Thursday, January 26, 2012

Potty Training Part 2

Click here for Potty Training Part 1Hi!  I am back to share how I have potty trained all 4 of my children.   I was lucky enough to have a neighbor and good friend in Utah share this method with me just before I started potty training Kaylee.  That was over 8 years ago.  I will be forever grateful to her for that.  As a new mother who didn’t have a clue where to start and really hadn’t given it much thought; she gave me the tools I needed to be successful.  I was sold when she told me her own mother potty trained all of her children this way.  She happened to have10 children.  She also potty trained her own (4 at the time) children the same way her mother did.  Double sold.  I thought it was definitely worth a try.   Maybe this will help you too.  Because of that, I share this info. with everyone. 

Potty Training in one day

Supplies to get

-A lot of candy, snacks, kool aid, juice, sweet and salty things

-Underwear (heavy ones for first couple of days and normal ones)

-Plastic cover pants to go over the underwear for naps and night

-An apron for you to wear with pockets to put treats in (instant rewards for going in potty)

-Potty seat for toilet, stool and portable potty chair (so they can decide which to use)

-Poster board (you need to make a calling chart.  Something where they can see to choose who to call when they go potty, photos helpful) * I have used scrapbook pages before just to save on prep time.  Confession - I didn’t do that this time.  I did not have time.  Instead I made a list for myself of who to call and then Ady decided by the names I said.  If she wasn’t my fourth one, I would have gone all out.  That’s my excuse anyway. :) 

-Baby wet doll – *I had a hard time finding one of these.  I had one with the first two, but with Drew and Ady I just used one of the dolls we had around the house.  The point is to have the doll go pee pee in the potty to get your child excited.  I just sneaked a medicine dropper full of water behind the doll and pretended she peed.  It worked fine.  It’s up to you.

-Something to clean the “oopsies” with. * There is probably a better way, but I use an ammonia and water mixture in a squirt bottle and Febreeze when it is on my rugs (that can’t be washed) or carpet.  Or you could just hang out on the tile for the majority of the day.  That is a safe place!  You will need something to clean up the carpet anyway.  It’s bound to happen. 

-Don’t forget about treats for you.  This is important.  You are going to NEED them!  Coke, chocolate and potato chips are always on my list.

Very IMPORTANT rules not to break

-It should be just you and the child you are potty training ALL day - no interruptions  *I understand when you have multiple children it can sometimes be hard to find a place for them go, especially when they are not school age.   See if a family member or good friend can take them.  Maybe your husband can take the day off work or plan it for when he has the day off.  I have done all of those. I can not tell you enough how important it is to have it be JUST the two of you all day.  And when I say all day, I mean until dinner time or later.  Plan on pizza for dinner!  (My friend Sara brought us dinner.  I was very lucky).  Not only is it easier to teach your child when you are one on one with out interruptions, but they feel so important when they have you all to themselves.  Especially on a day like this.  Ok, I’m off my soap box.  Moving on. 

-Do not answer the phone or the door.  This is not the day to chat on the phone or text. I always tell the people I communicate with regularly that I will be unreachable.  There will be moments of boredom, but I promise you, the second you get into a conversation or get lost in texting you will have a pee or poop mess to clean up for sure.  It’s all about staying focused and not being interrupted. 

How it Works

Start your day like normal.   Feed him/her a good breakfast since it will pretty much be junk the rest of the day.  (I will explain why in a bit)  After breakfast, as soon as everyone is out of the house (and maybe after you have at least showered.  You will be glad you did because once you start there will be no time for you.) start by playing with the baby wet doll. Say “Look! She has big girl (big boy) underwear on! You can wear big boy underwear too! Let’s go put yours on! When he puts his on, have him wear just his underwear and a shirt all day.  No shorts or pants.  It’s just easier that way and one less thing for you to wash.  Then go back to playing with the doll again. All of the sudden the doll goes pee pee on the potty! “Oh my gosh! Did you hear that!? We are so proud of her! She gets to have a special treat!” Make sure that you have your apron on with “special” treats.  Ones that are only for when he goes in the potty.  Not for snack time. Give the doll a treat and say, “You can have a special treat if you go pee  pee in the potty too.” Have him sit on the potty and try right then. If he goes potty then get SO EXCITED!!  He gets a special treat and then gets to choose someone’s picture from the calling chart to call and tell about going potty on the big boy potty.

This is pretty much what your day consists of:

1. Go to the kitchen, start pumping him/her full of snacks (sweet and salty) and juice and water. Lots of liquid and food to keep him/her drinking.  This step is very important.  You want them to be drinking constantly, at first anyway.  The sweet and salty snacks will make them want to drink, which is going to make them have to pee and that is what you want.  Then you will have plenty of opportunities to teach them to use the potty.  Remember this is potty training in ONE day, so it’s a good thing to be running to the bathroom every 15 min.

My friend Tami, who has the same love for Coke as I do, dropped me by my daily drink.  It never tasted so good!  I usually don’t ever share my drink.  It’s MY thing.  Hands off kiddos…or you just might die. ;)  Today was a little different.  Ady always begs for sips of my soda.  Today I shared a little bit with her.  I happily let her sip through my straw knowing it would go straight through her and come out the other end in no time. 

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2.  Set the timer for 15 minutes. In that first 15 minutes, start to play with the doll again and this time make the doll have an accident. When she  has an accident run with her from the spot of the accident to the potty saying “No pee pee on the floor pee pee on the potty!”, really fast 10 times back and forth.  Each time saying that and pulling her underwear down and setting her on the potty. Do that same thing with your child when they have an accident.  They might start to laugh and think it’s a joke, but don’t give up.  Before you know it they’ll be saying it too. Make sure and do that every time there is an accident, even if you really don’t feel like it anymore. It’s a very important step in the teaching process.

3.  When he/she isn’t eating, or running back and forth to the potty, stick to reading books or playing cars, Legos or some other toy or game.  No T.V. or movies.  They get too involved in that and lose interest in the day.  Stick to activities that can be easily interrupted.  Don’t let him/her go outside.  They’ll lose all interest! 

We stuck to Legos most of the day.  I think she stuck to one thing because she loved that I was doing it with her.

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4.  Eat a normal lunch and put your child down for a nap at a normal time.

*As far as your day goes, the main things are eating lots of things to make them drink.  Going potty every 15 minutes.  (Don’t forget to set the timer).  Reward them instantly when they are successful.

Ady loved pulling treats out of my apron.

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She also loved talking on the phone.

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*Don’t forget to run back and forth 10 times when there is an accident.  I really think this is a vital part of the learning process.  I have seen the lightbulb go on during this step with every single one of my children.   

Tips and Suggestions

-Stay overly excited!

-Try not to get frustrated… you can do anything for a day and it’s completely worth it!

-As far as the timer goes, sometimes it seems like they have an accident a couple of minutes before the timer goes off.  It is the worst when you miss it like that!  It makes me want to pull my hair out.  If that happens adjust your time and remember to follow your instincts! If the timer goes off after 15 min and they still don’t need to go potty (even after they tried sitting on the potty) then it is pretty safe to say that if you set the timer for another 15 min. they are going to pee on the floor.  Instead, set the timer for 5 min. intervals until you catch them being successful on the potty.  Then start it over at 15 min. again.   

-I find that we end up sitting on the potty for awhile waiting for something to happen.  If it’s been 15 min. I want them to sit on the potty and wait.  I can’t stand missing it and then having to deal with an accident because we weren’t patient enough.  I will sit in front of them and sing songs or play some kind of hand game to keep them entertained.  (like itsy bitsy spider, this little piggy, pat a cake, pat a cake or whatever else you can think of).

-It seems like after lunch or nap time they lose interest a little.  Save some tricks for when that happens.  Make up a potty game or song. Instead of a timer on a microwave use one that rings or sounds different. If he/she gets tired of the real potty put out the portable one.  Brainstorm about some things like that.

-This is pretty much common sense, but when your child has an accident make sure and say “EWWW! Pee pee is so stinky!  We don’t like to clean up accidents!” not “You stink!, Your pee smells so bad! Or Your Gross!”

-Make sure and have some kind of plastic cover over the mattress under the bottom sheet in case there is an accident at night.  You could buy a water proof mattress cover.

-Don’t go back to diapers.  Not even pull- ups at night. Once you start just keep going.  No matter how hard it is!  They’ll  get the hang of it.  They need to know that he/she is  a big boy/girl and they don’t use diapers anymore.  This is up to you and all children are a little different when it comes to night time.  I personally feel like they have to learn some time and I am all about diving in and not looking back.  Plus Pull-Ups pull the moisture away from them so they aren’t as aware of an accident. 

-Consistency, consistency, consistency!!!!  There is really nothing else that needs to be said about that one.

*So you train in a day and then you have to reinforce for about a week. I’m not going to sugar coat it and tell you  that after ONE day they are fully potty trained.  There will still be accidents here and there.  They are going to get distracted or lazy.  It happens.  Don’t expect them to all of a sudden go potty all by themselves every single time.  You are still going to have to do some reminding.  Did I already mention being consistent?  I will assure you that the majority of the teaching happens on the first day.  You will see it click sometime during that day.  However, do not expect to go back to your normal routine the next day.  The second day was worse for us then the first day.  I always forget that until I am experiencing the second day, but it has been that way for us each time.  It’s not quite as exciting for them on the second day and you are ready to have a “normal” day.  The third day is better.  It clicks for them again and you are back on track.  You probably won’t want to leave the house for the first week, unless it’s a very quick errand and you  take a change of clothes. (Keep the change of clothes with you for longer than that) Always have them go potty right before you leave the house. You will probably have to ask  every 30 minutes or so for the next couple of days if they need to go potty.  If the answer is no, you might need to be a little persistent and just get them to “try” every so often. It’s a busy, tiring week (you might even wish for diapers again), but it’s all worth it when you can tell it has finally clicked! Don’t forget to have them stop drinking at least an hour before bed and don’t let them go to bed with a sippy cup until there are no more accidents at night. We always wake our kids up to try before we go to bed. 

That’s a rap for the big potty training post. Phew!  Thanks for hanging in there with me.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!  You can do it!

*  Questions answered in the comments. Please look through the comments for answers to your questions first.  I can not answer every question, especially if I already have.  I hope you understand.  Thank you for your interest in this post.  I am thrilled that I can share something that is helping so many of you.

The #1 most asked question is “What age is best to potty train?”

My answer is 2 – 2 1/2.  I usually start shortly after they have their second birthday.  I do not go past 2 1/2.  The  closer they are to 3, the harder it is.  They tend to get more stubborn and set in their ways and they care less about losing the diapers.  Around their second birthday they are so excited to grow up and be big like “so and so” is.  You are able to feed off of their own excitement and encourage them to take the next big step. 

269 comments:

Colleen said...

This is so great Krysta. thanks for sharing. I may need to use this with C. He goes #2 in potty but will sometimes do #in pull-up. I can't get him in underwear either.

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting this, I'm def going to try some of these tips!

Andrea said...

Thanks for gearing me up again. I have always been thankful that you shared this with me. Now just one more to go. Way to go Ady!!! you are awesome. Oh, and you are pretty awesome training here. I think potty training is the most frustrating event ever.

Terrys Rock! said...

Go Ady!! And Krysta! I think it's just as hard for the parents as it is for the child, more work for the parent for sure. Those little people are way smarter than what we give them credit for. And like Christian said, you deserved it to be easy with your sweet little Ady. You more than earned it. :)

KW said...

Oh boy, I don't think I am ready for all of this. Luke has no interest but maybe I can be dedicated to getting it done. Thanks for the tips!!

Kari said...

Good job, Krysta. Do you want to come potty train Colton? His teacher thinks he is ready because he likes to play with the toilet. Yeah, right.

Prudently Painted Vintage said...

Umm will you come train Ethan because he seriously has no intention of EVER wearing his big boy underwear! He hates them. I know you're thinking hate is a strong word, but I don't think it's strong enough for how he feels about them! Did I ever mention to you he is on a pajama strike right now. Yep wears his jeans to bed every night. I may have the most particular child in the world!

Oh sorry, good job Ady!!! Yay!!! I'm excited for you guys. Hopefully we will be there before Ethan is 4 :(

Alison Woods said...

Wow, you're amazing! I tried that once and I failed . . . probably because I didn't follow all of the steps exactly and didn't do a very good follow through. Congrats!

Unknown said...

How do you train your child at night? I thought that it has to "click" for kids during the night at different times. With my first child it clicked after 6 months. My second it's been longer. I could use any help I can get! Thanks for your suggestions. We did potty train during the day time in a week using this method. Night is so much harder for us.

Emnacnud said...

this really works it has worked for my 4 children.

RebekahP said...

Will you please suggest what age to potty train? Thanks!!

