Ode to Potty Training
Tinkle tinkle on the pot
It’s not hard, just sit a spot
Just relax and let it flow
Come on kid, just let go
Let’s take a break and do some art
Mommy doesn’t know where to start.
(sing to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
I lucked out with my daughter. God knew that I didn’t have the energy or the patience at the time. I was pregnant with our third child, trying to keep up with our newly one-year-old and his 2.5-year-old sister. Every once in a while she would tee-tee in the potty for me. But usually not. We tried the pink Princess Potty that makes a magical chiming noise when you flush. We tried the sticker chart. We tried only wearing shirts and staying at the house. I wasn’t sure what else to do. So I decided to wait until she was ready. She wasn’t going to be in college wearing diapers. When she was ready we could start again.
Well, my husband and I traveled to India with our church for two weeks and the kids stayed with our dear friends. Now let me tell you, that is love. They moved from TN to FL and we arrived the next day to drop our kids off for two weeks. Love. So anyway, we came back from our trip and our daughter was pooping on the potty. Seriously, people. LOVE! She may have had a couple of accidents, but all in all, she always went poop in the potty.
Now, pee pee in the potty was a whole different story. We tried the sticker charts, we tried bribing, we tried going at a certain time after she drank anything. Nothing was working. She could do it. She was choosing not to, and Mommy was worn out trying to keep up with everything. So we took a break.
She is now 4.5 and is fully potty trained. No worries. I didn’t hinder or hamper anything. Whew.
But now it’s time to potty train our middle son. AHHH! There are no international trips in my future, so it’s all up to me. When we go diaperless, he goes to sit on the potty to go pee. But if he’s in a diaper, he will always choose to just go in his diaper. And we’re not even going to talk about #2. ::sigh:: It’s just confusing.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when I heard Becky from Your Modern Family was writing an eBook titled Potty Train in a Weekend. That’s exactly what I needed!
Potty Train in a Weekend is filled with practical advice not only from Becky but also from other bloggers. Becky potty trained her boys at 20 months, 22 months, and 23 months. I am right there with her on potty training early so that you don’t have to buy diapers anymore. She explains what you need to do prior to the Potty Training Event, and what you do during the event, and even talks about night training and regression. I never focused on night training with my daughter. I was more interested in her staying in her bed at night than getting up to go potty. But Becky gives you some excellent tips for night training.
Potty Training on the go is also covered in Potty Train in a Weekend. We still use our 2-in-1 Potette Plus potty on the go. You never know when you might get stuck somewhere and your child has to go. With 3 children 4 and under, taking all three to a public restroom isn’t always an option. We usually buy the refills, but I’ve heard of people using plastic bags they get from stores and using paper towels folded at the bottom. Easy and frugal!
Do you have any potty training tips to share? I’d love to hear them! We’ll be tackling it soon at my house. Wish me luck!
