We did it! We took the potty training venture and guys, let me just say, it was the most exhausting week of my life. People tell you potty training is no fun. But then they say things like, no one is still in diapers at ten years old, they’ll get it when they are ready, it’s easy when they’re ready, and some other things you always hear muttered when potty training is brought up. But let me be one hundred percent honest with you because I feel like knowing this is normal would maybe set you up for a better success. It will be the most exhausting week of your life. You will feel like all you do for a week is talk about poop, and pee, and accidents, and underwear, and staying dry, and washing your hands, and well you get the picture. It is all normal and it is part of the process no matter when you start. You won’t be going to the bathroom every hour…you’ll be going more like every 15-20 minutes. And they will not tell you when they need to go, you will be telling them. You will also do a lot of laundry…a lot of laundry. The first week is brutal…and it gets worse before it gets better. You will want to quit, you will be over it, but sticking it through will surely pay off. Potty training is not for the faint of heart. You definitely learn to have a lot of patience, and you definitely learn a lot about yourself.

So, let’s get to the good stuff. How did we do it?

Tips for Potty Training

Jase is two…he was 27 months when we started potty training to be exact. I made sure I was starting to see some signs of readiness before taking on the big task. Jase hated being in a wet or dirty diaper, he was telling me after he had gone, and he was doing great at communicating. He was still really unsure of the toilet but I knew if I made it more comfortable and a big deal he would get it.

So we picked up a really cool step stool for him, a little toilet insert (there is no way I wanted to clean out a potty!), a cute little potty book, and lots of candy for treats.

When he woke up on day one I took him straight to the potty. I made a huge deal about his new potty insert, Mickey Mouse, and he loved it. He had a light up Cars stool which added to the excitement. He sat on the potty and we read the Potty Book and then he would use the bathroom. I made a huge deal about him going, let him flush the toilet, wash his hands and then an M&M for a reward. Then I let him pick his underwear out and would say “no more diapers!” He was so excited! I set the timer for every 20 minutes and when it went off I would yell “Potty time!” and be super excited about it to make him excited about going.

Here is how it went:

Day One: Only a few accidents, maybe four. He was so excited about the newness of it! Time set for every 20 minutes.

Day Two: About the same as day one, He was going more like every 15 minutes though. I was telling him, he was not telling me.

Day Three: Third day is the charm, right? Wrong! This was the worst day! He had six accidents in the morning alone. He was so over it by this day. He was tired of having to be interrupted and go potty. Instead of being excited when the timer went off, he cried. It was a long day and I was so ready to give up. I think I might have shed some tears I was that irritated.

Day Four: Sometimes all you need is a new day. It was much better, back to a handful of accidents and going every 20 minutes.

Day Five/Six: Going every 30-40 minutes and no accidents! Still not telling me when he had to go, I was telling him, but we did great.

Day Seven: Started telling me when to go and holding it longer, we were going maybe every hour by this day!

It took a good long week, but since then it’s been much better. He has off days, sometimes he gets a little lazy and I have to remind him. There may be an accident or two some days, but for the most part he is fully trained!

Now here are my tips for you:

Make them Excited: Whether you choose a potty seat or potty insert, make it fun and get them excited about it. Get fun characters, a new book, a step stool, new underwear. a potty doll, something that makes theme excited! Something new that makes the whole experience seem new and exciting. The little things really do matter.

Find Your Magic Number: Some kids need to go every 5 minutes, some every 15, some every 25 minutes. Find what your magic number is and stick to it all day. Set the timer and make a big deal when it goes off. It is exhausting but the hard work pays off.

Be Over the Top: Be crazy excited! You aren’t excited enough if you don’t feel ridiculous. Jump up and down when they pee on the potty! Go crazy! Big hugs, high fives, do it all. Jase still sometimes hugs me and says he is proud of me after he goes potty…we made a huge deal. The more excited you are, the more it will entice them to keep it up!

Reward! Reward! Reward! Do not be afraid to give rewards, it really makes all the difference. We did an M&M for when he peed, and a little peanut butter cup when he pooped. Which by the way is normal for that to take a few days, Jase didn’t go until day three and I had to leave him sitting alone for a bit, it’s another learning thing for them. But in addition to that I had bigger incentives throughout the week. Brownies, his Bookroo box, and then the final three days to stop the accidents a brand new toy. I sat the brand new toy on the fridge where he could see it but couldn’t grab it. He asked about it multiple times and I would tell him he could have it when he stopped going potty in his underwear and went on the potty. He seriously stopped having accidents right after that. It was magic.

Remind Them: The first week they may not ever tell you when they have to go. You need to tell them! And between the timer going off ask them if they need to go potty, tell them what they do when they need to go potty. You will feel like it’s all you talk about. All day long I said, “Jase, do you need to go potty? Jase where do you go potty? Jase no pee pee in underwear? Tell mommy when you need to go potty.” And I just continued that all day long for the whole week.

Don’t be Afraid to go Naked: Jase hates being naked, so I really didn’t think that would be an option. But on day three when he started getting super lazy and over it, I made him go naked. I had no clean underwear so he had no choice! He screamed for maybe twenty minutes, then he finally calmed down, I made him sit on the tile floor just in case and I really think it helped. A combination of him hating being naked, plus being able to feel and see what happened when he had to go helped. He would stop himself and say he needed to potty! It helped him realize what his body was doing.

(Update: 10/26): How to Handle Outing: I’ve gotten a few questions about this, so wanted to go back and add this. The first week just do not plan on going anywhere unless you absolutely have to. It is easier just to tackle it head on for one good week without any interruptions. But if like me, you had to leave once or twice put a pull up OVER underwear. This way they still feel the underwear, if they have an accident it’s still uncomfortable to them, but it also contains the mess. No car accidents! I did this for the first couple weeks. After that I just stopped altogether and would make Jase go every stop or every hour while we were out. He was a little uneasy about the public restrooms so I started to realize he would just have an accident vs tell me he had to go. So just encouraging him to go in public has really helped.

Potty training really is exhausting. I practically fell into bed every night. I made daddy take the potty shifts when he got home from work to give me a break. But it was well worth it to be done. Just a lot more work than I expected! Hopefully you will go in expecting the work and it will go great for you! Here’s to hoping…