POTTY TRAINING; A task I was pretty nervous to start. I’ve heard plenty of success stories + horror stories. For months now, I have been planning to ‘attempt’ to start potty training Cole in February 2018. He is 22 months old, and I don’t want to admit that I almost have a 2 year old, but its true, and I’m a hot mess grasping that. Every February, my boss goes on vacation for 2 weeks, so this is why I’ve been specifically planning for this month to start the process. Here goes nothin’!
First things first: These steps/advice/methods worked for Cole and I. Like I always say- what is good for one child, may not necessarily be good for another. But I wanted to share with you how I potty trained Cole in just 3 days (insert praising hand emoji here)
Cole has been showing signs in the last few weeks that he might be ready for the next step on the porcelain throne. Lately, we have been keeping the bathroom door open when we use the toilet- 1.) because Cole always follows me into the bathroom 2.) Because Cole is curious 3.) Cole can see that this is a normal thing for a human being to do. Honestly, I think its what sparked his interest in the first place. Another sign- he would tell me before he pooped. Literally would say, “poop!” and then hunch over and do the stinky deed. He usually hides when he’s about to go, too. So in my mind, I was thinking, “oh good, I can use these subtle hints and quickly get him to the potty before proceeding with filing this diaper.” I’ve heard horror stories of toddlers taking off there diapers- Cole never took off his diaper, although he was starting to tug at it. And would grab it after he peed. ANOTHER SIGN. He could tell when he was wet and didn’t like it. So we invested in the little potty that you can place on the floor. I would randomly take it out, and say, “this is where we go pee-pees!” Well, this kid wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, he hated this little potty. Crap. Now what? So we went to Walmart, and invested in a seat that goes on the big toilet. And we got a step stool so that he could climb up to the toilet. HE LOVED IT. When I would get ready for the day, I would just set him on it and let him sit for a few minutes at a time, and continuously tell him, “this is where we go potty.” I did this for a few weeks before starting the training. I let him hold his favorite book and always reminded him that he was a big boy and how proud of him I was that he was sitting on the potty. Positive words and actions go a long way, friends.
Something to keep in mind: Just like anything, things don’t always go as planned. I really made sure that we made NO plans, had plenty of activities to do indoors, and always made sure my little guy was comfortable. There’s no way you can push your little one to be ready- they’ll get this when they’re ready. Which brings me to my next piece of advice- YOU need to mentally prepare yourself.
- Keep plenty of liquids in your child; this will obviously make them ‘go’ more. I had a sippy cup in each room, no joke.
- Barricade a specific room. I gated off our living room so that no carpet or furniture was accessible, in case of accidents, which will happen. Bring in specific toys that can be washed.
- I set an alarm on my iPhone for every 30-45 minutes- it would play a happy tune and when it would go off, I would say, “potty time!” or, “time to go pee-pees!” Consistency is key.
- I put gummies + mini M&M’s in a mason jar, and kept it on the bathroom sink, so that he would see them overtime he would sit on the potty. I reassured him that when he goes, “potty or pee-pees”, that he will get a piece of candy.
- Keep a positive attitude. Toddlers can easily pick up on our moods, so keeping things happy and fun is sooooo important.
- Make sure you ask your toddler if they need to go potty. ( I literally cannot believe how often these words come out of my mouth)
POTTY TRAINING DAY #1:
Wake up, immediately put Cole on the potty- he did not like this, as we usually just cuddle first thing. Nothing. So I took him off, put on a pair of his new undies, and told him, ” these are your new undies, you need to let mama know when you need to use this potty,” and pointed to the toilet
7:28 AM- first pee on the potty! When he started to go, I clapped and cheered him on and made sure he could see that pee was going into the potty. He started clapping, too. I let him pick his candy from the jar.
From there, I brought him to the potty every 30 minutes regardless if he went or not. And told him if he went potty, he would get candy, and if he didn’t go pee-pees, he wouldn’t get candy. He cried when he didn’t go, and I took him off the toilet with no candy. But this helps him see that he will get a reward if he goes.
