Potty Diary

Oh potty training! It has almost been a month since we started this journey. And it feels like we still have a LOOONG road ahead of us.

Many have asked what potty training methods I have used. So I decided to share the method we’ve put into practice over the last few weeks. We have also tweaked it according to our needs. This process is not easy and you have to be very dedicated and alert at all times.

We decided to go with the cold-turkey method also known as the 3 – day method. The 3 – day method is based on permanently removing diapers – at least throughout the day, taking your child to the bathroom every certain 15 – 30 minutes for the first two days and then on the last day letting your child decide if he/she needs to pee by asking them constantly if they need to go potty.

For this, I put plastic on my sofas and removed the living room rug. We decided to extend the time to 4 – 5 days instead of 3, so I was stuck at home for a while. I am a stay at home mami so changing it up was very feasible for me. For my working mamis (or papis) you can absolutely do this using a full weekend.

This task is already difficult for you and your toddler so give them something fun to look forward to during potty time. We decided on character undies! My son loves all cars, trucks etc., so we bought him Cars character undies and monster trucks undies. You can also let your child go commando, just put on a big shirt and he/she is good to go. But whatever you chose, be aware that there will be many…MANY potty accidents!

After he woke up each morning, I took off his diaper and took him immediately to the bathroom to potty. And for the next two days I took him every 15 – 20 minutes throughout the day. I had him SIT on the toilet anywhere from 5 – 10 minutes each time. We did not use the sticker/reward system as our pediatrician did not recommend it, but we did encourage and praise him when he did pee in the toilet every time! Seriously, EVERY TIME!

On day 3, I stretched out the time in between his potty breaks and took him to the bathroom every 30 -40 minutes. Then on day 4, I asked him every 30 minutes if he needed to use the bathroom and took him only when needed. Again, still accidents throughout the day but by day 4 and 5 there were not as many.

On day 5, I decided to put pants on him, which I assume made him feel like he had more padding on, like a diaper, causing him to have a few accidents. However, he quickly got the idea though (delete) that he was not wearing diapers anymore. After day 5, we had finally developed a system he could he easily follow.

At night, we followed the same routine. Use the potty, wash hands, brush teeth, put on diaper and then PJs. We did this throughout the whole training. And we still do.

Before starting his potty training, we introduced him to the idea of using the bathroom months in advanced. And throughout the training peeing was not a problem; he seemed to catch on rather quickly. What did take long was using the numero dos. It was not until day 3 that he was actually able to poop in the toilet. And once he did, it clicked.

After our 5 day potty training period concluded my husband and I decided to go out to the store with our son. Instead of undies, we chose to use pull-ups. My little one already knew what pull ups were because I had tried potty training before with them. So when we brought them out again he already knew that he could not pee or poop in them.

I really did not want to deal with accidents while at the stores or on the road so they were kind of like back-ups. Just in case. We made sure to go to the bathroom before we left the house and I asked him every 30 minutes while we were out if he needed to pee or poo. But I tried to avoid public bathrooms as much as possible.

But when a kid has to go he HAS TO GO!

Alright, see you guys in a month to give you mamis and papis an update and to talk about our experience using public bathrooms. Fun stuff!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns or even suggestions. This mami is open to suggestions!