Kristy said...

I saw this through Pinterest (my new obsession btw). We are currently potty training our first so it hit a chord. I love your blog. The pictures are amazing! I have just started blogging so I'm always looking for other mommies trying their hand at it as well, gathering inspiration. My blog is makingraspberrylemonade.blogspot.com. How do you find time to blog? I try so hard to keep up with it but I get overwhelmed with life and kids that I forget that I even have a blog!

Alissa said...

Having potty trained 4 kids myself I think you're spot on with how it works for pee. Poop on the other hand, can be really difficult (and terrifying) for little kids to comprehend and master. Not that I have any advice except patience...

Tess said...

I saw this on Pinterest and immediately loved it! My only problem is I don't know if my daughter is old enough to potty train like this... She is only 17 months, but she is showing so many signs that she is ready. She even lets me know when she is about to go potty. What age would you suggest for this method? I really don't want to push training on her so I may hold off for a while still, but I was just wondering what you thought. Thanks!

kabeaner said...

This method is actually from a book written in the 70's. After unsuccessfully training my son for a couple of months, I got this book from the library and went for it. I did the timer different. I started at 5 minutes and then made the interval longer by a minute. My son was rewarded for being dry, not going in the potty. We had missed that emphasis before and it made all the difference. Before he would pee a little in the potty, get his reward, and pee the rest in his pants 2 minutes later. His reward would be something as little as a smarty. I call this the intense therapy method. It took 2 days, but after trying for months other ways, I considered that a success. Also, I didn't use the doll. He had seen his parents use the potty plenty and fully understood that part of the process.

Michelle said...
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Michelle said...

I am on child number four and potty training is BY FAR the ONE thing I dislike the MOST! My two youngest have speech apraxia and hyperactivity and delayed potty training is one of the most common parts of it! My last one didn't potty train until he was FIVE! My youngest is 3 1/2, so I am SO TRYING THIS ON MONDAY!!! I can't not tell you how EXCITED I am!! What a great way of doing it and a great day of "special time" with Mommy for him! Thank you so much for sharing and I will update you on how it worked! Have a blessed day!

Megan Haley said...

When should I start this potty training method? And when they have an accident and you say run back and forth 10 times. You mean literally run back and forth from the accident area to the potty?

Our Pinteresting Family said...

These are wonderful tips. I am about to embark on my first potty training experience in the next few weeks so I will be using these for sure! Thanks..Megan

Sarah said...

This sounds wonderful. Do you have any tips on kids who do not want to sit on the potty? Just to get him interested we have put out a little potty seat, the regular toilet seat with a potty top and the regular toilet seat where he sits backwards -- every option makes him scream. I am worried he will NEVER be potty trained!

Post-it Note said...

Love this! Came over from pinterest, thanks for sharing! My mom did basically the same thing, it's nice to have it in so much detail, especially before the day of- right?

Paige

Carrie said...

I saw this on Pinterest, and am excited but nervous to try with my first child. I also am confused about the run back and forth 10 times. So you run from the scene of the accident to the bathroom, try to go, run back to the scene, then run back to that bathroom and try again, etc 10 times? If it works, I'll try it! :)

spickler.bags said...
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spickler.bags said...

What age do you suggest?

kkbccguy said...

So I have twin boys....do you think I should set two separate days aside to do one at a time?? Love the tips!!! I have potty trained one girl but she practically did it herself...now I have three boys and I am at a loss:). Candace.guy@gmail.com

Abby Barnett said...

I'm confused about the running back and forth too. Can you dumb it down for me? Are you running to the toilet after the accident and having the doll pee in the potty then going straight back and having the doll pee at the accident and then back to the toilet? Or are you having the child go on the potty during that time? Also, what age do you usually start at?

Dana said...

Hi, I also found this on Pinterest...and I just wanted to encourage others to try this way as well! I read the book mentioned in an earlier comment and this is how I trained my three girls. It really works!

Marcela Slater said...
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Unknown said...

Just came across this post. Fantastic idea! Based on the fact that you've now done this four time, what would you recommend to do with twins? I'd like to try it next week with them, but don't know if I should do one by himself on one day and the other one the next, or just do them both. What would you do?

Lisa said...

Have you found that they learn #2 pretty easily this way too? (I realize every child is different). We started something similar with our son about 6 months ago, a few months before he turned 2, and he did great at first, but then after a couple weeks had more accidents than success, so we went back to diapers, because I thought maybe he just wasn't ready yet. But we started a slightly modified version of this today (since he woke up this morning saying "I have to go potty") and so far the only accident was at lunchtime! Here's to the end of diapers for him! :-)

Krysta said...

Hello Ladies! Here I am here to answer your questions.

AGE - Between 2 and 3. Signs of them being ready are helpful, but I do not think you should wait until you see signs. I personally do not go over 2 1/2 years old if I can at all help it. The closer they get to 3, the harder it is. It should be terrible
"3's", not "2's". The closer they are to 3 the more set in their ways they are and tend to be a bit more stubborn. I also have been nervous to start it before 2. My personal magic number is between 2-2 1/2.

TWINS - I have not personally experienced potty training twins but I can imagine it would be a little intimidating. If it were me, I would do them both on the same day. I think the other twin might feel left out. I don't know, plus I wouldn't want to do a potty training day one right after the other. I would recommend having someone help you potty train both of them on the same day. Grandma, friend, husband, sister...whoever. They have to be completely on board though and hang in there with you no matter what. I think it would be MUCH to hard to potty train both of them by yourself. Send everyone away for the day except for the 4 of you.

RUNNING BACK AND FORTH - I hope I can explain this a little easier...the doll has an accident first for the purpose of showing your child what happens when they have an accident. This is what you would do with the doll as well as your child when they have an accident: You litterally RUN from the spot of the accident to the toilet saying "no pee pee here, pee pee in the potty" pulling underwear off and sitting them on the toilet 10 times back and forth. This all happens VERY fast. You really don't need to pause and let your child try to go to the bathroom while doing this since they would have just gone, but obviously if they are screaming that they need to go then take a break and try. The purpose is repetition. They will not forget this process because it is repetive, you will be consistent about it and it is definitely something out of the ordinary. Plus they come to realize that you aren't just going to look past an accident saying, "Darnit! It looks like we had another accident." They really won't remember that. You get the idea.

Keep reading comments below for answers to your questions.

Krysta said...

NIGHT TIME - This is all my personal opinion and what has worked for us. I decided before I even started that I was not going to do Pull-Ups. I didn't want to mess with them, pay for them and I just wanted us to be done with the whole thing and move on. Having said that, I know that isn't right for everyone, but I also know that using Pull-Ups prolongs the process of being potty trained at night. That is your personal battle. Because I chose not to do Pull-Ups, I realized I was going to be changing sheets more often. What I did to help me out with that was use plastic cover (vinyl, I think) underwear over the top of their regular underwear. You can also find the real potty training underwear that are a little bit thicker and use those two things together for night time. They still feel the moisture on their skin completely to let them know they have had an accident, but it helps hold it in one place for you, which is much easier to clean. I don't let them drink for an hour or more before bedtime. I don't want them to go to bed with a full bladder. I always take them to the bathroom right before they go to bed (obviously) and until they are accident free at night I wake them up before I go to bed and have them use the potty again. I would highly recommend buying a water proof mattress cover or protect your mattress some other way. I also pulled the top covers down to the bottom of their bed and layed a thick blanket (folded in half or something so it is even thicker) underneath them that they slept on instead of sleeping directly on their sheets. Then I covered them up with another blanket instead of their sheets and other bedding. This helped out so much! Most of the time all I had to do was wash two blankets and jammies instead of having to strip down the entire bed. It is a lot of work and laundry gets old fast, but it is so worth it. My kids were potty trained through the night with in 2 weeks this way. I still have one that has accidents once a month or so, but it is common for kids to wet the bed every once in a while.

POOP - I realize that some kids are terrified of going poop in the potty. It is scary for them to see that and then flush it away. I have heard a lot of mothers talk about this. I have not personally experienced this with my own children so I do not have advice to give that I know works. Does anyone else? I would recommend patience, consistency and a lot of encouragement. I wish I could be more helpful!

TIPS ABOUT GETTING YOUR CHILD TO "WANT" TO SIT ON THE POTTY - Being overly excited and full of encouragement to start with. Give them choices...the portable child potty, the child seat that sits on top of the toilet and the big normal one. Let them choose which one, but also let them know that there are no more diapers. At all. After a couple of accidents I would hope that they should come around. Try playing with the doll to get your child excited about sitting on the potty. You sit on the potty too. Give them a reward for just sitting on the potty if it is that hard for them. Maybe not a food reward, but a game, toy or doing something that they really love. To keep them on the potty (if you get to that point) play games while they sit, sing songs, talk about everything and anything except for potty talk (to give them a break from it). Don't talk about the potty so much before hand. Try to act like it isn't a big deal, but be firm letting them know that they have to choose between the 3 potty options. I haven't had a child who wasn't excited to sit on the potty. Does anyone else have anything to suggesst?

I hope that helps!

Krysta said...

Last but not least, I need to mention soda and treats. I have recieved a couple of e-mails, comments on the blog and Pinterest about letting my child drink soda and feeding her too many treats in one day. I don't feel like I need to necessarily "defend" myself and I am not opening up a debate, but I will say that those are annoying things to read and I hope after explaining myself a little bit I won't recieve them anymore. If you read through my post completely you would have read that your child should have a healthy breakfast to prepare them for the day. I also mentioned them having a normal lunch before they take a nap. Normal meaning whatever you feed them on a regular basis. Ours was PB&J, grapes and water. The salty and sweet things you feed them in between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner is up to you. The whole purpose being to make them thirsty, needing to drink more which in turn makes them have to go potty more often. Our snacks throughout the day were crackers, pretzels, graham crackers, peanuts and potato chips (the chips mostly for me). The sweet things with her snacks was juice and koolaid, but she actually prefered water. I saved the treats for her reward when she went in the potty. I did not feed her candy all day long. She only got ONE dum dum sucker or M&M or smarty or whatever at a time. She did not get to eat however much candy she wanted all day long. As for the Coke, that was mine. If you read my post you would have read that I don't like to share my soda with my kids. It is my thing. However, on a day like that I did not want to fight that battle with my daughter, so I used it to MY advantage and let her have sips of my soda knowing that soda makes you have to pee. She was not carrying around a sippy cup with soda to drink on her own terms. So, let me ask you...Do you take your kids to McDonalds ever? Do they ever get a soda with their meal? Do they eat treats during the holidays? Do they get Easter candy? Do they go trick or treating? My kids do all of those things, but I ration ALL of it. Which is what I did on this day. I also wanted to make it exciting for them and let them do something that they normally don't get to do on a daily basis. They get to eat a little more fun food for a day and I get a child that is happily learning to use the potty. Sounds like a win/win to me.

Krysta said...

Lisa - That is awesome! Congratulations on your success today! I am glad you tried again. I think someone else mentioned wanting to start potty training their child before they were 2. I don't think I responded to that one yet. That is the main reason I was always a little bit nervous to start before 2 years old. I think even a couple of months can make a difference. I don't feel like they are quite old enough to grasp the whole concept yet. I know some mothers who have been successful potty train their child before they were 2. Every child is so different. Just follow your gut.

Karen said...

I have 4 kids ages 29, 25, 11, and 8. 2 boys and 2 girls. We used this method with excellent results!
Your response to your critics was eloquent and restrained. I like your no nonsense/common sense attitude!

Karen said...

I have 4 kids ages 29, 25, 11, and 8. 2 boys and 2 girls. We used this method with excellent results!
Your response to your critics was eloquent and restrained. I like your no nonsense/common sense attitude!

Karen said...

I have 4 kids ages 29, 25, 11, and 8. 2 boys and 2 girls. We used this method with excellent results!
Your response to your critics was eloquent and restrained. I like your no nonsense/common sense attitude!

Karen said...

I have 4 kids ages 29, 25, 11, and 8. 2 boys and 2 girls. We used this method with excellent results!
Your response to your critics was eloquent and restrained. I like your no nonsense/common sense attitude!

Amanda said...

I am getting ready to potty train my almost 2 ½ year old daughter and I kind of have a silly question: when you first started, did you have your daughter wear her new underwear or did you use the "bare butt" method? For obvious reasons I know why she is wearing her underwear in the pictures, but was curious if you started her out in them? My best friend swears by the “bare butt” method, but I wonder if she would get the same uncomfortable wet feeling without something to catch the pee…thanks for any unput.

Unknown said...

Oh thank you, thank you! I found you via pinterest & it couldn't be more perfect timing!!! My first child was pretty much potty trained by the babysitter, but now that I'm home it's a whole new ball game with my middle child.

