I have successfully potty trained three kids now within in 3 days! I truly believe potty training is one of the most frustrating undertakings of parenthood. It’s messy, tedious, and uses every ounce of your patience. Here are a few tips I have learned after doing this 3 times:
- Make sure they are really ready
- This is a HUGE part of successfully potty training in 3 days. You don’t have to potty train the second your child asks to sit on the potty or the moment they turn 2. This was a mistake I made with Robert, my first. I tried, and failed, right when he turned 2 just because of social pressure… but he wasn’t actually ready! So, we hit a reset and waited a few months until he really showed interest.. and them BOOM it clicked.
- I also like to build a good foundation of potty/bathroom tolerance and awareness before starting. Let them watch you/older siblings go potty. Have them flush the potty (to desensitize them to the loud noise), place them on the potty and read them a book, etc. Do this over and over again, make it a part of your daily routine. Get them comfortable and familiar with the room, sounds, and sensations of the bathroom weeks, or months, before officially starting. This will give you a big head start!
- Be prepared!
- For 3 days you will be staring at your toddler all day and can’t leave the house, so make sure you have all supplies on hand and ready to go!
- I created a list of all of my potty training must- haves here.
- Keep it positive… but don’t overdo it
- My must-have list includes little treats to have on hand to give them when they make it to the potty- BUT I don’t give one every single time they go. That can turn into a power struggle and distract them from actually listening to their body cues that they have to go. They end up just sitting on the potty to squeeze out a few drops just to get a skittle- not what we are looking for! I randomly give them a tiny treat throughout the day when they make it to the potty (like maybe when they self-initiate and make it there!) but NOT every single time they go.
- What I DO do every single time/ all damn day is praise them for going. Nothing insanely over the top, but a reminder I am proud that they are tee-teeing/ poo-pooing on the potty! They should be proud themselves too! Use older siblings, call grandparents/aunts/uncles, etc and have the child tell them they went on the potty! The more pride they have in themselves, the better!
- Don’t be afraid to call an accident “yucky”
- You are going to want to scream when they pee on the floor for the 10th time that day, but you can’t! Remember, we want to be POSITIVE, and never shame them. What you can do, is say “uh oh yucky tee tee/poo poo in your undies!” and take them right to the potty to sit on it. This is why it’s so important to catch every single accident when it happens. As soon as you see them start going, pick them up and rush them to sit on the potty. Doing this over and over again will help their brain eventually click into initiating heading to the potty when they start to feel the urge to go!
- We want them to associate clean and dry underwear with GOOD and messy/wet underwear with BAD. We do this by calling the accidents yucky. stinky, ew… but never by getting mad at them for having one.
- Repetition, repetition!
- All day long, like every 5-10 minutes, you are going to ask them if they need to go to the potty. You are going to sound like a broken record, but again, repetition is key!
- You are also going to ask them over and over if their underwear is dry, and when it is give them praise! “Good job! Keep your underwear dry! Let mommy know if you have to go potty”.
- Speaking of repetition, they need a million opportunities to go in order to learn within 3 days. SO, pump them full of any and all liquids they like. (in my must-haves list I included some lower sugar lemonade mix and popsicle options that worked great!) The more they go- the better! As for pooping, make sure your child is not even slightly constipated before you start. High fiber foods, smoothies, or even some miralax (if chronically constipated) before and during training will help immensely! We want going poop to be an easy process for them during training.
- Put them in underwear
- Some methods out there include them being naked from the waste down, but I feel it’s important for them to have underwear on! First of all, they have pride in wearing big-kid underwear and we want to remind them to keep them clean! Secondly, it is a great tactile reminder when they have an accident. They feel the underwear start to get messy and can catch it more often!
Finally, don’t let people out there tell you that they aren’t potty trained/it won’t work if they still use a pull up at night and for naps. HELL NO! Not even a little bit true. WHY in the world would you ask for accidents and broken sleep?! Staying dry at night is something that comes with age, it has absolutely nothing to do with being potty trained. So, save your sanity, and your sheets, and put them in a pull-up! Put them on the potty before a nap/bedtime and right when they wake up. Don’t let them hang out in the pull up, immediately put them on the potty and back in underwear. Resume training!
While I am NOT a potty training expert (aka I’m not certified like I am for sleep consulting) I am happy to get on a quick fix call and talk through strategy with you! If potty training AND sleep are an issue, I’m definitely your gal- we can make a plan for both! Reach out and let’s get started!
You’ve got this!
xoxo,
Elizabeth