, like it was no big deal. It was not long at all before she decided she was ready to poop in the potty. Same for wetting at night- I just told her that one day her body would be ready to stay dry all night. It was not a big deal to put a pull up on her at night. She had one or two accidents at night, and I just went back to the pull ups for a few weeks so it wasn't a big deal. It was her accomplishment, not mine. Three day potty training (etc) works for some kids, but for many there is just too much pressure!

  47. Ryan and Allie says

    Poop issues… Any advice???

    Used the 3 day method when my son was 2.5 and I "thought" he was ready. Turns out he was not ready and regressed over the holidays with traveling. We tried again at 3 years. He got the potty part and did very well. Pooping has been another issue though. Any moms out there dealing with a child that holds for many days?? Took him to the ped. and we ended up putting him on an aggressive 3 day regimen of miralax. Cleared him out, but now he won't go unless his poop is very soft. I have kept him on miralax, but have heard mixed reviews on using it on a daily basis. Hate for him to be miserable and not be able to use the bathroom, but also hate keeping him on miralax. Also, he does take fiber vitamins daily. Any advice??

  48. Brady Wilhelm says

    I agree with waiting until they're ready. There is so much pressure to get it done ASAP, but I tried with my son before he was ready and it just drove us both nuts! A few months later, HE decided he was ready (showed interest in potty, asked for underwear) and it went pretty quick. My biggest tip is to completely throw away diapers/pull-ups. There is ZERO difference in a pull up and diaper, so if you continue to put them in pull ups at night, how will they ever separate the two?!? I don't mean it disrespectfully to anybody, but I feel like pull ups are often used simply to avoid messes. And lets be honest…..during potty training, messes are just going to happen. So it stinks to have some extra laundry during the time period, but so much better than having to "wean" them off pull ups later in age. We did the 3 day method where you just put them in undies and go about your normal day at home. Ask constantly if they need to potty. If you see them start to potty anywhere other than the toilet, run them to it and let them finish and still reward them if any of it makes it in the potty. This working for my daughter and son and they pretty much had it figured out in two day! Each kid is different so it can be hard, but good luck everyone!!

  49. Hilary Jose says

    My daughter loved Paw Patrol – so find a themed thing your child loves in your scenario – and then I went all out with a "PAW-ty chart" and "PAW-ty rewards." You could modify it to match whatever. I bought a Paw Patrol themed potty seat, Paw Patrol BOY BRIEFS even though she's a girl, and made a Paw Patrol potty training chart with "badges" (you could do stickers of whatever themed thing it is). And then I gave her Paw Patrol plush pups as rewards. So if there's a cartoon character your toddler loves – search for themed underwear, potty chair, and toys to really encourage them and get them excited about the endeavor! Amazon Prime and Toys R Us are good bets to have what you're looking for. I definitely spent more $$ than I would have if I had gone with regular themed items but it worked!

  51. Ranisa says

    Our family moves a lot. I have had 7 different pediatricians. I ask each at our first appointment what is their advice for potty training. Each one said the same thing. "Do you want a headache???" I said no. "Wait til they are ready" was the reply. It's diapers or pull ups or whatever. Really who cares. I have 5 kids. We have 5 toliets. Get them comfortable with being on one. You sit they sit. No biggie. Praise praise praise. A potty dance. My last child was the most difficult. He was scared. I sat him on the toliet with a movie in the iPad. We sat for an hour. When he finally peed I did a dance I sang I was so excited and he knew it. He loves to go now. Then we go shopping for their favorite underwear. Everyone knows scooby princesses Thomas batman angry birds and cars don't enjoy getting peed or pooped on. Let's try hard to go to the bathroom. We did another poop party dance when finally happened. Once that happened we went shopping to get the earned prize. A Thomas train. All my kids are just super sad if they have an accident on their beloved character underwear. I have also heard it can be difficult to control the muscle that controls urine until three. Try it. If they are not ready go back to diapers or pull ups. It does not create confusion. Seriously kids are smart. . Reason with them. Create rewards.