Thanks for sharing...I'm your newest follower.

Hope you can stop by www.thedranefamily.blogspot.com

Thanks again!

Kali

Krysta said...

Thank you ladies for all of your encouragement. I appreciate your kind words and for taking the time to share your success stories. That is so helpful!

Amanda - I didn't do the "bare butt" method. I have heard good things about it though and don't see anything wrong with it. I wanted all of my children to learn from day one how to take their underwear off themselves and put it back on AND to really know how yucky it feels to sit in wet or other "yucky" kind of undies. :) I want them to be as self sufficient as possible from day one. Most of the day she was just in a shirt and underwear. We started out the day with her in comfy shorts too, but that didn't last long. They are just a pain on the first day.

Heidi Louise Stein said...

found this through pinterest, like many other moms.

reallyyyyy excited to start this. my youngest (of 4, also!!) is exactly between 2 and 2.5 and i also think this is the perfect age to start training.

i, sadly, don't remember how i potty trained my other 3 kids! ahh! their ages are spaced out but i would think i would remember something. lol but i don't.

my 2 yr old loves wearing her underwear, but i usually put it over a pull-up - which she also calls "underwear" and we always stress how we have to try to keep it dry.

Since trying to train (many, many months ago, but never putting 100% into it then) we've had maybe 5 or 6 pees on potty, and many farts. lol and i really felt it was time to start when the other day, trying to get her to pee--she on her potty, and me on mine - and sometimes we hold hands while sitting on our pots ;) she loves that) well, she came running to her potty yelling "fart coming!!" and sure enough sat down and let out a little one. and i totally praised her, and she was so proud of herself, and it was just a sure sign that she's becoming aware of her body and knowing what to do, so it's time.

cross your fingers for me please :)

heidi

Kay said...

I started at about 2.5 with my daughter, but after potty training my son (after he turned 3) in one day, I wish I had waited longer with my daughter. She had a lot more accidents and it was a more trying process on both of us. There is no perfect age, but they have to be mature enough to understand the process and have their bodies mature enough to be able to "wait" that brief time it takes to get to the potty. We used food treats with my daughter, but it still was a process and not very effective. My son never showed interest in the potty and in fact said he wanted to wear diapers forever. At 3 years and 1 month and after talking to him about starting for quite some time, one day we just put him in regular underwear with his absolute favorite pair of batman pajamas. As soon as he peed in his favorite jammies for the first time, he was done. It was the potty from their on out. He has never had an accident and always makes it through the night dry too. He can wait too if he needs to go in the middle of a grocery trip, if I tell him he has to wait, he can because he's mature enough to understand and his body can hold it for a bit. I felt pressured to potty train my daughter before 3, because people always said it should be done well before then. I wish I had waited a bit and made it a much more pleasant experience for both of us.

Krysta said...

Kay - Thank you for sharing that. I think we need to remember that we are the only ones who know our own children, no matter what anyone else suggests. We have to do what is right for our family and the situation we are in. 2 1/2 is just a good rule of thumb. But then you hear success stories where someone's child potty trained themselves before they were 2. They are all so different!

Elyssa Greene said...

Thank you so much for this post! I have been struggling with how to even introduce potty training to my 18 year old daughter (we aren't starting just yet, but I have been racking my brain) and now I know how to do the whole shebang! The only question I have it where do I find the plastic cover pants you were talking about that go over the underwear? Thanks and I can't wait to read more- you're my new favorite blog!

Deni said...

What a great thought...however, what happens when you are full time single mom who works full time? I have basically a full sat and sunday to do this then I work. I can't just take a week off, I can't afford to.

Also I have no tile in my house...
It seems easy yet hard all at the same time and my son is so impatient...

Help!

Krysta said...

Elyssa - Thank you for following along with my blog. :)I'm glad this post can help you. The brand is Gerber. They are just plastic/vinyl covers that go over underwear. I have two different sets. One that is padded and one that isn't. If you can find the thicker, padded ones, (they are padded like training underwear is) I would get those. I have just found mine at Walmart, Target, I think the last set I got was even at Kid to Kid. You never know where you might find them. Even maybe, Toys R Us or Baby R Us. If those stores don't work then try an online search by the brand Gerber. I hope that helps! Good luck when the time comes. :)

Jill said...

Krysta,
When they have accidents at night, do you still do the run back and forth thing? I didn't, just had her repeat the words as we cleaned her up. What has worked best for you at night?
Thank you so much for this post! It was just the right tips and motivation to get me to potty-train my girl who has been asking for "no more diapers!! Underwear! I a big girl, not a baby" off and on for a few weeks. She only had 3 accidents the first day and I am hoping we keep progressing.

Krysta said...

Deni - I thought about this exact thing a lot after I posted it. I have been waiting for someone to ask this question because I know there are a lot of single mothers out there struggling with this also! I know you can't take a week off work. Honestly, even if you could, who would want to take a week off to potty train? All you really need is 3 days. I just like to give myself extra days so I don't feel stressed about it. Do you think you could do it on a holiday weekend where you have either a Fri. or Mon. off? If that doesn't work, maybe you could take just one day off? If neither one of those are an option do you have someone reliable who could take over for you on the third day? Someone who will be able to take the time he needs and be consistent with the things you have taught him on the previous 2 days. Is it someone he trusts and feels comfortable with? Hopefully those ideas might work. As for the tile..that just makes things easier, but it isn't necessary. Do you have hard wood or any kind of solid floor surface other than carpet? If not, just be prepared with something to clean your carpet with. I did that plenty of times with my other kids. It isn't ideal, but it happens! About being stubborn...that is always a hard one! Sometimes I feel as parents we get a little intimidated by the stubbornness of our children. I know I do. I dread outbursts and tantrums and try to avoid them at all cost. The only thing I can suggest is to start with the excitement factor. Think about him personally and what he gets excited and happy about, the small and big things. Try to incorporate those into the potty training process. Be consistent. You are the one in charge, not him. Stand your ground while being positive, assertive and consistent. Give it a try at 100%! It's only a couple of days and is typically extremely successful.

Krysta said...

Jill - Congratulations! It souunds like your daughter is on the right track and doing great! I do not have them run back and forth about night time accidents. It typically takes my kids a good two weeks at night to learn. Even then some of them have still had occasional accidents. Just don't give up and remember not to have them drink awhile before bed time. Also, take her to the bathroom right before YOU go to sleep at night. They usually sleep through this one and go a little bit, but it seems to help.

Jill said...

Krysta-
Thank you!

Jill

Cook Family said...

Does this work the same with boys and girls?

Fredmyn said...

I am so sorry that you had to justify your potty training process to people who are being ridiculous. Folks can either try it or not. It's their decision...some folks are just unrealistic. *eyeroll*

So...on to my question. :) My husband and I work full-time and I'm trying to figure out how this would work for us. My 3 year-old is close but I think this system would seal the deal. I just know that the teachers at daycare would look at us like this if I asked them to oblige. O_O What do you think?

Grace said...

Saw this on pinterest. Great Blog! I did a version of this potty training w all 3 of my kids and wouldn't do it any other way. Wish I had known/thot about the doll tho, that would have been hilarious! Just did my 2 yr old about a month ago. My Mother-in-law had just sent a tiny porcelin tea set so we had a "tea" party all day long! she loved pouring the water and drinking it over and over again. I do the pull-ups for bedtimes altho i can see the benefits of not using them. Night times clicked for her in about a week. Keep up the good work!!

Natalie said...

Has anyone had a child that they just can't catch the right moment to go on the potty? My daughter is a little over 2 and I really think she is ready, but it seems she pees right before the timer. We have been at it for nearly 2 full days and have had only 1 success. I have been having her go every 5 minutes and it seems she goes at some point in between. I feel like I'm doing it wrong, but even after re-reading the post I think I have done it all. If you ask her where we want to pee pee she tells you in the potty and she definitely doesn't want the wet panties on her, but she just doesn't go on the potty. Any advice would help because I'm at my wit's end and I really want her to feel the pride of going on the potty.

Krysta said...

Hello! I answered this question in the comments of potty training part 1. Here is what I said:



In answer to your question, with my own children I have noticed a small difference between boys and girls. The potty training day is pretty much the same, but after, in the weeks to come, my boys have had more accidents than the girls. They get a little lazy and distracted. I have had to remind them more often. I think that is pretty typical of boys in general. Boys aren't as detailed oriented as girls are.

Krysta said...

Hello! Thank you for your supportive comment. :) I touched on this in an earlier comment. Is there anyway one of you could take a day off? Then you would have 3 days together which would be very helpful. The daycare providers might look at you like you are crazy, lol! But if you can take your child in there feeling pretty confident that he will tell them when he needs to go that would help. Even if they can remind him and ask him if he needs to go to the bathroom fairly often. He might get distracted which would possibly cause some accidents. Be open with the daycare and let them know how hard you worked on potty training. Just see what they are willing to help with and make sure to get an accurate account of how the day went so you can address whatever needs attention. Remember to stay positive no matter what!

Krysta said...

Grace - Thank you so much for your comment! I love the tea party idea! How fun. Thanks for sharing that

Unknown said...

Isn't this method great? I saw this on pinterest and wondered if it was what I was thinking--and it is. This is all from a book called "toilet training in less than a day" By Nathan Azrin (I have a copy from the 80s that my mom used) that has been around for decades. Maybe some of your readers would like to read it, or have that reference, though you've done an excellent job of describing what to do. He does give some nice guidelines for how to tell if they are ready for training, which I think he says can be as early as 18 months? I did it with my oldest before she was 2 very easily. I just finished my 3rd child and I have to echo that this is definitely the way to go!

Krysta said...

Natalie - I would be ready to pull my hair out too. I'm not sure what to tell you yet and I feel frustration for you! Do you think she is drinking enough so she has plenty of opportunities to go to the bathroom? She needs to be drinking more than normal. Have you tried having her sit on the potty for awhile to wait for her to go? Maybe set the timer for 15 min. and if she doesn't go then, set it for 5, hopefully you'll catch her and then set it for 15 again. Keep going like that. I think alternating long time periods and then short might help. Concentrate also on talking to her and asking her if she needs to go. Talk to her about recognizing that feeling of needing to go potty and when she feels that to hurry and tell you. A reader shared that her and her daughter had a tea party one day. That is how they ate their snacks and drank their water. I thought that was a cute idea and a fun way to switch it up. I don't know. I feel like I need more information about your day to help you. Let me know how things go and if there is anything else I can do to help.
Does anyone else have advise for Natialie?

Krysta said...

Thank you for sharing Laura! I haven't read the book, but it would definitely be a wonderful resource. Especially if you want more info. or need specific questions answered. Thanks for sharing the author.

Anonymous said...

Krysta,
You sound like supermom! I'm very thankful to have come across your blog. I'm about to be a first time mom, pregnant with three girls. Yes, triplets! While reading I was trying to imagine how to contain three girls while trying to teach them all to use the potty! The tea party idea sounds promising, at least to keep them all drinking and going on with the day. And perhaps they will look to eachother (like the doll) as examples. I hope? :p However it happens, these tips are great and I thank you for sharing. (and taking the time to share!)

-Tina

Anonymous said...

Krysta,
You sound like supermom! I'm very thankful to have come across your blog. I'm about to be a first time mom, pregnant with three girls. Yes, triplets! While reading I was trying to imagine how to contain three girls while trying to teach them all to use the potty! The tea party idea sounds promising, at least to keep them all drinking and going on with the day. And perhaps they will look to eachother (like the doll) as examples. I hope? :p However it happens, these tips are great and I thank you for sharing. (and taking the time to share!)

-Tina

Anonymous said...

Krysta,
You sound like supermom! I'm very thankful to have come across your blog. I'm about to be a first time mom, pregnant with three girls. Yes, triplets! While reading I was trying to imagine how to contain three girls while trying to teach them all to use the potty! The tea party idea sounds promising, at least to keep them all drinking and going on with the day. And perhaps they will look to eachother (like the doll) as examples. I hope? :p However it happens, these tips are great and I thank you for sharing. (and taking the time to share!)

-Tina

Aubrie said...

Krysta~

I have a 2.5 year old little boy who seems to have ZERO interest in potty training. I often wonder if this is due to his premature birth (he was born @24 weeks...just 1lb). Thankfully he doesn't have any issues, other than his speech is at a 1.5yo level and his comprehension isn't where it should be either. This is why i haven't pushed the potty training issue. BUT, I hate diapers and I am ready for him to start using the potty! Any ideas???

Thanks,
Aubrie

Aubrie said...

Krysta~

I have a 2.5 year old little boy who seems to have ZERO interest in potty training. I often wonder if this is due to his premature birth (he was born @24 weeks...just 1lb). Thankfully he doesn't have any issues, other than his speech is at a 1.5yo level and his comprehension isn't where it should be either. This is why i haven't pushed the potty training issue. BUT, I hate diapers and I am ready for him to start using the potty! Any ideas???

