Potty Training in 3 Days
The basic premise behind the 3 day method is having 3 days in a row you can totally dedicate to potty training. Nothing else. Then, filling your child to the brim with salty foods and fluids so he has to pee often, encouraging use of the potty often, and throwing a little celebration for every use of the potty, no matter how small. Day 1 all at home, Day 2 has one short trip (a walk around the block or something) and Day 3 has a longer trip. Then they are magically trained!
Or not. I don’t ever have 3 days in a row I can dedicate to potty training, but I did dedicate one entire day, then had short trips the next two days and youth group the third day, with many potty trips and lots of fluids. It definitely got Micah started on the path to being trained, but it’s not a magic answer. We’ve still had our share of accidents on the church floor (I know well where the carpet cleaner is!) as well as our own floor. And I know when Micah comes in to get the wipes and tells me “stay there mom”, it means he’s pooped somewhere and is headed back to “clean” it up.
The trick? Encourage familiarity with the potty for weeks before the 3 days, then continue to encourage frequent potty trips with little celebrations after successful trips for a long time afterwards. Kids are little and easily distracted, learning to remember to use the potty every time is a process. The 3 day method is a great way to start, but don’t expect complete success in just 3 days.
Potty Training Tips
We have two – one is in Micah’s room for naptime and nighttime needs. One circulates between the living room and the outdoors. They are easier for Micah to get on and off, he feels more independent, and they are so convenient (especially with a baby so we don’t have to all move to another room every time I want him to try peeing). It hasn’t caused him to be scared of or hesitant about the big potty at all. Then some potty chairs can “graduate” to being adapters for the little tushes on big potties.
One of our potty chairs is the Disney Baby Mickey Mouse 3-in-1 potty. It’s a great potty with so many uses! We mostly use it as a potty chair in the living room. Or the inside seat part can remove and snap into a normal toilet seat so the child’s little tush doesn’t fall through. Plus it triples as a stool (when closed). The whole thing is cute, with a Mickey picture in the lid, bright colors and the little hand that says “Hip Hip Hooray!” when pushed. The little yellow insert to add extra cush is a little too small for my two-year-old boy; his little penis has to be pushed under it or he pees on top and it leaks through the seams between the seat and the bucket. So, if he’s being independent, he doesn’t push his penis down into the bucket and he makes a mess. The solution? We just don’t put the little yellow cushion in. Works great! And the little bucket is super easy to remove, dump and replace. Overall, it’s a great potty for only $20-$25 depending on where you buy it.
Know your Child is Ready
I started Micah when I was ready, not so much him. He’s an energetic little man that doesn’t mind diapers at all. But, he was comfortable with the potty and old enough to understand peeing and verbalize his needs. They say girls are ready sooner than boys, but if your child isn’t ready, don’t force it. Work on a gradual familiarization with the potty and encourage it’s use, but forcing it will make it harder and more frustrating, not faster.
We also went back to diapers during our Minnesota trip due to so many changes in the normal and frequent accidents on carpet that isn’t my own.
Learn your Child’s Cues
Micah doesn’t do a potty dance or anything. He might play with his penis. Now, after a few months of no diapers, about 75% of the time he’ll tell me he needs to pee. the other 25% he’ll just disappear to the bathroom with no warning. Sometimes he’s distracted and we realize he needs to pee because he drips a little and his pants are damp. Sometimes, especially outdoors, he’ll just pee.
Be Careful with Pull-ups and Underwear
Pull-ups and underwear both feel a lot like diapers, so they might actually delay independence. We started with pull-ups just at naptime and bed time to decrease sleep-time accidents, until Micah told me he didn’t want a diaper one bedtime. he’s cycled through using the at bedtime a few times, but right now he’s been nighttime-accident free for about 2 weeks! We have used underwear occasionally, not until about a month after starting training, and only because he has trouble knowing he needs to poop in time to get to the potty, and the underwear catches the poop a whole lot better than pants!
Naked is Good!
Micah is lower-half-naked at home a lot. the neighbor calls him her “little streaker”. This way it’s easier to jump right on the potty. We had a few practice hours in the beginning of wearing shorts, so his times diaper-free-but-not-naked in public wouldn’t be so new, and that helped. In the last few weeks he’s learned how to pull down his own short, so we’ve been wearing shorts more and more.
Be Ready for Set-backs
Potty training takes time and patience. And just like any other learned habits, it has set backs. Imagine if you did something one way for two years (peeing in a diaper!) then suddenly trying to stop doing that thing. Be encouraging and patient and don’t get overly upset with yourself or your child when accidents and set-backs happen. Eventually everything will click and diapers will be a thing of the past. Good luck!
This post brought to you by The First Years and the Disney Baby Mickey Mouse 3-in-1 Potty Chair! I received a Mickey Mouse potty to review, but all text and opinions are 100% my own. Check them out online and on Facebook or Twitter for more information and products!
good tips,,i potty trained 4 of my grandchildren within a week each ,,it just takes time and patence
These are really great tips. We have been trying to get my grandson interested in going on the potty but no luck so far.
Thanks for the tips, I’m just starting with my son.
These are great tips! My 2 year old has pretty much potty trained himself by watching his big brother. I agree naked is best!
Isn’t it a great feeling when they are finally potty trained? As much as I miss mine being small like, it saved me a lot of time and money when they were trained.
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