  52. Kristin Stewart says

    For us I had to let go of the age I thought she was supposed to be potty trained. She is bright and independent and capable. I tried just before she was three and it was awful – so negative. So back to dispers. Tried again 6 months later and she was ready – still struggling with #2 but that's ok. She's had hardly any pee accidents. We did first three days no diaper and no underwear at all. Stayed home and wire sundresses with bare bun underneath and she had no accidents. Then transitioned to underwear and had a few accidents there but not much. Two weeks later she basically never has accidents. She will be 3 1/2 at the end of this month and I don't care. I wouldn't change it. I had a newborn when she was 2 – I wasn't ready to train and neither was she. It's no picnic but try to make it positive.

  53. Jaren says

    We used a Treat Tray. I filled it with little cups that had things like a few Skittles, pretzels, mini marshmallows, and little trinkets. They got to pick a cup every time they went to the potty. We've even trained a doll/stuffed animal for a whole morning before moving on to training the kids after naptime. Once they woke up, the received a present (their own underwear) and began training like the doll. It really worked great for my first two kids. I agree that underwear is the only way to go to have quick success.

  54. AustinBoston2011 says

    We were given the amazing advice to just wait u til our oldest was ready. In fact we waited until he was almost 3.5, after baby #3 arrived. The thought of healing from a c-section and cleaning up after my son didn't not sound fun at all. In four days my son was completely potty trained. I was dreading it but it was so easy. He was ready, he had his Thomas undies and did it. We even bought M&M's to give him as a reward for each time he went. Didn't need them!! Now we are waiting with our next two. They will tell us when they are ready. All I can say is don't force it. When you kids are ready it will be so natural. Their timeframe may not fit with yours but that is okay!!! Listen to your kids and guide them when it's time!!

  55. Meghan says

    I used the 3 day potty training method for all four of our kids when they were 23 months old. It only really took 2 days and while it's not the most exciting 2 days ever because you have to stay in the same room most of that time it worked very well and it was so nice to just get potty training over with. Accidents afterwords were very, very rare. We did not do the nap/night time part from the 3 day method. They wore pull-ups while sleeping until they woke up dry on a regular basis.

  56. katie@tulsadetails says

    My daughter will be three in October and I just waited until she was telling me she needed to go potty and then just put her panties. It was actually a million times less stressful than I thought. The only frustrating part is even though I make her go to the bathroom before bed, she will still try to use it as a way to prolong bedtime. Ha!

  58. Moon Over Mindy says

    I'm another Mom who believes in "don't potty train". My son came to me when he was about 3 1/2 and asked for underwear. We did it, and maybe had 1 accident. My daughter was almost 4, but same thing, she decided she wanted My Little Pony panties, and voila, she was trained. We never fussed, argued, or went through any headaches. I didn't have to have them trained because they didn't go to pre-school or daycare until Age 4 so I didn't stress about it.

  59. aves_is_our_faves says

    We just potty trained our 3rd girl 4 months ago and we've had 3 successes with the "pump them full of liquid" method and by the next day, they are potty trained! We took them to the store and let them pick out some yummy drinks, juice, choco milk, strawberry milk, etc and started the next morning. We set up an area the night before when they were in bed of fun things to do, toys, books, coloring, (if you have no carpet that makes it a lot easier to avoid accidents 🙂 Right when they got up, we would let them pick a drink. They drink, and drink and drink, and we had to remind them too also. Within an hour or two the potty starts coming and they can't stop. This is why it works, because they learn the feeling of having to go so many times in a row. We had to ask if they had to go a lot, and when they did (we used a little potty in the room with us so they could go flush it and be proud) then they picked a sticker for a sheet and a treat they picked out, 1 for potty, 2 for poop. You can't leave them alone for a second though, because that's when they'll go 😉 We would put a diaper or pull up on for nap and bedtime but they knew if they were dry for either they'd get a treat for it. Good luck!