Thanks,
Aubrie

Krysta said...

Hi Aubrie! I don't know if I would push him yet. You want to make sure he is showing some small signs of readiness. Is he able to listen and follow instructions well? Can you get him excited about things? Does he lose interest easily? Those are things I would think about first. I would probably talk to his pediatrician too about being developmentally ready. You can always test the waters and try having him sit on the potty and see what he does. Talk to him about the process. Get him excited about being a big boy. You are the only one who knows how he will react and if he might be able to grasp the whole concept. Once you start, it's best not too turn around and have to start over. So watch him carefully and see how he reacts when you bring the subject up. I hope that helps a little!

Alyssa Shae said...

When my brother was potty training, my mom had "bigger" treats for when he did his business (#2). There was a dinosaur movie he wanted really bad. When he went #2, she had the movie with a big bow on it. When he asked to use the bathroom, he also got a bigger treat. He a toy car or small toy item that he had wanted.

To get him to wear the underwear, she had bought his favorite character. He wore scooby-do underwear and got excited to put them on.

Linda said...

We did something similar with my daughter when she was 2-1/4 years old. My husband called it "commando training". We got a small potty and put it in central location. We would then practice running to the potty from several locations in the house. We did use pull ups at night but she really didn't need them and we didn't even go through a whole package. After a week of training she only had two accidents total...including nights. I think we were lucky.

Katrina @ Hix in the Stix ~ Army Edition said...

Going with the flow here...I found this blog post through Pinterest. I also just used this method (though I found it in the book 'potty training in less than a day') with my daughter. I'd tried potty training twice before and failed miserably. Part of our issue has been that my husband is deployed so the whole schedule is upset right now. But a friend recommended the book and I figured I'd give it one last shot. And wow did it work wonders! It took more than a day, partially because she really could have cared less about her panties being wet - we had to do the "bare bottom" training. She might not mind her panties being wet but she sure didn't like not wearing them at all! Now we are almost accident free even when we are out and about! I do use a pull-up for sleep times and when we are out but I've been making a big deal about keeping them dry and she's doing really good with that. I think I may be able to transition her out before we use up the whole package :)
One thing that I would like to add, when I first started potty training (the failed times) I would make my daughter sit for a long time on the potty chair trying to have a success. She got to the point that she didn't even want to tell me when she needed a diaper change and she certainly didn't want to sit on the potty even for a short time. So I changed tactics a little. I started making her sit on the potty until she stopped crying (kind of like a time out) once she was completely done I'd let her get up and give her a "reward." This helped transition the potty from being a negative thing to a positive. We had the same issue when we started using the big potty (especially in public bathrooms). Now she'll go just about anywhere with no issues. This might help some of the moms who are having problems getting their kiddos to sit on the potty :)

Boise Wiebers said...

CLOTH TRAINER INFORMATION:

I have some information on cloth trainers for those who are interested. For convenience sake, just go to my Pinterest page http://pinterest.com/boisewiebers/cloth-diapers/.

P.S. You are welcome to reference this info in your original blog post if you wish.

lisaT said...

A quick question. when did you start taking your children out after starting to potty train? Or what about leaving them with other people or in a nursery? We have to leave him in a nursery for 1hr, (it'll have been a week after we started) in the morning coming up. I'm just not sure of the best way to go about. So far, it's only been two days, but we've had TONS of success and I sure don't want one little hour to mess us up!

Miss Jordan said...

My son is 26 months and I am wanting to potty train soon. I think he is ready but my concern is that we do travel a lot.. my husband works out of town and we generally end up traveling (about 2 1/2 hours each way) about once a week or once every other week. How would you recommend handling that?

Nicia said...

Thank you so much for such diteal/step by step potty training day. You are awesome!!
My 2 year old pretty much one day decided he was going to start going #2 in the toilet and he said poopoo pointed the bathroom I didn't wanted to bealieve him since we hadn't try anything with potty train, well 2 minutes later I find my self very surprise and changing a Diaper. Next day he did the same so I took him to the toilet, and he did went #2 after that time he didnt wanted to ever again going #2 on his diaper but however he was very scared of the toilet, we found this very estrange so we whent to the store and bought a toilet trainer sit with Elmo his favorite character, with not luck :( we didn't understand what was going on. The next day we had to take him to the doctor, he had a flue, and so we ask the doctor for any advice and he ask if he had he feet on the grown or a stool when he has sittin down, we say no, so he explained that of his feet aren't touching the grown and are in the air the rectum contracts and won't let pass anything with out pain. I felt so bad that my son had to go through pain when he was being a big boy. So we did got him something to step on with going #2. Also to keeping siting while waiting to go we read book and talk about the book not about pushing or anything like that. Eventually it'd come down and get you show him how excited you are about it and wait another min or 2 until he tells you he is done.
That said, now I have to said that a have to set a date for me and my little Tyson and start traing him on #1 he would not tell me or show any signs of #1 discomfort with a wet diaper. I guess I can only be that lucky.

Unknown said...

Great advice. I think I know what I am lacking in TT my daughter. We was trained and going well before I had the baby 1 yr ago but once baby came she want back to the beginning. I need to have a full day of me and her sitting with each other and giving her more attention that day. I think that's what she is lacking with me having to look after the baby and her two older siblings as well its hard. She is by far the worst one toilet training. The older two were so much easier. And found this on pinterest.

Autumn said...

We have a little toilet seat that sits on top, but I have found with my little boy that we have to literally hold him down so that he doesn't spray everywhere. Is this normal? Does anyone know if there is a better way?

Boise Wiebers said...

@Autumn,

We have had to help point our little boys down too. One thing that helps is to put boys on the toilet backwards with no pants on. This helps prevent the pee coming out between the seat and the bowl and helps boys learn that ultimately they will be facing that way when they are big enough to pee standing up. I hope that helps.

Anonymous said...

This is how I potty trained both my boys. Worked awesome! That first day can be so frustrating, but it is so worth it in the end.

Unknown said...

Wow! My little guy is only 9 months old right now but I have been wondering how and when to introduce potty training. Almost all my friends who have boys talk about how hard it is to potty train boys and most of theirs are almost 4 before they are trained. I am so happy to have found your blog. I will certainly be trying this in a year or so!

Gwendolyn said...

I wanted to share some thoughts from a childcare provider's perspective. I have been in the business since the 90's and just wanted to say that as a provider I have had more issues with parents not wanting to potty train their child than ones that do want to train. Most providers would love to work with you on potty training and if they don't, I would respectfully say that you should look for a new provider. The only thing I would recommend thinking about is that your provider wont be able to give the one-on-one attention that this method requires. The follow up days are the appropriate roll for a provider to play a part in. As for knowing when a child is ready, I always suggested to parents that when a child can undress and dress (especially the underwear) is a good starting point. If they show signs of discomfort when they are wet or have a B.M. and if they can verbalize needs such as being hungry, thirsty etc. If they are telling you when they have urinated or had a B.M. That is a big sign. This method takes some of the guess work out of the equation because you are reinforcing and training the child to dress and undress, How it feels to be wet (one thing that is delayed in pull ups and diapers!) and how to recognize when they have urinated or had a B.M. I have always said that potty training happens when Mom is ready, not when the child is ready and it can take hours... days... or months depending on how much dedication Mom/Dad has to having it done. Finally I have to say that the method you are describing shows so much respect for the child and that is the most important aspect required for success. The respect and language you used in this post during the process is soooo important. You showed that mistakes happen and there are consequences but with a focus on how the child feels or is affected not on how angry or disappointed Mom is. That is huge! Good Job Mom! and great advice.

Button and Dimples' Mom said...

I am so thankful for your post! My son is almost 2, so we'll be trying this soon. I was really apprehensive about it, but after reading this I feel so much more confident and am now excited to start! Thank you!

Amanda said...

I seen someone post the same thing that i was thinking about, when you say run back and forth 10 times do you litrally mean run back and forth 10 times from the accident site? and what age would you suggest starting your kids with this?

Myranda said...

So this sounds awesome, thank you for sharing! My daughter is almost potty trained during the day, but its night we struggle with. Should I do the whole day intensive thing, or just take off the diapers at night? Any suggestions?
Thank you!

Krysta said...

Thank you everyone for all of your awesome comments and feedback!

Myranda - I would spend a day or two really staying on top of the daytime potty training. I don't think you need to do the whole day intensive routine, but if she has an accident during the day, try the running back and forth 10 times that is talked about in the post. Just be extremely positive and focus on tying up all the loose ends she might need to work on as far as potty training goes. After a day or so just take the diapers away at night. Night time can be really frusturating. Changing bedding over and over again gets old fast, but hang in there with it. She will get it. I posted more on night time training in a previous comment somewhere above. Try reading that also. Hope that helps! :)

Megan said...

One accident by doll or the child and you run 10 times EACH accident? does the child or doll sit on the potty in between "laps?"

Megan said...

One accident by doll or the child and you run 10 times EACH accident? does the child or doll sit on the potty in between "laps?"

Krysta said...

Hi Megan - The doll has just one accident at the very beginning of the day, mostly to give the child an example of what is to come. The doll sits on the potty during those laps. It isn't necessary for the doll to have another accident, unless for some reason you feel it is. Every time your child has accident during that first day, your child sits on the potty in between laps.

CaNdy_Soon2bmom said...

So excited to try this!! thanks so much for sharing!!

arielle said...

I really want to try this, but I'm having an incredibly hard time trying to figure out an entire day's activities with just me and a 2-year-old without even leaving the house for anything that requires a car ride (since neither of us are homey people), much less going outside the front door. The whole first floor of our house is carpet other than the foyer, bathroom and kitchen. And if day 2 is harder...don't even know where to start.

Megan Lytton said...

Hi! I started this today w/ my 2 yr 9mon old son and before nap he peed in the potty every 15 mins and only 1x did he start to pee in his underwear but stopped and finished on the potty! He also pooped in his underwear but I've heard pooping is sometimes harder. Anyways, I know you say no pullups ever, not even at night. But my son is still in his crib (sleeps wonderfully and I'm just not ready to fix what's not broke) so would pullups be ok in that situation? I even thought about putting the pullups on top of the underwear. I am planning on getting the pullups that have the cool sensation.

Layna's Momma said...

my daugther was ready to potty-train at 18 months.. she pretty much jumped on the toilet by herself! unfortunately, i decided discontinue it because our living situation wasn't stable and she was always going back and forth from her fathers and mine home, and he wasn't on board with it. anyways, she's almost 2 1/2 years old and i am done with diapers and i know she's just being lazy and is comfy in the diapers. she can do it and i am confident with this potty training technique and advice will allow us to be successful with potty training once again ! i already have her big girl undies and the plastic covers for naps and treats ! i cant wait to start tomorrow ! :) thanks for this blog entry :)

Layna's Momma said...

my daugther was ready to potty-train at 18 months.. she pretty much jumped on the toilet by herself! unfortunately, i decided discontinue it because our living situation wasn't stable and she was always going back and forth from her fathers and mine home, and he wasn't on board with it. anyways, she's almost 2 1/2 years old and i am done with diapers and i know she's just being lazy and is comfy in the diapers. she can do it and i am confident with this potty training technique and advice will allow us to be successful with potty training once again ! i already have her big girl undies and the plastic covers for naps and treats ! i cant wait to start tomorrow ! :) thanks for this blog entry :)

Stephanie said...

Should I leave her potty seat in the bathroom or put it in the living room where we will be all day? Also, at night time does your little one wake you up to go potty? We have a gate at her door so she would either need a potty seat in her room or to call us to come get her to go to the potty. What do you recommend?

Julie said...

I am on day 2 and I think/hope/pray my 2 1/2 year old boy is starting to get it. I am nursing my 4 month old also so I obviously have to make some adjustments, but I am trying to follow as closely as possible. My son gets really upset when I run back and forth. And he refuses to help pull his underwear up and down. I'm trying to hang in here.

Mercedes said...

I have the same question as Megan--my little 26 month old loves to sit on the potty, but she's still in a crib and sleeps very well. I think she would respond to this training program very well, but she can't get out to go during nap or nighttime. What should I do?! I don't want to change too much on her at once...Are all these 2 year olds already out of their cribs?

Krysta said...

