Don’t Stress About Potty Training!
For some parents and children, potty training can be very stressful and hectic. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Stop putting undue stress on yourself and your child just to race against the clock. *This post contains affiliate links which mean I could receive a commission if you choose to purchase. Please read the full disclosure here.*
When my little guy was barely a year old someone told me something that stuck with me. A friend of mine told me “Don’t you worry about potty training, he isn’t going to be 30 and still in diapers. He will figure it out.” Although I wasn’t even thinking about potty training at that time, I’m so glad that she said this because it is what kept running through my mind during the potty training stage.
I can officially say that my little stinker is completely potty trained and he is doing great! With the exception of wearing a diaper for nap-time and bedtime.
Getting Started
When he was around 18 months old, I started the process of wanting to train him. He was not having it! He would cry and cry while sitting on the potty. I didn’t have a stool, I didn’t have a seat adapter, I didn’t have anything for a reward, nothing.
I tried to read to him and he would just cry. I thought “Oh boy, I hope this isn’t the way it’s going to be”. Although I held him on the big potty seat, this just wasn’t working. So I stepped back a little bit and decided to wait. He was not at all ready.
Later, I purchased a two-step stool to help him climb on the toilet and prop his feet up so that he would feel more steady. That still didn’t work. And I didn’t stress about it. I could tell that he was just not ready to potty train.
At times, I would let him wear training underwear around the house and take him to the potty every 5 minutes or so, as I had read on other blogs. It didn’t work. He would still use the bathroom on himself and ask for a diaper. So I would step back and wait. I didn’t feel any reason to push the issue if it wasn’t clicking with him.
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Just Keep Going
Yes, there were times it was frustrating because I felt he should be old enough to grasp how to potty in the toilet but I kept in my mind “He isn’t going to be 30 and still in diapers. He’ll figure it out.” So I took it easy on him, and me!
I continued to change diapers day after day. I was beyond ready to be out of diapers but I didn’t want my little boy screaming on the toilet either. I would ask him at times, “Can you go sit on the potty for Mommy?” His response, “No, thank you. Just diaper.”.
So I kept reading potty books to him, putting him in undies to wear around the house, sitting him on the toilet every now and then to help him get comfortable. I just went at a slow pace. And I’m so thankful that I did.
I decided to get him a toilet seat adapter like this one and it seemed to change everything. This adapter has a rubber rim on the bottom so that it doesn’t slide, handles on each side to help steady the child, and a splash guard. Once he began sitting on this toddler-sized potty seat, he felt much better about sitting on it longer than normal. Even though he still wasn’t going #1 and #2 in the potty, I was happy that he would sit on the seat without crying and crawling on me, begging to get off.
It Finally Clicked!
For his 3rd birthday, he got big boy underwear and he couldn’t wait to wear them. Soon after his birthday, I decided to give it another try. Just like all of the times before, I wasn’t going to push the issue but he was getting old enough that it was time to move on to big boy underwear.
He was equipped with a toddler seat on the big potty, a step stool, and books. I sat him on the potty and he immediately began to do #1. I was so excited! I just couldn’t believe he went so easily. He was praised and was very excited himself. I went that day and picked out stickers for him to receive every time he went potty.
I know many parents give out candy as a reward but I didn’t like that idea. So I decided on stickers and he loves picking out which sticker he will get as his reward.
You Can Get Your Free Sticker Chart Printable Here
(Just print your child’s name on the line provided and let them put a sticker each time they potty. Maybe you can take them to the dollar store to get a prize once the chart is full!)
During that first day and the day after, I put him in a diaper any time I was out and about running errands because I wasn’t sure how well he would do. 3 days later, he was completely potty trained! It just happened so quickly. It clicked. A week later and he was going to the potty by himself with no help from me at all.
I’m Here to Encourage You
So I’m here to encourage any mom that is going through the sticky process of potty training. Do not make this hard on yourself. If your little one is not getting it just yet, take a step back. Don’t put yourself on a timeline. Let it happen naturally.
Yes, you may be tired of changing diapers, I know I sure was. But they will get it. It will happen and you will realize how quickly it goes after that. And just remember…your little one isn’t going to be 30 and still in diapers. There’s no need to rush things and make them grow up so quickly.
In saying all of this, I do realize that there are some stinkers out there that are stubborn. I do realize that you may have to take a different approach and that’s ok. Potty training will look different for each child and each parent.
But for now, Girlfriend, don’t stress so much over it.
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