I’d like to start this post by saying I am still in the middle of Cameron’s potty training (my 2.5 year old boy,) so I am by no means an expert! But obviously it’s a hot topic in our house, so I thought I would post what I’ve learned so far, and some of the advice I’ve gotten from other moms.
Potty training is tricky. Lots of people say you don’t want to miss your chance otherwise your child will be in diapers forever. Other people say it’s important not to push them too hard. So apparently there’s some fine line in there we’re supposed to walk to get our sassy, opinionated, toddlers to reach this milestone. I think our experience has been complicated by Violet’s arrival which happened right about when you are “supposed” to potty train a boy. We definitely suffered some setbacks when the baby arrived at the house. But now, I think we are back on track.
I could have used a picture of Cameron working on his potty training, but I didn't want to embarass him *too* much.
I started off by purchasing the book Potty Training Boys the Easy Way from Amazon. I found it pretty useful – it’s not a very dense read, and I got through it quickly. Basically the book promotes using “sessions” to help your son realize when he has to go to the bathroom. For an hour or so at a time, you put underpants on your son, or let him go naked. If he pees and has an accident, you clean it up and don’t make a big deal about it. Eventually they will come to realize that they don’t like getting wet and will start to tell you when they have to pee. This basically worked for Cameron. He can hold his pee for hours and for the most part is pretty good and getting to the potty in time. I will tell you we have to react fast – so far we only have about 30 seconds warning ’till the pee comes out. I’m guessing this will improve with time. We also have 2 potties (both exactly the same). One near Cam’s playroom and the living room, and one up in his bedroom. The book suggested this (multiple potties so they are near by, and the same so that your toddler doesn’t only want to go in the “red potty” for example). Cam helped me pick the potty out – we went with the Baby Bjorn Potty.
I have also been bribing Cameron with stickers when he goes pee in the potty. He seems to enjoy getting them and it was working well – for pee. We had made zero progress in the poop on the potty department. I reached out to my mom friends for some advice in this area, and basically it seemed that I needed to up my bribery game. We promised Cameron a Thomas Train if he would poop on the potty. Lo and behold, it worked! Yes, that makes it an expensive poop – but if he makes it out of diapers, then it’s worth it. We will downgrade to matchbox cars I’m sure, and then maybe back to stickers, but for now I’m fine with the trains!
I wanted to post some other advice and suggestions I got from other moms in case they seem like they might work for you:
No diapers in the house – cold turkey! (Except nap time and bed time, and eventually take them away when your little one seems to wake up dry more often than not). This seems similar to the “sessions” approach that I used but more intense.
Get underpants that your toddler is really excited about – and shop for them together. Cameron loves his Thomas undies, and he doesn’t want to get Thomas wet or dirty. Tell your son or daughter that they can wear them if they want to use the potty.
Put underwear under the pullups for overnight – this makes peeing really soggy and uncomfortable, while keeping the laundry situation under control. Personally, I think this idea is genius and when we start to tackle the night time issue, I may give it a try.
Bribery, bribery, bribery – Many moms suggested this in many forms. M and M’s, stickers, matchbox cars, and one mom who gave her child a skateboard at 50 dry nights! I think you just need to find that sweet spot of something your kid really wants and bribe them with it. In a toddler’s world, it seems to go a long way.
Good luck everyone! And please feel free to comment with your own ideas and suggestions.