Hi Mercedes! I answered Megan's question through e-mail and didn't post the answer on the blog, sorry. Sometimes it is so much work! Anyway, I would respond to her question and yours differently. She had already started potty training her child when she asked me about how to handle the crib situation. You are asking before you start the process and because of that I would hands down say definitely have your child out of the crib first! These two big steps go hand in hand. Both of them teaching the child to be independent and learning to be responsible for themselves. Once the child is out of the crib they gain so much confidence and are so proud of themselves. The next step naturally is to potty train. I guess you could do it the other way around - potty train and then crib, but it makes more sense to do crib then potty train, especially if they are able to use the bathroom on their own after they have learned. You should be prepared for that outcome. If you choose to do the crib and then potty train, I would wait in between for a little while - a month or so. I don't know. Until you know your child is confident and ready to move on. Definitley not too close together. Having said all of that, you need to do what is best for your family. I hope that helps!

cbaker said...

At what age did you do this with your children and what ready signs did they have to let you know they were ready? Thanks

Rach said...

I have also used this method with two out of three (third kid is going to do it in a month or so after vacay) and it has worked SO WELL! It's worth the day sometimes two days of stress to have it done and over with.

Our son had trouble pooping, we tried everything, and the magic trick was that everyone who went poop in our house got a small bag of m&m (his fav treat). For him a reward for going wasn't enough, however if he was the only one NOT getting a reward....now that was the trick! It worked after one or two days.....then there was no looking back. So I highly recommend that for kids who won't/can't poop in the potty!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Thanks for the tips. I wish that I would have seen this post before I waisted so much money on the "Potty Training In One Day" book and doll. This method is the same as the book with the same name. You've simplified it and it makes so much more sense. The funny thing is I first tried the method with my son around the same time as this post. My husband and daughter were out of town and so I tried the method according to the book. The "Pottie Scottie" doll that I bought was horrible! It leaked all over me as I was trying to get the bottle of water into it. It was so complicated and not a good teaching tool at all! I just warn others who are considering getting the boy doll. Anyway, my son drank a whole pitcher of Crystal Light lemonade throughout the day. His pees were so inconsistent. He would go a lot and then seven or eight minutes go a lot again. Then again seven or eight minutes later. It was so unpredictable. Anyway, I gave up until I saw your post. It made so much more sense then a book. The biggest thing that makes sense is taking them from the accident to the potty ten times. This is one clear tip from the book. I finally did this at the end of the day when my son had an accident on the floor. He actually peed in the potty on his own right after that. It was the only time of the day that he did this. I'm ready to try again now that to this post.

Anonymous said...

Not a mom but this is totally getting saved!

Sean and Rachel said...

I'm trying this tomorrow with my 2 1/2 year old. This is actually how my mom trained me (not that I remember it) and I'm dreading the day, but I at least have a plan thanks to you!

Anonymous said...

Whoa! What a hectic two days of potty training. Here's my blog in case you're interested on seeing how it went.
http://seanandracheledwards.blogspot.com/2012/06/are-you-pt.html
Thanks again for your suggestions!
-Rachel

Stephanie Williams said...

Oh I am so glad I found this. I have 3 kids. My oldest is now 6. We started potty training her around 2 and it was just so stressful. She would go to day care all day long and not have an accident but as soon as she got home she would have like 4 within 30 mins until I finally put her pullup on. The night before she turned 3, we only had one pull up left and I told her that was all, in the morning she was a big girl and didn't need them anymore and it just worked! My son is now 4 and he was even harder than my first. I don't even really know how I trained him b/c I tried almost everything and it finally just clicked. My youngest is now 3. She will not go on the potty for ANYTHING!!! She has only ever peed on the potty once. She usually gets real mad if I even mention panties. However, last night she declared that she no longer wears diapers and only wants to wear panties but she still won't go pee in the potty. So I plan on doing this sometime this week. We are almost out of pull-ups so I think it is the perfect time! I am so ready...

Nate + Cait said...

Hi, I love this! So I am starting this tomorrow, I just had one question, and I tried reading through the comments but didn't see anything about this. But my daughter deals with constipation. We have tried EVERYTHING, and really nothing seems to help, so most of the time she is terrified going #2 even in her diaper, and she tries holding it in, which makes her constipation even worse, so what I am wondering if you have any advice or experience on how to work with her on not being scared to go #2 (esp in the toilet) I am nervous that her constipation is going to make this potty training experience a nightmare!

Krista said...

I'm so bummed. We're half way into this day (it's nap time) and she's peed once, on my carpet. I've been loading her up with snacks and drinks, and it's done nothing. I'm crossing my fingers that the second half of the day will go better, but at the rate we're going, this is not going to click in just one day.

Amy said...

Found this on Pinterest and thought it was an interesting read. For those who are 'set' on being diaper-free and don't mind putting aside a day to potty-train this method is a valuable one.

I chose to train in a more laid back manner, introducing a potty at a young age (12 months) and just letting nature take its course. I didn't really push although I used a sticker reward system when she was old enough to appreciate it, and used pull-ups to minimize mess. All in all, she was fully trained by 2.5 which I'm happy with. Pretty stress-free too.

Krysta said...

Hey Kris - I hope the day turned around for you both! No-matter what just hang in there. It will click.

Krysta said...

Cait - Actually my oldest had very bad problems with constipation. She would hold it until her face was bright red and she would cling onto my leg and just cry. We tried everything also, enimas, suppositories, prune juice, seriously everything. I was dreading potty training her because of that. As it turns out she just did NOT want to go poop in her diaper. She hated it so much that she would hold it in which would make her constipated. I realized this when I potty trained her and she went poop in the toilet with no problems at all and was never constipated again. She is 11 now and still has not been constipated since her diaper days. I can only hope that the problem for you is that simple. I guess time will tell. Here is what another reader suggested if you have a child who is struggling with poop on the potty:

Our son had trouble pooping, we tried everything, and the magic trick was that everyone who went poop in our house got a small bag of m&m (his fav treat). For him a reward for going wasn't enough, however if he was the only one NOT getting a reward....now that was the trick! It worked after one or two days.....then there was no looking back. So I highly recommend that for kids who won't/can't poop in the potty!

Another reader mentioned how she was told by her Dr. that it is very important for the child to have a stool to rest their feet on. When they can't touch the ground (or the stool) their rectal muscles contract and can make it very hard for them to poop. I didn't realize that, but it makes sense. I think it also might make some children feel nervous sitting on a big potty with their feet dangling. Having somewhere secure for their feet to be can make it feel less intimidating and scary.

Good luck!

Dani (HeadedForTheFuture) said...

Yay! We are starting potty training too. It is my least forward thing to do. Thank you for posting this. It was very encouraging!

heatherb said...

i found you via pinterest. thanks for sharing your tips openly on a blog. have you found there's an age where they seem to be more receptive - or the process works better? i tried a "3 day" program with my 27 month old daughter, but we didn't have success (even tried an add'l 2 days.) she just turned 3 and seems to care less about losing the dipes : (

LG4W said...

THANK YOU!!!!! I had my doubts, but we're officially 24 hours accident free! My daughter had recurrent UTIs as a baby, so potty training until now has been hard because she had such a long period of time feeling urgency but not being able to go. I am happy to say, however, that by 2 p.m. yesterday we had our first victory, and have been "oops" free ever since, including overnight!!

Krysta said...

Hi Heather - I always trained my kids shortly after they turned 2. I didn't go past 2 1/2. The closer they get to 3 the harder it is. They are more stubborn and harder to persuade to try things that aren't their idea. You can give this method a try and follow the guidelines completely. I think you will still have success. Once you start potty training consistency is key.

Carrie said...

Hi, I found this on pinterest, and did this today with my 2 and 1/2 year old. I didn't think he was ready, but decided to take the plunge. He did GREAT and no accidents at all! He didn't go poopy today, so I'm a bit nervous I'll be waked tonight, LOL! Thanks for your post! =)

Karlene said...

Day 1 was yesterday for us. As long as I stayed on top of taking him to the potty every 15 minutes, exactly and not a minute over, he wouldn't have an accident. So the idea is today I ask him if he needs to go every 30 minutes and only sometimes suggest he go instead of ask? I foresee a LOT of accidents today! So nervous... how long does it usually take for them to start deciding on their own that they need to go?

Donna said...

I disagree about it being harder when they are over 2-1/2 years. I trained 3 children early (2-21/2 yrs) and it took a week to get them going. But they had accidents many times. I waited until my grandson was 3 years old and not only was he trained in a week but he NEVER had ANY accidents EVER!! I could not believe it and still it is hard to phantom. I thought maybe since he was older maybe he was able to grasp the concept better. Who knows!!

Krysta said...

Hi Karlene - It sounds like you had a pretty successful first day. He should start telling you by the second day for sure. By now you want to start getting back into a normal routine, very slowly. Potty training is still the #1 priority but start introducing normalcy again. Definitely remind him to go and I would set the timer for every 30 min to 1 hour just so you don't get caught up in whatever your doing and forget to remind your child. Encourage him to sit on the potty every now and then but it doesn't have to be every single time the buzzer goes off. It is definitely more laid back from here on out. It's just about reinforcing what you taught the first day. Trust and use your instincts.

Rose Jesky said...

I cam across this article on pinteres. I had to come leave a comment because I trained my youngest daughter this way at 17 months. after 2 week she was going reliably on the potty. By the time she was 18 months she was letting my know when she had to go all on he own. My friends could not believable she was potty trained and now she is 23 months and still people are stunned when they here she is in panties. This is such good parenting. As a on of 3 I believe potty training is more in the hands of the parent then the kid. Thanks for sharing this information I hope lots of mom's and dad's read it.
Rose @ http://www.arosiesweethome.com/

Anonymous said...

Okay so I have tea all te comments. My question is how do I gt my 2 1/2 year old to go when she sees her 1 year old sister in diapers and doesn't want to. She lays down next to sissy to get her diaper changed. Even though she is in pull ups

Lindsey said...

My daughter is 21 months and is showing lots of signs that she's ready. The last few days she has told me occasionally when she has to go, which is actually when she just starts going. Any tips for me in this situation? Should I start the one day challange?

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for all this wonderful information on potty trained. I used your method with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. We just finished day 1 and I am exhausted. I really like how you talk about the importance of consistency and reinforcement. Also, the method of going back and forth 10 times when there is an accident really clicked for my daughter. I felt so silly running back and forth 10 times (I really did this 10 times) and my back is killing me from holding a 30 lb child while running, but after doing this twice, I saw the light click with my daughter. I am hoping day 2 is as successful as day 1, but I am prepared for a tough day! Thanks again!

adrienne said...

I disagree with it being harder to train children older than 2 1/2. My son was 3 and 4 months and my daughter 3 when we trained them and they were both pretty easy. (and they are both VERY stubborn children) I just put them in underwear and they would earn a sticker for their chart every time they went on the potty and earned a "big" reward they had picked out when they filled up their chart. It took at most a week for them to be really solid in their training, but they both only had a handful of accidents after that, including at night. I did buy a bag of pull-ups for each that I would put over their underwear that first week when we had to run to the store, go to church, etc. That way they could still feel if they had an accident, but it was easy to clean up. Were your kids solid in their training after a week? My youngest turns 2 in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to decide if I should train her now or wait. I would rather deal with diapers than accidents, which I don't have much patience for after they are done potty training. It seems like a lot of the kids I know who trained young have a lot of accidents.

Anonymous said...

We just used this method for our now 3 1/2 year old daughter last summer. My husband was totally convinced it would be a disaster. After an hour and a half of yelling about still wanting to wear diapers she realized we were serious and "got on board". (She's a bit stubborn if you didn't gather that) at night time we actually put a portable potty in her room. She did have a few accidents in her bed, though not many. We'd just empty the potty in the morning. I think not having to walk down the hallway etc really helped her feel even more independent because she didn't feel like she had to get help from someone. Just a thought for those who are asking about nighttime.

Unknown said...

Hi Krysta

After reading your post and all the comments I was so ready to do this today but it completely failed
I was home alone with my daughter
I had evertything needed by the hand
So we started with the doll, that part she loved, also the running back 10x
But then
She drank and ate a lot. So after the timer went I put her on the potty, no pee
15 minutes later again, no pee.
the third time she didnt want to sit on the potty anymore
And, then a BIG pee on the floor,. Oke, can happen no problem
Timer didnt work, she wouldnt just go sit on the potty ( a potty in the livingroom, the big toilet is even a bigger problem)
She had a bout 5 big pees on the floor.
Everytime crying about it and she was scared I guess or she thinks its dirty?
But the trick with her running uo and down 10x didnt work she got even more upset.
Also she dindt want to sit on the potty richt after she peed on the floor. She gets upset.
Oke, up for her nap.
Wet afterwards of course, oke. New underoants again and back to try again.
But the timer had no effect, no potty
So I thought I wil sit her on the potty and play at the same time
That she wanted
So she played for an hour on the potty with me
And than a SMALL pee on the potty
I acted sooooo excited and gave her a treat. Yessss
We played a little again but she all of the sudden didnt want to sit no more on the potty. And than a BIG pee on the floor.
Its now 18 pm and she had 8 BIG pees on the floor, 1 SMALL pee on the potty. And I dont think she likes the potty:(
I dont want to go bacvk to diapers so tonight I lett her pee 2 times
Tomorrow and Thuesday shes at daycare, hope it will go okay there, dont want the diapers anymore
Wednesday is my day off.
What do you suggest I should do then with the potty training?