  60. Lacey Salmon says

    Plan a giant road trip that you still want to have your child in diapers for and they'll be ready to potty train the week before! Ha! That's what happened to me. We bought the Minnie potty, panties, pull ups, all about 2 years old; we were ready when she was. Well, 2 years and 5 months I was changing her diaper in the morning and she said she wanted to wear big girl panties and I thought, why not?! So off we went. She did so well, and even with the big trip she regressed on day 4, but hasn't had too many issues since. She'll be three in September. We went all out at once and upgraded her to big girl bed at the same time and just did panties at night and nap from the start since she was waking up dry. I've heard horror stories on becoming dependent on the pull ups. She's had a few accidents and for some reason when we are at church or friends houses and I'm not around she will tell them her potty is at home and not want to use theirs resulting in a few accidents. Being out of diapers is so freeing!! And way less gross

  61. Meredith says

    Hi shay! I know this isn't your book post but I wanted to tell you a really good book I'm reading. It's called The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. It's fantastic!!! 🙂

  62. Leigh says

    My oldest son was fully potty trained in less than 2 weeks – no accidents, goes #1 and #2, wakes up dry. But it happened about 2 months before he turned 4. We tried to potty train him at age 2 and he simply wasn't ready even though he was showing the typical signs (waking up dry, interested in the potty, etc). We had accident after accident; he never went in the potty, not one single time. My friends mom has owned a daycare for 25 years and she told me to wait until he was ready because obviously he wasn't. We listened and he basically potty trained himself. He just woke up one day and asked if he could go in the big boy potty and that was it. So my advice is to make 100% sure they are ready and have the ability to know when they need to go, even if that means they are older than the "norm".

  63. Cindy says

    I started potty training all four of my girls by 12-15 months with no accidents at night while potty training or after potty training. I just don't think that diapers are meant to be worn for more than a year and a half, plus they are expensive. My first two daughters caught on immediately, my third daughter not so much, but she got it within 2 weeks. My fourth little girl is the hardest ever, and the stubbornist. She really doesn't want to have anything to do with this potty training thing at all. It's been 30 days now and she just now warming up to it. She doesn't have any accidents at night but through out the daytime she does. Today is the first day she has had dry underpants on all day. What helps a lot when traveling is to take the kiddie potty with you in the car. My last two refused to use the potty in public restrooms, so having their potty in the car helped a bunch. Waking my girls in the late night early morning was a joke they never peed in the potty or in the bed, they all just held it til morning. Snacks are a must have item. Pull ups are a waste of money and time due to the fact that the kiddos think they are still wearing a diaper. I have learned a lot with my four experiences of potty training.1). Each child is different. 2).There isn't a right or wrong way to do it. 3). Each child is ready in there own time. 4). It's a dirty dirty job. 5). No father wants the task at hand. And 6). Every child has a good understanding even at a young age. Keep up and stay consistent cause there is always light at the end of the tunnel. What may work for some may not work for others. Potty training at 1year old works for me and my household.

    • Carrie says

      I agree! For us, introducing the potty early worked. We did cloth diaper so it did not change in our expense but I feel like the longer you keep them in diapers the more they get used to it. I introduce the potty prior to age one so it is not foreign. Both my girls trained really early. I could have just been lucky.

  65. Carrie says

    I am more in the realm of, do it before 2 and before the stubbornness comes on. Both my girls were trained at 16 and 17 months. It was not hard, actually they did most of the work. My youngest started pooping on the potty prior to age 1 due to constipation issues. Our doctor suggested it because she was having such a problem and from then on that is the only place she would go! Not an issue.

    http://parkinglotbaby.blogspot.com/2013/02/potty-training-how-we-did-it-this-is.html

    Ultimately every parent is different and you have to do what is right for you! I am a special ed teacher and had trained many students prior to my girls, primarily over age 6 so the process for typical children in my opinion was easier.

  66. Stacey McDonough says

    My 3.5 year old boy can go #1 just fine but #2 has been a problem for almost a year now. He holds it and with milk of magnesia every morning, he's constantly leaking. He's always uncomfortable due to holding it and will refuse to even poop in his diaper. The idea that he'll be ready at some point seems impossible at this point.

  67. Andrea says

    My only advice is: please don't ever bribe your kids with food or use food as an incentive to potty train or do anything else!

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