Saturday, September 15, 2012

Potty Training in our Happy House


Potty Training in 3 days is possible!
If you missed our Potty Training Tips and Tools click here, it is extremely important that you are sure that your child is ready before starting this. 

Before you get started:
  • Pick a week that you don't have much on the calendar so you can devote your time and attention to potty training.  You will need to stay home for at least three days straight before heading out into the outside world with big kid underwear. 
  • Plan easy meals and have your house chores (laundry etc.) caught up before you start. 
  • Talk to your child about starting to wear big kid underwear the days before so they start to get excited and know that they will be using the potty soon!
  • Make sure you have all of your supplies in the bathroom (potty seat, books, wipes, stool, stickers, chart  and m&m's)
  • You need to push fluids for the first couple of days so that your child will need to go a lot.
  • Make sure you are mentally prepared to handle this week with a positive attitude.  Talk with your family about staying positive and encouraging their younger sibling about using the potty.  The next few days are going to be stressful and tiring but so worth it!


Day One
Make it a habit for them try to go potty after they wake up every morning.  After this initial potty session, set a timer for every 20 minutes.  When the times goes off, its time to sit on the potty.  Read your potty books to them while they try to go, this can be a fun time to sing songs and tell stories. Give your child a small sticker and one m&m every time they try to go, even if they didn't actually go.  
If they do actually go potty make a big deal about it-sing a happy potty song, dance and be silly.  Just don't do what I did with my first daughter and get so excited that you scare her, lol!  Make sure you help your child wash their hands every time they try to use the potty so they also learn a good washing habit.

Pinned Image
{This is such a cute idea!}
{Little Sis had at least 6 accidents on the morning of day one, but something clicked after her nap and she started going potty almost every time she tried.  She only had a few accidents the rest of the day}

Day Two
Continue to set the timer and still give the sticker and a m&m for each try.   
{Little Sis went all morning before her nap without an accident.  She thinks its fun to re-start the timer on my iphone so whatever it takes to keep her excited. She had a few accidents in the afternoon but not nearly as many as yesterday}

Day Three
Today we stop setting the timer and this is the last day that we will be giving rewards when they go potty.  At this point they hopefully have started to learn the feeling that they need to use the potty and will tell you,  plus you are going to ask them throughout the day if they need to go.

{Little Sis was accident free on day three!  She had been dry all morning and when she went down for a nap I put a diaper on her but she said that she wanted to wear panties, so we compromised and she wore her panties over her diaper. Surprisingly she woke up dry, which is usually not the case. I thought for sure there might be at least a couple of accidents this afternoon or evening but she did awesome!}

~*I'll still be putting on diapers for nap and bedtime for awhile until it becomes consistent.  I'm more concerned with day time training for now*~
Leaving the house
Now the next big step is leaving the house and staying dry. I do not put my girls in pull-ups when we leave the house.  In the past I have used the Gerber plastic diaper covers over the underwear, but Little Sis was doing so great that we skipped this. 
~*Make sure you have a couple of change of clothes, underwear and a wet bag or something to put wet clothes in case there is an accident.*~
This is not a necessity but a few friends told me about a great travel potty that I bought and am keeping in our car.

{Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette® Plus Travel Potty & Trainer Seat}
The bags have an absorbent padding in the bottom and then you just tie it up and throw it away.  (I don't see me buying more replacement bags, I'll just recycle my grocery store bags and fold up some paper towels in the bottom) 
I have Little Sis try and go potty before we leave the house and then again before we go into the store or whatever errand we are running.  That way this germaphobe Mom can try to avoid using the public restrooms but that isn't always possible.  I also recommend carrying hand sanitizer in case there isn't a clean sink and soap to use. 
An Update on Little Sis
We potty trained almost three weeks ago and she is doing AWESOME!  She has only had a couple of accidents and I take blame for them.  We were busy and I should have paid more attention to how long it had been since she last went.  
There were a couple of times where #2 was scaring her so I went back to giving her a m&m for that and since then she is doing much better.  It's very bittersweet that Little Sis is potty trained.
I'm looking for other bloggers to share their Potty Training Stories, tips and recommendations for a new series, email me at Lindsey@Happyhouseof5.com

I would love to help with any questions or concerns you may have.  You can find me on Facebook, leave a message on this post or Tweet me.  Please share your success stories too :)
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27 comments :

  1. We love that travel potty. We also take it when we go to playgrounds and hiking. Basically, if there's room in the bottom of the stroller it goes with us if there's question about if a bathroom will be close by! I put grocery bags in an old wipes case and keep a roll of paper towels in my car. It has been used many a times out and about! So excited that things went smoothly with training!!!!!

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  2. I love this and hope to use it this summer. My daughter will be two in July so I would like to give it a shot if she's ready. Ill definitely be referring back to your advice!

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    1. I'm so glad to be helpful to all of the Momma's out there reading this!! Please let me know how it goes :)

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    2. I started this yesterday with my 3 yr old son minus the m&m's. day one was accident after accident but in the evening he finally went in the potty and we all praised him and did the happy dance. Today was day 2... only 3 accidents all day and by afternoon he was going in the bathroom on his own without telling us until after... again we've praised him all day each and every time he has gone. Tonight he wanted to go to bed in his big boy undies... crossing fingers he's dry in the morning. So excited!!!