My daughter is 2,2 years old en very mature for her age, fysically strong and very clever so thats why I tink she is ready for the potty. Please help me out!

Hope to hear from you soon, before thuesday? I live in Europe

thank you so much

Unknown said...

I read thru everything and have been doing everything. Going potty every 8-10 mins. Even running back and forth 10 times when she has an accident. She still won't pee in the potty. She won't stay on the potty either. When i do entertain her so she'll sit there, she gets up to play and immediately pees wherever she wanders off to. I'm exhausted. Not once has she peed in the potty. She understands where she's supposed to go, but just won't. What's the deal? What am I doing wrong?

The Carpenter Crew said...

I have two boys and a girl, ages 9.5, 7, 2. My first son was potty trained at 22 months old by the Montessori school he attended then. They just put him in thick cotton training underwear and took Jim to the potty every 45 minutes. He came home that day with eight soiled pairs of clothes! Haha. This was a Monday. By Friday he was completely trained. It was awesome. I was a stay-at-home mom when my second son came along. Around 28 months old, my second son became suddenly very interested in the potty. I think it took about 2-3 weeks to completely train him, but it seems like it mostly happened on it's own by watching his big brother. Now... That brings me to my daughter. She is 27 months old, and she's totally happy in her diaper or Pull-Up (wish I had never purchased these). She will sometimes sit on the potty but she cries the whole time. When she feels that she is close to urinating, she cries and touches her little bottom like almost as if she is trying to stop the urine from coming. It is frustrating because she shows lots of signs of readiness (she tells me when she has pee-pee'd and poo'd, stays dry for long intervals, etc). I'm just really concerned about her crying and resisting once she is actually on the potty (we let her choose which potty, and she chose the real potty with the littler seat that fits on it). Anyway, I'm going to wait another month when the boys start school and my girl and I are home alone for several days in a row... then going to try your method. Although I do still wonder what I should do about her fear of actually feeling the urine come out. I've taken this as a sign she is just not ready? Neither of my boys were fearful of that feeling, so this is all new to me. Everyone says girls are easier to potty train, but I'm not so sure! :)

nancy said...

I am so excited to give this a try. My daughter wont be 2 until the end of August, and I never planed to potty train this early. But she wants to go and will go on the potty. Today she told me 3 different times when she needed to go and then she actually went on the potty!
She will also tell us when she goes to the potty in her diaper.. So this weekend when it's just the 2 of us we are going to give it a go!!
Thank you for all your advice..

nancy said...

I am so excited to give this a try. My daughter wont be 2 until the end of August, and I never planed to potty train this early. But she wants to go and will go on the potty. Today she told me 3 different times when she needed to go and then she actually went on the potty!
She will also tell us when she goes to the potty in her diaper.. So this weekend when it's just the 2 of us we are going to give it a go!!
Thank you for all your advice..

Amberly said...

Thank you so much for posting this!! I am a first time mother and my son just turned 2 about 2 weeks ago!! I was eager to potty train him and I could tell he was ready..We started this this morning at 9am. He had 2 small accidents and has since gone in the potty 4 times in a row. I just laid him down for a nap..so I know I will have to continue being consistent when he wakes up. I do have a question, however..If I catch him in 'mid-pee' having an accident, would you recommend rushing him to the potty and letting him finish or just running back and forth doing the "Eww, potty" Also, he still takes a cup of milk to bed, should we stop that??

Amberly said...

Krysta, also I wanted to express my frustration that everyone kept, keeps telling me I am trying too early. They kept telling me that boys don't usually potty train until they are 3 or 4 so thank you for saying its ok when WE feel ready... it gives me great confidence to read these comments of success as a young mother. So thank you again for some REAL advice from the heart

Krysta said...

Hi Amberly - I'm glad your day has gone so well!! I wouldn't send him to bed with any kind of drink until he is fully trained at night and you feel like he can handle it. Don't forget to have him stop drinking after dinner. As for peeing midway I found it was better to let them finish peeing and then run back and forth to reinforce. When I would try to run them to the bathroom during an accident they wouldn't stop peeing and I would be left with a trail all the way to the bathroom. I'm glad you followed your instinct and started potty training your son when you both were ready instead of listening to what everyone else was saying. Great job!

Amberly said...

Thank you for replying and answering my questions!! I do have one more however..when you potty trained your son, did you potty train him sitting down first?? I found this easier and he faces the back of the toilet (scared him less as well) and if you did, when do they start to pee standing up? Thanks again for your answers!! I shared your blog with everyone I know!! No accidents since 10ish this morning!! this is super hard work, but I know it will pay off!!

Unknown said...

@Amberly I have four boys ages 4-13 and potty trained all of them at two yrs. I also did the turned around backward on the potty. The only draw back to that method in my mind is that, until you show them how to stand up you are faced with taking off a shoe and one leg of pants to go pee in public bath rooms. (I found that a headache, tho not enough to change my method.) The other draw back is that sometimes they have trouble sitting forward when they get older (for B.M.s) I teach the standing up thing when they are tall enough to get the pee in the toilet with both lids up. (so great they only know how to pee with the seat up.) Just make sure the lid doesn't slam down on anything important. That could scar a kid for life.

Amberly said...

@Gwen Thank you for your advice!! I have since turned him around and we are just training on a toddler potty now...it seems to work best! Thanks again!!

Tori said...

I just finished doing this with my 2 1/2 yr old! It worked wonderfully! We did not use the doll, but pretty much did the rest! We are five days in and have only had two accidents a day since day 3!! Thank you do much for the advice! We were kinda in a hurry to get it done since his new "preschool" requires them to e potty trained!

Unknown said...

I'm so disheartened. I was really excited to try this with my daughter, 27months, this past weekend, but was really surprised by a problem I wasn't expecting: all day on Saturday, she only went potty THREE times! I happened to catch 2 of them so they were "successes" and then one was a massive pee unload on the floor. She was very upset by the accident, but I reassured her that it was ok and did the 10x back and forth to reinforce the potty usage. I also had some problems keeping her entertained. I was happy to have one on one time with her, but she was frustrated being cooped up in the house. I went through EVERYTHING...puzzles, books, art, legos, lincoln logs, dolls, tea party, magna doodle, music...you name it! I was sooooo exhausted by the end of the day and so sad that I had only had 3 opportunities to teach. On Sunday she started hiding from me to go pee and poo in her underpants, today is Monday and she has been whining all day about peeing and pooping and doesn't want to go on any of the potty options or in her underpants...she keeps asking for a new diaper. I don't know what I am doing wrong. She certainly understands the concept and has bladder control, did I just miss my window of opportunity somehow and now she is stubborn and just wants her diapers back? I feel like such a failure in this department. :-(

Unknown said...

Hi Krysta, first of all thank you for sharing your experience. Reading it and the comments of others really helps alot. Unfortunately, I began toillet training my 2.2 year old before discovering your post so I didn't exactly did the one day training. However, I did decide to adopt the practicing routine of going to the toillet X 10 times in case of accidents. Today, I stayed home with him inorder to give the training a bit of a push with the 10 times routine because the problem is that he doesn't ask for going. He has been sleeping with underwear during the night and at nap time and hasn't had any accidents since day one (it has been 5 days now). When he is awake he can hold his pee for a very long time and if I don't take him to pee he simply does't pee!(and don't think he does'nt drink...he loves his water and drinks a lot!) As far as # 2 goes...Wow that's a different story! He just stands and poops! Sometimes when I see the signs I immediately takes him to the toilet and he poops there with no problem sitting down. So, I know he can hold it and I know he is not afraid of the toillet bowl and I also know it is much more comfortable for him to pops while standing.BUT.. I don't really know what to do how can I train him to ask going? This is my main problem. Do you have any suggestions? (I apologize for the long comment...)

Lystessa said...

Thanks for this! I potty-trained my 18-month old by loosely following your instructions. I tried to look at every little thing as a goal or milestone, and I think it helped me to mentally accept the slower progress. I was also able to see that the progress was happening, and the steps backward were rare and isolated. Each step toward your ultimate goal should be its own victory. It took us almost a week, but I'm guessing that is because she was so young. On the flip side she has been really great about not having accidents when we're out at town, almost from the very beginning (including trips of up to 2 hours straight on the road). My girl is just a month away from being 2 now. I didn't pressure her as heavily for naps/nighttime but I do give her extra rewards for being dry after sleeping and nothing at all if she's wet. We're using pull-ups for sleep times because the stress of changing out everything (especially when she pooped during a nap!) was really getting to me. I was a bit of a zombie that first week but I think we really impressed my husband! ;')

trm1217 said...

After the first day how often should i be taking my daughter to the potty?

Teagen

Findintime said...

If u don't have a ceramic or wood floor, maybe buy a couple of cheap rugs 2play on, then toss when training day(s) r finished?

trm1217 said...

we are gonna start this tomorrow!!! here goes nothing!!!

Eimi Mitchell - Motivational Speaker said...

This is going to sound so strange, BUT, I trained my cat to use the toilet with a very similar way of training. He LOVES praise and treats and sometimes our cat will even wake us up in the middle of the night to let us know he is going Poopies. (for a treat). Now, he's an animal and not human, so I'm sure babies are most likely to grow out of needing treats.

trm1217 said...

i tried this today fallowed every thing you said. she was good about going in to try at first but by lunch time she was sick of going in to sit on the potty and just cried!

The Caldwell Family said...

Thanks for the read! I used the "naked" method with my first two and both were trained within 1 week at 26 months. (That's my magic number :)) I just kept a kid potty in the room we were in. Each pooped on the floor once or twice those first couple of days, but once they do, they never want to do it again and know going in the potty is a much better alternative. I never tried to potty train them at nap/bed time that week, but I think I will take your advice this time and do it all at once. I also like how you teach them to run to the potty when they have an accident!

As far as readiness goes, I have always discussed their "bodily functions" with them... practically from birth. #3 is now 17 months and I constantly tell him to come tell me "poop" when he poops. Obviously he can't really say that yet, but I'm putting the idea out there. My first two were talking about what was in their diapers by 2 years and that made training MUCH easier. :)

Caroline said...

Hey Krysta, we need some help! Our daughter is 22 months old and has been able to say "potty" a few times during the day and then uses the potty when we put her on it. She just started (in the last couple of weeks) to put her hands in her diapers all the time and bring her dirty hands to show us and say "yucky." We decided this was a good sign to start potty training lol. So we did day one yesterday and the morning it went great with no accidents. Last night after her nap she had 4 accidents :( but she would grab her undies and tell us "no no no!" just like we say "no no potty on the floor" when she has an accident. She'll even say this as she's having an accident. She did the same thing this morning. I'm basically just wondering if she is ready for this....when we put her on the potty to go she doesn't want to and pulls away and whines when she's on the potty. She doesn't like running back and forth after the 5th run. And we don't want it to be a negative experience with her. The biggest thing is she hasn't once asked to go to the potty or tried sitting on it on her own other than a couple times yesterday morning when we first started.

Also....she doesn't get up at all at night, just pees in her training pants (we got reusable training underwear with a replaceable fabric liner). We got her up to use the potty when we went to bed, changed the dirty training pants and wet sheet, but she didn't have to go potty at that time.

Ugh. So I don't know what to do :( Do you think we should wait? Or just keep doing it? Do they ever start to ask to go to the potty before they make a mess?

e.zollman said...

hi! my daughter is 27 months and as of now has no interest in potty training. i dont know how we will be able to use this method unless my husband is on board with it and could take off from work. i have a 4.5 month old and she breastfeeds on demand. i'm just not sure how all of that is going to work with getting my 2 yr old to go every 15 min when my 4 mo old nurses 10 min or so at a time. i have no family here that would be able to help either :( also, we're planning a trip at the end of sept. should i wait til we are back from it or try before we go? she'll be 2.5 in october. she was also a preemie born at 32 weeks, but she can tell me she's hungry or thirsty and when she goes potty in her diaper. any suggestions are appreiciated! thanks!

e.zollman said...

hi! my daughter is 27 months and as of now has no interest in potty training. i dont know how we will be able to use this method unless my husband is on board with it and could take off from work. i have a 4.5 month old and she breastfeeds on demand. i'm just not sure how all of that is going to work with getting my 2 yr old to go every 15 min when my 4 mo old nurses 10 min or so at a time. i have no family here that would be able to help either :( also, we're planning a trip at the end of sept. should i wait til we are back from it or try before we go? she'll be 2.5 in october. she was also a preemie born at 32 weeks, but she can tell me she's hungry or thirsty and when she goes potty in her diaper. any suggestions are appreiciated! thanks!

