Feb 7, 2013

PT update

I don't know why but I felt weird writing potty training in the title. But that's what the PT is for.

You know how I mentioned last week we started training little miss? Well, I'm happy to report that we have been accident-free since that post, day 3 to be exact! Woohoo. No more diapers. Well, we're at least down to one in diapers :)


I'm no expert in this but I thought I'd share how it all went down for us and what really worked. So here goes.

First off, we tried several times before. She seemed interested in the whole toilet thing so we thought we'd give it a shot. No success.

A few months later I decided she should be out of diapers. I warned her for several days that when the diaper box was empty she was going to panties. I bought her princess ones and everything. After one LONG day of continual accidents - I gave up. I folded. I quit.

Fast forward several more months and she seemed much more ready and aware of the whole process. It was right around the holidays so I decided to wait until after the new year to tackle it again. Then we all got sick.

Finally, one day she asked to wear her princess panties. I explained to her that she couldn't potty in her panties and had to use the toilet. She said okay so on they went.

I don't want to go into too many details about the whole process because of her privacy but here are the things that worked best for us:

  1. sticker chart - every time she went, she got to pick out a sticker and put it on her chart. Stickers are toddler-currency.
  2. skipping the pull-ups and going commando - she really started getting it once she could really feel it. Sure it was a little messy but we also have wood floors so it wasn't too bad.
  3. lots of liquids the first few days - it kept her needing to go and I think that helped her get it quickly
  4. m&m's = more toddler currency - she loves them and every now and then would get a special m&m treat for me not having to remind her
  5. sucker - she rarely gets them so they're like the best thing right now. If she stayed dry all day, she got a sucker.
  6. praise. praise. and a whole lot of praise. - every time she went I made a HUGE deal about it. I told her good job, gave high fives made up songs about her going. It was a spectacle and she loved it.
  7. waited for her to get it - this was a big one. She could've been trained earlier but I know it would have come with a lot more frustration and tears (on my end) and I didn't feel pressured to make it happen at a certain time.
  8. right mind set - another huge one. I knew this was going to be hard. I knew there would be accidents, messes and it would require patience so I turned on some worship music every day and just tried to keep a joyful attitude. I know it helped me but I also know it had to help her too. Instead of getting upset at accidents and putting pressure on her, I just tried to help her along in the learning process. I explained that accidents would happen and we'd just try again next time. Each time she tried harder and would be so proud of herself when she didn't have an accident.


Now we're a week into it and she's been wearing panties at all times. All day. During naps. At night - granted, she wakes us up at night to go to the bathroom but it's a trade I'll take. And she sometimes hollers at nap-time that she has to potty but hey, she's getting it.

I know every child is different and I'm not intending this to be the manual on how to potty train your toddler, but any little tip helped me and maybe there was something in there that could help someone else about to tackle this huge milestone.

charts went with us everywhere, even to the doctor

While I don't miss changing her diaper, I am a little sad that her being potty trained is just another reminder of her growing up. I love watching her grow and am thankful I get to be here for it all but my little baby girl is growing up and sometimes it's still hard. That may sound crazy but hey, I'm okay with a little crazy.

And now we're in a new phase, I will call it the "Toilet Tourist" phase.


EVERYWHERE we go, she needs to use the restroom. Sometimes multiple visits in the same trip. It's funny how fascinating it is to her and how it totally gross it is to me.

So there you have it. Our adventures in potty training.


  1. I'm potty training my youngest right now! Isn't it funny how taking off that last diaper can be the tiniest bittersweet? Glad to not be changing them all the time, but sad that she's getting so big...

  2. Love this. I am in the trenches currently... Well, we are going at it with "potty training mornings." I have not gone on lock down and stayed at home enough days in a row to really get anything to stick... but she is getting it. Mama just needs some consistency. You have motivated me to get on it!

  3. Thankfully, my son never went through the "Toilet Tourist" phase. He didn't like the sound of the industrial big flush.

    Glad you survived this milestone phase. Bittersweet, but necessary. :)

  4. I would love to hear you sing about her going to the potty. Ha ha. What we mothers do for our kids!! :)

  5. Ugh! That is the one thing I am dreading most about my daughter learning to go potty... having to take her into all the nasty public restrooms. I am going to have to get used to that. Toddlers touch EVERYTHING and I don't even like to touch the flusher or doorknob with my bare hand! Ew!

  6. Congratulations on the potty training!!!!!

