Potty Training... the fourth time around
Here we go again!
I am beyond excited to be writing this post! We have been counting down the days of diapers for months and had high hopes for Ev to potty train a little early. As luck would have it, she started showing mild interest around 18 months old. Not wanting to push anything and knowing that interests do fade, we let her do her thing. If she asked to go, we let her. If she lost interest completely that was totally okay.
So, here we are, 2 years and 2 months old, and she is ready. For weeks she has told us when she has to go, when she did go and would tell us when she wanted to be changed. On occasion, she would even ask to wear underwear. I followed Ev's lead and let her pick a day to start. We jumped right in and went cold turkey with the diapers. During the day she was either naked or wearing underwear and was back in a diaper for bedtime the first three nights. She woke up dry each morning and immediately knew to use the potty. Last night we dropped the night-time diaper and once again we had a dry night! She woke up and immediately walked over to the bathroom. Even with all of the quick success, I fully expect to have some messes to clean up on occasion still but that is just part of the process.
We are a few days in now and while there were a few accidents the first couple of days, we have had way more successes. Ev caught on very quickly and I think it really helped that her sisters were so excited to help with the whole process.
Tips & Tricks
*I will preface this with acknowledging that I am no expert in potty training or any aspect of life or parenthood. I am just sharing what I found helpful in this process and what I hope you may find helpful.
Potty training can come with stress, frustration and mess. Keep a positive train of thought and follow their lead. If you find that there is a lot of mess and a lot of frustration, take a step back and re-evaluate. Ask yourself, "Are they really ready?"
Carry an extra set of clothes or two. You never know when you might need them. I have a spare outfit in the car so I don't have to worry about remembering to pack it!
During the first days of creating this new routine we didn't change our schedule much. Believe it or not I left the house with her in underwear every single day. The first days were just quick trips out and back but by the end of day three we ventured out for a little over an hour. Day four (today) we went out for several hours with no accidents and several attempts at the potty but she ended up holding it until we got home. It is so important for them to learn early on that they may have to use a potty that is not the same as at home and that it is okay.
Relax. This is probably the most important. It will happen! All children are different and some take longer than others.
Favorite Potty Training "Gear"
Itzy Ritzy Travel Happens Wet Bag
- There will be messes and you will want to carry an extra set of clothes just in case. I have loved these Itzy Ritzy bags for keeping everything organized in my diaper bag as well as for keeping messy and wet clothes contained until I can get them into the wash.
- It's a potty chair, a toilet seat topper and a step stool all in one. We have loved it as a potty chair for now and can't wait to transition it to a seat topper and stool now that we have an established routine.