Anonymous said...

So how long should they sit on the potty when you put them there? A few minutes if they don't go? We've been at this for several days and my daughter has only been going every 3-5 hours and refusing any more beverage than she typically drinks, so I can't fill up her bladder any more. A friend told me to make her sit on the potty til she goes, but I can't keep her on the potty for 3 to 5 hours at a time. We've resorted to just letting her run around and trying to catch her before she pees. She's had some accidents and some successes. I'm certain she's just holding it because she doesn't want to go in the potty. Should I just take her and let her sit for 2 minutes or so and then keep coming back every few minutes?

Krysta said...

Hi all! I'm sorry I can't answer everyone's guestions. This information is here for you to use and adapt to your own situation and use your own best judgement. I can't analyze everybody's individual situtions, even though I really wish I could but for times sake, I just can't. Especially when I'm not familiar with your childs personality.

E. Zollman - Definitely have your husband take a day off. It would be much too hard and not as effective to have a nursing baby while training. And I would also advise to wait until after you get home from your road trip. Use this extra time to talk to her a lot about potty training and see how she reacts.

Tina - You definitely don't want your child to sit on the potty for 3 hours or more at a time. That is a sure way to burn you both out! Filling their bladders full and going to the potty at regular 15 min. intervals only needs to happen the first day. After that get back to regular meals, snacks and drinks. Just keep a close eye on your child and have her try often to sit on the potty and encourage her to tell you when she has to go. But don't force it. Do what works for you both. Be stern and consistent but don't make it a battle between the two of you.

Krysta said...

Caroline - I usually advise starting to train at 30 months, give or take. It's hard for me to say if you have started training her too early since I don't know how mature she is or not for her age. You are right that you don't want it to be a negative experience at all! Especially since she is so young. I know it has been done before. Other people have mentioned training their kids at 18 months. I just think the process would take longer. I usually advise people to hang in there once they have started the training process and not to go backwards and give up. If she just very recently starting showing signs of readiness than she might not be ready. I am more comfortable training when the signs of readiness have been present for a couple of months. You just have to do what is best for your family. If you want to hang on for a week and see how it goes, I think that would be a good idea. Sometimes it just takes a little bit longer. And yes, typically by the second day they are starting to tell you on their own when they need to go potty.

Krysta said...

Sarah Hovarth - I know you posted a long time ago, so I'm sure by now it's all worked out. You might not even get this message, but for all of you other moms who might have tried this method and it didn't work how you thought it would...Please don't feel like a failure!!! Potty training is so hard and they will catch on sometime. I usually recommend hanging in there and not giving up. No more diapers! They need to know that this is it. It's time to learn something new. Please read this comment by another reader. She is so right!

Lystessa says - Thanks for this! I potty-trained my 18-month old by loosely following your instructions. I tried to look at every little thing as a goal or milestone, and I think it helped me to mentally accept the slower progress. I was also able to see that the progress was happening, and the steps backward were rare and isolated. Each step toward your ultimate goal should be its own victory. It took us almost a week, but I'm guessing that is because she was so young. On the flip side she has been really great about not having accidents when we're out at town, almost from the very beginning (including trips of up to 2 hours straight on the road). My girl is just a month away from being 2 now. I didn't pressure her as heavily for naps/nighttime but I do give her extra rewards for being dry after sleeping and nothing at all if she's wet. We're using pull-ups for sleep times because the stress of changing out everything (especially when she pooped during a nap!) was really getting to me. I was a bit of a zombie that first week but I think we really impressed my husband! ;')

Jenny and Amanda said...

Krysta,
This post was awesome and I know it must be overwhelming with all the questions but I don't think mine is very unique to just my daughter so I am going to ask it anyway.
First, I have 21.5 month old boy/girl twins and I have been loosely potty training my daughter(my son does not seem ready yet so even though I always go back and forth with whether I should wait to do them both at the same time, I always end up keeping ahead with my daughters training)for a few weeks now. She tells me when she has to go sometimes, she has had lots of pee's and a few poops in the potty. But usually when I do a "diaper free, panties only" day she has ALOT of accidents. It seems like she pee's every 10 minutes! Then I get discouraged and put her back in diapers and go back to the "taking off her diaper to pee every once in a while" strategy. Because she is not 2 yet I always stress myself out thinking she is too young for panties and that's why she pee's in them so then I cry and go back to diapers, even though I know deep down she is ready. I KNOW I need to wait to have a full day of just her and I because when her brother is there it just isn't as helpful so I am DEF looking forward to trying your method since I know she is ready, she just has a hard time with panties only days... MY QUESTION IS (lol sorry for the long intro) I bought a lot of the thick white gerber cotton panties as well as the nylon to put over at naps, etc but when she has an accident, it usally just gets soaked up in the undies(she doesn't pee THAT much most times) sometimes they are REALLY wet but still not actually on the floor... so when it comes to running back 10x where am I running back and forth too? I usually just go to pick her up to go potty and realize she has pee'd so do I just take her panties off right there and then run back and forth, or do I bring her panties to the bathroom and go back and forth saying "no pee pee in the panties" pointing at the panties and then pointing to the toilet and saying "pee pee goes in the potty" and do THAT 10x? Because this seems to be the crucial part, I want to make sure I am doing it right... THANKS!

O, and to the mom who has problems with their daughters constipation, RAISINS!! I tried everything for my daughter and on days she is having hard times pooping, I give her a handful of raisins and she poops them right out! Prunes may do the same trick but my daughter doesn't like them but she loves raisins so it worked!

Jenny and Amanda said...

Omg, that really was a long comment... sorry about that :)

Donna C. said...

I waited until my second one ASKED when he could wear big boy pants like his brother. I had older brother demonstrate how to potty. This was the day after his third birthday (and I would wait that long every time with every kid). After the demo we put on big boy underpants and NEVER EVER had an accident ever day or night from that moment on. Totally worth it. Potty training in 3 minutes. My sister did this with all hers. Key is to wait until THEY ask.

Unknown said...

Hi Krysta, I know that you must get a TON of questions about this, but i have just 1 more,... My son is 17 months old, and LOVE to sit on the potty, and GOES in the potty too! BUT my question is more geared toward the pushing fluids and snacks,... our son isnt a big fan of sweet stuff, and if he doesnt want something, there IS NO forcing him, lol kinda like "bring a horse to water but cant make him drink" hahah yeah same here. if our son doesnt want it, you cant make him. he has milk and water available to him all day, but its up to him if he wants to drink it. i suppose i could feed him potato chips... tha tmight help, but he doesnt like sweet stuff. so candy and choc chips are out. :( lol he likes fruit, especially grapes. OH! maybe i could use grapes? :) i think im answering my own questions here. lol

how long do you have them sit on the toilet before giving up on that try? our son will sit on the toilet for 5 mins, and he has a tell tale sign that he has to go...lol other moms may know it too, but anyways, he will get up, and ill say, "OK! Maybe next time!" and he will go about 10 ft to go play with a toy, or to get a drink, and BOOM! pees right there, and i run him over to the potty, and... nothing, he can stop his peeing when he wants, so even though he started, he stops it, but just doesnt finish in the potty.

so i guess my questions are, how long do you have them sit on the potty for a try, and how do you push fluids on a child that wont have it lol

Oanh said...

Great post. Thanks for sharing. I used completely bribery (M&Ms) to get my son to use the potty. When did you wean off the treats (ie: dum-dums) for your children?

Anissa said...

Awesome post....you took so much time an effort into writing it! Your newest follower.
Anissa from Chasing Hailey
http://chasinghailey.blogspot.com/

Megan said...

I have this book too! Love it! It works! I'm currently potty training my fourth before my fifth baby arrives. The title of the book is "Toilet training in less than a day" by Nathan H Azrin and Richard M Foxx.

ELIZABETH said...

so for the boys, I was told that if you put confetti or multi color hole punch dots and daddy shows son how to sink them. Then keep a bowl of them on the back of the potty, and teach them to put them in the toilet themselves, it works miracle and make training into a game. Then suggest they make before going in the car or going to bed it is tremendously helpful. Also reward reward reward, from verbal praise to treats of toys and snacks. The research says reward is the best method of teaching. Good luck!

Freddie Dawn said...

We started trying this today. We only had one success. Our biggest problem is getting our almost 3 year old to eat and drink. She only went 5 times all day. We are going to keep trying though!

Kathleen said...

I SO wish I could get my sister in law to do this with my niece. My niece is 3 1/2 and is still not potty trained. This is something I am going to keep in mind for when I eventually have kids. Thanks for all your great tips!

Unknown said...

I did the very same type of potty training with 2 of my kids as well. A friend passed down a great article to me that she found and I followed it. The only thing I didn't use was the baby wetting doll. I like that idea though. I also made a big production of throwing away the diapers with my daughter (and knowing we can never turn back). It was hard work and very frustrating at times, but it you stick it out, it is definitely worth it. I will say that this method worked very well. From my experience, Pee pee worked 100% of the time after 2 days. Poo poo took about a week to be consistent. My daughter started holding it in and became consipated, but we worked through it. I also cheated with my son and let him use a pull up at night (he was only 2 when I did it, I wanted to get him out of diapers before my 3rd child was born). I sort of regret it now, since he is still in pull ups at 3. My daughter left diapers/pull ups completely (even at night) at age 2 1/2. Yes, there was a lot of messes at first, but the pay off was worth it. This is by far the best way to potty train. I also had a "potty party" after they became consistent.

S. J. Loewen said...

Thanks for posting this in such detail! I've just committed to attempting a 3-day method this week, but I'm going to steal some of your tips here - maybe my daughter can be trained in 2 days! :P follow our progress at www.pink bears.ca

Nina said...

Some studies say kids are not ready for potty training until they turn 3. Don't know about that, just a notion. I'd love to try this but my three-year-old doesn't want to sit on a potty, nor stool, nor portable seat. He just won't do it. So I'll have to conquer that one first. Or I'll just wait. My 15-year old was the same, and he hasn't used diapers in a few years now ;)

Anyway, about the treats. I would have to come up with some as my three-year-old has never had any candy or soda. Well, soda is easily replaceable, we've had some juice. The amount of candy or soda during one single day is not the problem for me, I just don't want my son to know what they are and how they taste like. Also, I haven't taught my kids to have any treats, just a principle of mine not to reward with food. Sticker book or something might do, I'm welcome to all ideas!

Kara said...

Wow I had no idea Azrin had written this book....I have a PhD in clinical psychology and he taught in our program. I now have a 2 year old so time to apply all that behavioral knowledge-easier said than done!

Unknown said...

Dont buy anymore pull ups tell.hom u ran.ouy and all.u have left is underwear he wont wear inderwear because he knows u will cave.and piy on the pull up

Valls Family said...

In my experience, a child will let you know when they are interested in potty training. There is no specific age. My son trained a few days before his 3rd birthday and never had an accident after. I saw boys that were trained at two, when they weren't ready, and the pooped in their underwear for months. I tried training my daughter at 2 and she wasn't ready. Recently she has shown an interest by following me to the potty and asking if I'm going pee or poop. It cracks me up. Potty training too early cannot be hard and can cause issues for them down the road.

Valls Family said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Valls Family said...

Can be *

Heather said...

Thank you. My daughter, nearly 2.5, has really struggled. She was doing well at 20 mos. Then we moved about 45 minutes away (temporarily) from everything we do. She regressed. Then I had my second born, and she wouldn't even try to go potty. Now we are about to move back to our hometown in a few weeks. I think we will try to start this then as we are active at church and can't take off a week. I can't have a day away from my 5 month old as I breastfeed, but I think we can try to do this on a Saturday when Daddy is home. Praying this will help her :) Thanks for the advice!

Heather said...

Thank you. My daughter, nearly 2.5, has really struggled. She was doing well at 20 mos. Then we moved about 45 minutes away (temporarily) from everything we do. She regressed. Then I had my second born, and she wouldn't even try to go potty. Now we are about to move back to our hometown in a few weeks. I think we will try to start this then as we are active at church and can't take off a week. I can't have a day away from my 5 month old as I breastfeed, but I think we can try to do this on a Saturday when Daddy is home. Praying this will help her :) Thanks for the advice!

MrsJellybean11 said...

Thanks so much for sharing. I'll have to remember this for when I have kids one day. My niece will be 3 in December. She still sleeps in pull ups (which my mom even says are a waste of money and time, it's just a diaper and though they didn't exist with my brother they did with me and I saw them as just a different kind of diaper). And frankly my niece does too! My husband and I kept my niece all wkened one wkend and she had 3 accidents, one of which happened with in 15minutes of being on the potty and actually going. The other two we asked and she said no then we went outside to play and wham. It's so frustrating, but that's the way my SIL does it so that's how we had to do it. But my instincts said this wasn't right and I'm happy to continue to find supportive information that makes me feel like my maternal instincts really are there and working, as up until recently I never considered myself maternal.