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    3. Oh my goodness Nena! Sounds like you're doing a great job :) Hope to hear that all is going smoothly!!! GOOD LUCK

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  3. How do I know my daughter is ready both of my boys were older she's close to 2

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    1. Hello Verna,
      I wrote another post about the signs of readiness here:http://www.happyhouseof5.com/2012/09/potty-training-tips-and-tools.html

      Let me know if you have any more specific questions and I'll be glad to help :)

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  4. Going to try this with my nephew his already going to b 3 in july & his not potty trained yet my sister says his too small but i on the other hand think he should of been potty trained already!his gone number2 on toilet he jst wnt pee but i really think this will help especially yhe m&m's

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    1. I've heard that boys can take awhile longer than girls, I don't have any experience with boys though since I have all girls. Best of luck, let me know how it goes :)

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  5. Do you think 18 months is too young to start using your method to potty train? She is showing all the signs that she is ready (waking up dry, pulling up and down her own clothes and even tells me that she has to go "poop" before she goes). She has sat on the potty a couple of times because she has seen her older nephew use it and wanted to sit but she hasn't gone yet. I just don't know if its to early to start potty training full force.

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    1. I say if she is showing that much interest give it a try. I'm not an expert but go for it and dont worry if it doesn't go as planned. The key is not to stress her or yourself out over it. You could try again when she is a little older. Please let me know how it goes :)

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  6. Where can I find the boy version of "Once Upon a Potty"

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    1. It's on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Potty-Boy/dp/1554072832

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  7. Hello-If you have advice on PTing, i’d appreciate it. I started on 2/13/13 with my 22 month old daughter. she had no pee accidents but did poop in her training pants. she doesn’t like to pee right when she wakes up. i’m not sure if she’s peeing in her diaper when she wakes up before i go in to get her so when i set her on the potty she doiesnt have to go. yesterday, she started the day out doing well. she had one accident on the floor. then we went to my parent’s house. right away she had 1 accident on the floor (went in the corner behind a chair and peed). then i put her training pants on, told her that it wasn’t a diaper it was her big girl undies. she did pee in these but i think she didn’t like the feeling because she quietly walked over to her potty chair and sat down and i noticed they were peed in when i went to her. the rest of the day at my parents, no accidents-all pee in the potty. oh, and i do reward her pee's with m&ms as well. i put her diaper on to drive home. when we got home she pooped in her diaper. she then did continue to pee on the potty and had one more floor accident. my concern is that when she has a diaper on, she just knows that and never asks to go on the potty. but i know she knows when she has to go because when she’s bottomless she primarily goes on her own with little reminders from me. are these accidents also a sign she’s not ready? i feel like she's doing so well since she has told me when she has to go even when i don't ask her. I also think maybe she doens't feel comfortable pooping on the potty ebcause she hasn't yet and almost always waits for her diaper to be put on. even when she wears a diaper, she hardly ever will admit to pooping in it. not sure if maybe she's embarrassed about it. im sorry if this is a lot. i’m just a first time mom trying to figure it all out!

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  8. How long do you let them sit on potty.snd for a lil girl what potty books do you recommend, where can I find them

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  9. i have twins girl/boy but I am ready to really hit this hard- this was helpful- thanks!
    also saying hi from the hop at house of rose! thanks

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    1. Hi Kelly, I'm so glad you found it to be helpful! Best of luck with training your twins :)

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  10. I've had so many friends use this method and swear by it. I did it and it did NOT work. Obviously every child is different, but I seriously don't know what else to try. She is 3 months away from her 3rd birthday and still not potty trained.

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    1. Hi Luliana,
      You are so right, this method is not for everyone. I recently started a new Potty Training Series here on the blog inviting other guests to write about their training stories and tips. I hope you find something that works for your daughter. You can find the first guest post here: http://www.happyhouseof5.com/2013/04/potty-training-in-our-happy-house-its.html
      New ones will be added the next few Mondays :)

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  11. Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I found your blog about this last week via Pinterest and started potty training my 3yo son the next day following your instructions -- and it's been amazing! Thank you so, so much! (I did give the timer a break on Day 2 because it was driving me a little nuts -- but he had more accidents because of it. I brought the timer back for the morning of Day 3 -- and he got the hang of it again.) We are 7 days in to potty training and he had no accidents yesterday or today. Thank you, thank you!

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    1. YAY!! So glad you found me and had such great success with your son!! It warms my heart to know that my post is helping families, thanks for your sweet comments!

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  12. Hello! My son turned 2 in January and has been sitting on the potty 2-3 times a day and even goes...both! He knows when hes wet or has a bm and hates it! However, I have not been consistent enough to fully train him, as I have a 5 month old too...but I know he is ready and so am I! This weekend it is:)
    Question, did you fully stop using the diaper during the day(except at nap) and just used underwear? Thank You:)

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    1. Hi! Yes I kept her in training pants all day except for at nap and night time. It sounds like your son is showing signs of readiness, best of luck to you! Please let me know how it goes :)

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  13. SO, i love your advise and i just hope it will go as easy for us. my LO is going to turn 2 in july we have been doing an inconstant potty training where is a hit or miss successes. and its hit or miss. my questions, what do you tell her/him when there is an accident? and what do you do/say when you ask her if she wants to go sit on the potty and she says no? I don't want to force her and then run the risk of turning her off.
    thank you

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    1. Hi Alexandra,
      When the times goes off you don't ask you tell them nicely that its time to sit on the potty. If there's an accident you need to be patient and kind. Talk to them about making it to the toilet in time and to try again next time :)

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  14. When sitting them on the potty every 20 minutes how long you recommend letting them sit?? I have a 3 year old and it drives me insane that he isn't potty trained. I plan on giving this a try this weekend. He hates being wet and immediately wants to be changed. He even sits on the potty sometimes but I'm not consistent. I know he's ready!!

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    1. I would recommend reading a book or two and sing a couple of songs to make it fun. I never really watched the clock while training. Consistency is key, good luck!

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