I’m approximately three months into potty training and the adventure continues to be very real. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, no one really told me the truth about potty training (or parenting in general for that matter!). Before I had a child, I had always heard about the three day potty training method. I entered potty training with the unrealistic dream that we were going to wrap this up in one long weekend. And while I’m sure the three day potty training method works to a point, I’m going to have to call bullshit on this. After what I’ve been through, I cannot fathom how it is possible to potty train a child in three days.
If you’ve done this, please tell me in the comments below. You are a magician, I want to meet you and I could also use some of your tricks! That being said, we are making progress. I always remind myself at these developmental milestones that every child is different and while we aren’t fully there, we are moving in the right direction. I am happy to say I have a few major updates to report:
1. We have moved into big girl panties and this is a big deal. I knew it was important to get Zelda excited about big girl underwear which is why I involved her in the process of picking them out. I highly recommend doing this for your child too. Whether they love superheroes, florals or Minnie Mouse, let them feel involved in the decision. I recommended Hanna Andersson in my first post and we are now using them daily. Throughout this journey we tried a few other brands, but nothing beat Hanna Andersson. They are made from super soft organic cotton and most importantly, they have thicker padding than many other brands. This ensures that when mishaps happen, most of the liquid is absorbed right away – which is a total game changer.
2. We are still in a no poop zone. Zelda has no interest in using the potty to go poop because when it comes to number two she is still terrified. However, we have made progress. When she needs to poop, she goes into her room by herself, puts on a pull up, poops and then tells me she needs her diaper changed. As I change her diaper she apologizes the entire time (which is a little heartbreaking). She is recognizing that she needs to go and doesn’t poop in her undies. Even though I still end up changing a diaper, I’m counting this as a step in the right direction. Hopefully in my next update she will be going number two in the toilet.
3. We have moved away from the portable potty and onto the regular toilet at home and out. However, at night we use a sleep diaper because we have not made our way there yet. I learned very early on that I needed to be keenly aware of when she was wearing big girl underwear. We had a little mishap on our couch last weekend when Zelda went down for a nap. She urinated while she was sleeping and it has been EXTREMELY difficult to remove the smell from our couch. It smells like a cat urinated all over our living room and has taken me four attempts to make any progress with smell removal.
The first few times we used a concentrated dishwasher detergent with warm water and then moved onto a vinegar and water spray. It seems to be doing the trick but I still get a whiff every now and then. If this happens again, I’m confident we will find ourselves at Crate & Barrel buying a new couch. Moral of the story? Make sure your kid has on a sleep diaper before they fall asleep – it will save you a ton of frustration.
As a last little tidbit, when your child ventures out for the first time in undies it’s okay to be scared – I was terrified. I brought two extra outfits and brought myself an extra shirt (you never know when they are going to go on you!). If you are prepared you will be fine, just remember accidents happen and it is okay! If you are making that first venture out, simply pretend like you’re 35 weeks pregnant again, locate the bathroom and sit as close to it as you possibly can. Additionally, as soon as you arrive escort your little one to the potty even if they say they don’t have to go. This should be your first stop so you have some peace of mind during your venture out.
When you’ve got a toddler that is potty training everything is an adventure. Don’t forget – the average time for a child to become fully potty trained is three to six months (don’t feel discouraged if you’ve heard about the three day potty training method and it doesn’t work!). Typically, children wet the bed until the age of five so as long as you’re making progress you are doing great! It is scary and it’s a big change but it is oh so good when they get out of diapers. I am happy to report I cancelled my Honest Company bundle last month because we don’t need diapers anymore. Instead, we placed a nice little order for Pull Ups (which was a quarter of the price). There is light at the end of the tunnel.
lifestyle
Sana
Once we were ready, both my kids were done in about 3 days. 3 very long days, nonetheless! Hahah we did no bottoms and took em to the potty every 15 minutes. I donated all diapers/pull ups before we got started so there was no going back. Every kid is different though, hang in there, cuz like they say, no kid goes to college in diapers! ?
Tanya
We did 3 day potty training when my daughter was just over 2.5 years old. They were very long, very wet days. We didn’t ask if she had to go potty, we just reminded her to tell us if she had to go. We said that about every 30 minutes. We had to focus all of our attention on her (clear your calendar!) and then catch her in the middle of an accident, scoop her up and run to the potty. By the end of day 2 I thought it was hopeless. She picked it up by lunch on day 3. I think it works best with a partner because it’s stressful on one parent. By the end of day 2, I asked for 2 hours of alone time and went to a coffee shop by myself while my husband took over. Good luck, girl! You can do it! p.s. ALL the treats!
Erica
Corri,
You are doing the best you can. Everyone’s journey is going to be different and I commend you for the job that you are currently doing. As you know there’s no manual for Parenthood. As for overnight training it can be another year or so until the child is actually able to hold it all night. I was told to expect around 4 years old when a child might be able to hold it overnight without an accident. Again that’s just a general idea every child is different and it’s hard but patience is the key.
Catherine
The three day method is a total lie. Neither of my girls (twins) took three days. One spent weeks not event caring that she was peeing on herself and then suddenly just decided she was going to use the potty. The other one was super into trying and tried so hard, and had so many accidents, and was so upset but little by little she got there. Every kid is different and they’ll do it their own way.
Nikia
The 3-day method actually worked for us. Although a few accidents happened occasionally afterwards, MJ was pretty much potty trained after day three.
I’m not sure if you were able to do this, but Melvin and I stayed in the house with him the entire 3 days (we picked a holiday weekend) and simulated “throwing out all of the diapers” on day one. We anticipated that cabin fever would set in, so we had loved ones stop by and visit him. Some even brought over rewards for him, for doing so good.
I’ll send you the potty training boot camp manual I used, just in case you want to use it. ?
Corri McFadden
Thank you so much babe for sending my the boot camp manual! We have the “pee” down so technically I guess I am killing this potty training thing, LOL! Now the poopy training we are failing at! I will be sure to let you know how the manual advise works out for you! Adore your crew! XO
Katrina
I totally agree that realistic potty training just doesn’t happen in 3 days. After going through our focused potty training, we came up with a 10 step method that I think is much more realistic. I’d love to know what you think! https://www.mamasorganizedchaos.com/our-potty-training-method-in-10-steps/
Sarah Hopewell
I know you wrote this post some time ago, but I’m very glad I stumbled across it! I’m PT’ing my twins at the moment, into week 4, and there’s definitely progress, but we are a long way from cracking it. I KNOW they can do this, because they ARE doing it – at least most of the time. Yet the internet seems to be filled only by people who’s children were done and dusted within the week, never looked back etc. Kind of reminds me of when we were trying to conceive, only to have the internet full of people who only had to look at their partner and they were pregnant. Thee to six months sounds like a MUCH more realistic/hopeful timeframe, would love to know where you got that statistic from, it feels so much better to read!
Turo Fernandez
With me all my accidents were inside my cloth training underwear!