Unknown said...

I also ran across your blog in Pintrest and love the idea. I have a couple of questions for you though, when you put your child on the toilet how long ddo you have them sit there without using the potty before you let them up and how long do you let them sit on it when you are running back and forth the 10 times? Here is what I am facing at the moment with my daughter. She is about 29 mths and she is hooked on her bottle when she takes her naps and at night so I know that the bottle MUST go before even thinking about potty training secondly she is also still in her crib and I have been very hesitant on moving her to a bed because she is a VERY hyper and SMART girl and I know it will be a fight to get her to stay in her bed... she lovess to play for some time before actually going to sleep and when she gets up she doesn't want to get out of her crib right away, she just LOVES her crib and gets into EVERYTHING! I introduced her to the potty at 18 mths and she knows what it is for but REFUSES to use it, for some time she has been wearing undies when she gets up untill nap or bed time and she rarely has accidents but hold it untill she gets her pullup put on and she lets it all go. I did try the no bottoms for a day and she would hold it the entire time, she will even tell me from time to time that she has to pee but nothing, she has NEVER used her potty!! She hates the feel of the plactic underwear and refusess to let me put them on her, she iss so dang hard headed and I know we have a couple of changes that needs to be made before the actual potty training...any ideas on why she holds it and I could try? I have been a stay at home mom with her but I now am faced with having to find a job but want to get her on the right track first so I am open to any suggestions!

BTW kudos to you on doing what you think is best for your own child and to me I have seen nothing but you being a great mom...keep up the good work!

Malika said...

Is your method based on this book:
Toilet Training in Less than a Day by Nathan Azrin
Permalink: http://amzn.com/B0019QCGMY

Unknown said...

My girl did it in 2 days - no sweets, no junk, no bribing, no animal-like 'training'.

Wait until they're ready, that's it.

Unknown said...

Thank you for such an awesome post!! My now 4 yr son just finally got the idea but it took a awhile. Now my 22 month old daughter is showing signs of being ready which is super cool! 2 babies potty trained in less than a year....all I can say is "Payday!" Now if I can just convince her that big girl panties are as cool as she is!!! She's a bit of a Diva! Gonna put your advice to work and hope all goes well!! Thank you again for helping so many moms out there, seasoned or newbies!

Sarah Daugherty Photo said...

I've used all these with my first four children and it worked. With my fifth baby, one months ago I just simply told her when she is potty trained, then I would take her to Sesame place. She was instantly potty trained at 26 months old during the day and two weeks later she was also potty trained at night. She wakes me up when she has to go. It's been a month now and we are going to see Elmo very soon:)

gina said...

krysta-we are trying to get my two year old son to start using the potty. i just had our third son so it would help to get him out of diapers. my issue is that he doesn't talk yet. did you have this with any of your kids? not sure how to get him to express the need to go and the whole thing with calling people just wouldn't work. suggetions?
ginasmith43@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Love it, LOVE IT! My hubby sent me this posting from Pinterest. I'm all about positive reinforcement and your optimism (and truth) regarding this milestone in a toddler's life empowers me to stay positive. I thought my LO was ready 6 months ago, but he became very resistant, so we backed off completely. He's been showing signs of readiness (such as taking off his diaper right after he goes and saying "doo doo") and I've talked to him about it. Wish me luck this weekend!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your tips! I've just started potty-training my 2 yr old son, but I feel so nervous about it. I guess I'm thinking this will be worse tha it really is hahaha! He's already been successful using his potty at home, but not while we are out, let's say at a restaurant or store. What can I do to encourage or rather empower him to go even if it's not in his own little potty?
Thanks!

aimee said...

About to start too and so nervous! Do you recommend putting the potty in the living room to start or keep it in the bathroom? I don't want to confuse him but I want it to be ready for easy access!

Krysta said...

Aimee - My personal preference is to keep it in the bathroom. I wanted to get them off the little potty asap and not make it too convenient to use that one. You will find you spend most of the day in the bathroom and the kitchen. Good luck! Let me know how it goes!

Krysta said...

Letty - Practice makes perfect! In other words just keep trying until he gets it. Don't give him a choice. He either goes in the potty at a public place or holds it until you get home. Of course much excitement when there is success is always a good thing!!! Focus on the positive and don't say much or carry on about the negative - when he might have an accident in a public place. It is bound to happen and that is ok. Hugs anyways and positive encouragement. Kids just want to make the adults in their life happy! Also, make sure that he is doing great at home with the potty consistentely before going on long outings. You can't expect him to nail it out of the home if he is still learning at home. Very short errands with a trip to the potty right before heading out the door. Hope that helps! :)

missypat4kdz said...

Oh my goodness. I'm parenting four children and would never go through that much fuss, hassle, and poor food choices in an attempt to entice my child to use the toilet. When my kids were ready, they ditched the diaper, wore panties/underwear and rarely had an accident. Allow the child to decide when he/she is ready to use the toilet and skip all the pressure and fuss.

Dida said...

I used this method with my 4 sons (who are now 38, 36, 33 and 30 yrs old)as well as 3 grandsons (now 18 and twins 15(one at a time) They were all not quite 3 and did wonderfully...done by mid afternoon and never another diaper and very rare accidents (usually when they were playing outside). The book suggested that NO OTHER potty training should be tried before hand, so this would be important for those who haven't already blown that tip. Also, when out shopping or other public times(when newly trained) the thick training pants are a good idea as they prevent any embarrassing 'puddles' on the floor if an accident does occur. This method is magic if done right!

Krysta said...

Hi Dida! Thank you for taking the time to comment. I completely agree with everything you said! Thanks for sharing your experience.

Unknown said...

this is amazing love your blog I am putting this on my blog for more mommies to see!
http://thepadawanyears.blogspot.com/

aimee said...

Thank you Krysta!! We are half way throughout he first day and my boy is napping. It clicked for him late morning/early afternoon and I saw that he was telling me right before he started to go or right as it was starting. He did great after lots of accidents earlier in the day. I understand that we should continue like this all week, but can we do TV tomorrow? What is different about the Rest of the week compared to today as far as what we can and can't do. I feel so limited and he keeps asking to go to the park!!

Krysta said...

Aimee - I'm happy to hear he is doing well! That is great! What you want to avoid the rest of the week are activities that overstimulate or cause him to get distracted, like - long trips to the grocery store, play dates with friends, trips to the park, ect. You know your child and what would make him get preoccuppied from potty training. Starting tomorrow, go about your day around the house as you normally would (remember to have him try to go potty BEFORE you get in the shower!Personal experience)but with potty training at the front of your mind. Remind him regularly to go potty but don't force him to if he says he doesn't need to. You don't want to burn him out. Trust what he tells you unless he gives you reason not to. Introduce the TV to him again but let him know how important it is that he doesn't forget to tell you when he needs to go potty (knowing that you will most likely still need to remind often). Instead of the park, take him outside in the backyard and blow bubbles or play ball for 30 min. Walk to the mailbox and check the mail later in the day (to get out again) Then the next day maybe try a quick trip to the store for milk and bread or just to the gas station and get gas. Add normal outings back in after the small ones have gone well. Hopefully you will be amazed by the end of the week! Good luck! :)

Krysta said...

Thanks for sharing Brittany!

aimee said...

Thanks Krysta!!! He is totally getting the pee pee:) No accidents yet today. He did go poo poo on the floor though. I will do better at catching him go tomorrow!

aimee said...

Also Krysta, at what point should I put pants on him?

Krysta said...

Aimee - you probably have pants on him by now. For anyone else who might be wondering...put pants in your child the next day. Just make sure they are comfy and easy to pull on and off on their own. You want them to get in the habit of this ASAP.

Susan said...

Twins will depend on the gender and personality-boys ted to be later, girls earlier, the dominant twin will want to do it right away...my twins were 2 ( daughter) and 2 3/4 ( son). There is NO one age that works with all kids...and as a parent who has raised them to adulthood now, I wish younger parents would just chill about potty training, walking, talking, etc-they all do everything by the time kindergarten rolls around! My gripe here is the Coke thing... that junk food is so bad for you AND you give it to your toddler? Its 2013, maybe you should learn the facts about soda.

Anabella said...

J

Unknown said...

I stumbled across this today and I plan to try this out! I also think it's very cute that my name is Kayleigh and my youngest daughter's name is Adalyn aka Addie. :-)

Krysta said...

Good luck Kayleigh!!! I agree...that is cute! :)

hannamac said...

I tried this method and it WORKED EXTREMELY WELL!

I have Irish twins so I was really nervous about trying to potty train my oldest (25 months) because her 14 month old sister is constantly at our toes following us everywhere (sweet girl).

I did everything you said to do - had everyone leave our home for the day except us, stayed extremely excited, offered 1 treat for every successful potty (m&m or sucker), and was consistent. When I say consistent, I mean OVERLY CONSISTENT. In between every 13-15 minute potty time we even talked about going potty & we drew & colored all things potty related.

After only 2 hours of starting (by 10am) my daughter was running to the potty smiling saying "I potty I potty I potty". Please know Mia is stubborn and set in her ways. Before this day she would say "NO NO NO" when asked if she wanted to potty.

She did not have ONE accident after 10am except......

I had to break 1 rule. The "keep everyone away until bedtime rule" couldn't work for us. Her younger sister had to come home at 5pm which meant Mia 'had' to go outside to greet her bc she missed her so much. THIS is when she had her accident. Just 1 step in a different direction from where we were all day messed her up. SO when you say it is very important to stick to the same schedule without distraction all day until bed -- YES that is true!

After that though she continued on her path of greatness and had no more accidents!

You can see a picture of her in action here:

http://miadaily.tumblr.com/image/43241871044

Thank you so much for your post. I appreciate it so much. Mia is doing AWESOME!!

hannamac said...

I tried this method and it WORKED EXTREMELY WELL!

I have Irish twins so I was really nervous about trying to potty train my oldest (25 months) because her 14 month old sister is constantly at our toes following us everywhere (sweet girl).

I did everything you said to do - had everyone leave our home for the day except us, stayed extremely excited, offered 1 treat for every successful potty (m&m or sucker), and was consistent. When I say consistent, I mean OVERLY CONSISTENT. In between every 13-15 minute potty time we even talked about going potty & we drew & colored all things potty related.

After only 2 hours of starting (by 10am) my daughter was running to the potty smiling saying "I potty I potty I potty". Please know Mia is stubborn and set in her ways. Before this day she would say "NO NO NO" when asked if she wanted to potty.

She did not have ONE accident after 10am except......

I had to break 1 rule. The "keep everyone away until bedtime rule" couldn't work for us. Her younger sister had to come home at 5pm which meant Mia 'had' to go outside to greet her bc she missed her so much. THIS is when she had her accident. Just 1 step in a different direction from where we were all day messed her up. SO when you say it is very important to stick to the same schedule without distraction all day until bed -- YES that is true!

After that though she continued on her path of greatness and had no more accidents!

You can see a picture of her in action here:

http://miadaily.tumblr.com/image/43241871044

Thank you so much for your post. I appreciate it so much. Mia is doing AWESOME!!

hannamac said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hannamac said...

I tried this method and it WORKED EXTREMELY WELL!

I have Irish twins so I was really nervous about trying to potty train my oldest (25 months) because her 14 month old sister is constantly at our toes following us everywhere (sweet girl).

I did everything you said to do - had everyone leave our home for the day except us, stayed extremely excited, offered 1 treat for every successful potty (m&m or sucker), and was consistent. When I say consistent, I mean OVERLY CONSISTENT. In between every 13-15 minute potty time we even talked about going potty & we drew & colored all things potty related.

After only 2 hours of starting (by 10am) my daughter was running to the potty smiling saying "I potty I potty I potty". Please know Mia is stubborn and set in her ways. Before this day she would say "NO NO NO" when asked if she wanted to potty.

She did not have ONE accident after 10am except......

I had to break 1 rule. The "keep everyone away until bedtime rule" couldn't work for us. Her younger sister had to come home at 5pm which meant Mia 'had' to go outside to greet her bc she missed her so much. THIS is when she had her accident. Just 1 step in a different direction from where we were all day messed her up. SO when you say it is very important to stick to the same schedule without distraction all day until bed -- YES that is true!

After that though she continued on her path of greatness and had no more accidents!

You can see a picture of her in action here:

http://miadaily.tumblr.com/image/43241871044

Thank you so much for your post. I appreciate it so much. Mia is doing AWESOME!!

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