So, Samie’s first use of her potty chair was at about 18 months. We tried to run with it then but she backed WAY off. So like any “good” mom, I followed her lead, and then Evie arrived a few months later, and then life just settled in. I work for my dad’s HVAC company, so when Summer hit I thought “I will focus more time on this in the Fall.” Except that year we didn’t have much of a Fall. Here in California we went from Summer to Winter without much in between. “Alright,” I told myself “Spring it is.” Nope. Didn’t even start the following Fall.
So we were coming up on Samie’s fourth birthday and she had been primarily in diapers the whole time!
Yes, we tried giving a treat when she would use the potty. We tried stickers, candies, gold stars to “earn” bigger prizes, disposable potty training underwear, “special” underwear that we bought at Disneyland and paid WAY more than what we would have paid anywhere else!!! NOTHING was getting that kid on the toilet. Well, we could get her on the toilet, she just wasn’t doing much there…
For Thanksgiving last year we went away for a week. We spent about five days at Disneyland (cause when are we not there) and then drove to my Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving. One of the last few days of the trip I had the kids in the bathtub and Samie says she needs to poop! I quickly get her onto the toilet (no potty trainer seat) and she does her business! Yes, I’m aware I am putting this on the internet and that someday my poor kid is going to be incredibly embarrassed by this, but I fully intend to embarrass her in public for the entire time she lives with me so she will be over it once she figures out the internet!
When we got home from our trip we started in again with little success, she’s a busy girl and I’m a busy mom and we just were not on the same page when it came to potty training. I let it go through the rest of the holidays because we were just too busy.
Work has been slow this Winter, and since I am able to work from home quite a bit, I finally bit the bullet and made the decision that I was ready for potty training. You see, that is really what it boils down to. Yes, you do have to watch for signs that your child is ready, but as a parent, I had to be ready too. Who knows why I wasn’t ready before, it’s not as though changing a diaper is easy or cheap! But I did know that I can’t be cleaning up accidents all day, and I just don’t have the resources to devote all my time into watching for signs to go to the bathroom, it’s hard enough for me to get to the bathroom sometimes! I had started making cloth diapers last year (still working on that project) and found a pattern for potty training underwear. These are similar to cloth diapers as they are made of the moisture-catching fabrics but they fit like true underwear and they have a cotton knit lining instead of a fabric that wicks away moisture, so the child knows when they are wet, and they don’t like it! I whipped up about four pairs in a day and mine have snap sides so that if we have an accident (especially of the poop variety) I can still take them off like a diaper and clean them like a cloth diaper. Ahhh, the sweet smell of success… Finally!
Yes, we still had some “accidents”. Mostly they happen later in the afternoon and when she is “busy” playing or visiting, but with the potty pants we don’t have a big mess to clean up. So far the potty pants have caught two or three wet accidents and even one small load, but as there is not much room between her and the underwear, she wants out of them quick! After the first two or three days we had some great success! We even tried them overnight instead of switching back to a disposable option and we had a dry morning! I did notice at some point there was some wetness in the trainers, which I believe was probably from the night before and they just dried enough to not bother her, so we made sure to talk about that, and that we need to put on new undies each day.
So, that’s my story! I have read the 3-day potty training method and I think if you have the time to devote to it, it seems like a terrific program. I can’t exactly recommend it’s usefulness in my situation but the person that referred me to it swears by it!
Have a tip or suggestion? Feel free to post a comment, we can all use a little helpful advise!
Want to know more about the potty training pants I made? Hop on over to Stuff N Junk by Heidi for more information, and how to purchase!
Kneading, Reading, Streaming