He had his first accident @ 10:00 AM. When I realized it was happening, he was looking down at his undies and said, “mess.” I quickly scooped him up and put him on the potty and said, “this is where we go pee-pees!” Side note- I think its good when they have accidents, because you can show them that the floor is not where we go potty. I think that one time worked, because he didn’t have any other accidents on that first day.
Immediately after he wakes up from his nap, I put him on the potty + right before bedtime.
*During nap time + bed time Cole still wears a diaper or pull-up
POTTY TRAINIG DAY 2:
Wake up, immediately put Cole on the potty. He actually went! He cried a little, but giving him time on the potty to do his business is important. We clapped together and he got to choose a candy out of the jar. I set the alarm for every 45 minutes today, and the same happy tune came on. He knew it was time to go potty when he heard this tune, and would stop what he was doing and say, “pee pees?” Off we went into the bathroom. Cole had NO ACCIDENTS today. We even ventured to Walmart, and visited my mother-in-law at her dental office- where Cole actually went pee on the potty there!
We continues our routine every 30-45 minutes with the timer and he successfully went every time.
Immediately after he wakes up from his nap, I put him on the potty + right before bedtime.
*During nap time + bed time Cole still wears a diaper or pull-up
When we travel to places, I keep him in his undies, and put a pull-up over them. This way if he were to have an accident, he could feel if it was wet.
POTTY TRAINING DAY 3:
Wake up- immediately put Cole on the potty. He peed, we cheered, and he picked out a piece of candy. I set my alarm for every 40 minutes again, with the same happy tune. He went every 40 minutes, and to my surprise in the afternoon, he was finally telling me when he needed to go! He would stop what he was doing, and say “potty?” or “pee-pees!” and would run into the bathroom. Mom-win!
Immediately after he wakes up from his nap, I put him on the potty + right before bedtime.
*During nap time + bed time Cole still wears a diaper or pull-up
Consistency is key with potty training. We made no plans with friends, but still continued our every day life. Even running errands- which I probably wouldn’t suggest if he was having a harder time with potty training. Using the same words over and over again that your little one can associate with, helped us! Having fun, colorful undies sparked Coles interest, and I swear helped him not have accidents because he didn’t want to ruin them. Keeping a favorite toy and book in the bathroom is a good distraction while your little one is on the potty. Cole loved tearing up toilet paper and throwing in beneath him into the potty while he was sitting there waiting for something to come out. We probably went through a whole roll of toilet paper doing that, but it helped him stay on the potty to do his business. Eventually he didn’t need to do that anymore, or the toys- just seeing the candy was good enough for him. I never realized how convenient diapers were until we started this process. As I saw on the tub infant of Cole on the potty, I literally thought, “what the hell am I doing? What a pain in the butt this is going to be. diapers are so much easier, Do I have the patience for this?” Any normal human being is going to ask themselves this. As each hour got easier, those negatives quickly disappeared. For my mental state of mind, overtime Cole used the potty, I would write it down. It was almost a reward system for me to keep going, because I could literally see the progress. (And I may have indulged on his candy when I went potty, too) Potty training isn’t over in just a few days regardless of how quickly your child picks it up, like Cole did. I still ask him if he needs to go potty, and he will either shake his head no, or run into the bathroom. I made sure we created a routine. First thing in the morning when we wake up, right before we leave the house, before we leave a destination, and before bedtime. I’m so thankful he picked this up quickly, and just within 3 days can tell me when he needs to go.
Always make sure that your toddler is ready before proceeding with this, and don’t get discouraged. I’m sure Cole is going to have plenty of accidents along the way, I’ll probably loose my patience, but to see how proud he is when he goes, and that I taught him this, is worth it in itself. i’m so proud that my baby is potty trained before the age of 2! It’s hard, tedious work, but it can be done! Leave a comment below with what worked for you, or if you have any questions!
Instagram: @kassandrasanford
Facebook: History In The Sanfords
XO
Kass
#historyinthesanfords
