Pee pee goes in the Potty

Potty training. I was both excited and nervous to begin the adventures in potty training with my daughter. Excited to not have two kids in diapers. Nervous about the actual process and how it would go.

Here is my story in successfully potty training my daughter by 20 months:

We started introducing the potty concept when she was 13 months old. Just every once in a while I would sit her on it and we would talk about it. She was curious about it anyway whenever I would go to the bathroom.

I attempted to start when she was just 17 months old. But…I didn’t think it all the way through. We were about to start traveling almost every week to raise support, as well as for the upcoming holidays. So in order to be consistent with her and not confuse the poor kid, I decided to wait until we moved to Texas and got settled.

When we finally moved 2 months later, I came up with a plan. I decided to try and make the potty as fun as possible! Everything I read online said that kids would potty train when THEY were ready, and if they weren’t…well then it would just be terrible for everyone.

I kind of have a different theory. Potty training is just like any other kind of training that we do with our babies and toddlers. We have to teach them! We taught them how to use a spoon and a fork, how to drink from cup, how to self-soothe. You teach your kids how to read and write, ride a bicycle, etc etc. Potty training is just the same. It has to be taught.

But learning also needs to be fun. If it’s not fun, then why would a toddler want to do it? If we don’t make it fun for them, then yes…it will end up being terrible for everyone.

Another thing to remember is that this isn’t your achievement, it’s your toddlers. Don’t get frustrated or upset with him because he doesn’t get it or doesn’t do it. It’s not about you, it’s about your little person! Give lots of praise and act like it’s the most exciting thing anyone can ever do!

Here’s how I potty trained little Miss Fits before she turned 20 months:

I started on a Friday and I determined that we were just going to have fun with it. The problem we had previously was that she just didn’t want to sit on it. So I made sitting on the potty super fun for her.

Every time she sat on the potty that day I would paint one of her toenails and one of my toenails. She LOVED it! After she had sat on it 10 times, I switched to bubbles. I would let her play with the bubbles every time she sat on the potty. But…that quickly got messy. She wanted to hold everything and the bubbles spilled everywhere.

I also praised here a TON when she sat on it- like a ridiculous amount. Like she had just won the Nobel Peace Prize or discovered that Pluto is, in fact, a planet. I went overboard! And she got really excited about it too.

The next morning I took off her diaper NEVER to put one on her again (okay, that’s not true. We still use diapers for naps and night time)!

I explained that pee pee goes in the potty- not in her pants, not on the floor. And any time she would start to pee or pee all the way I would say “Yay! Pee pee!” and take her to the potty. Then I would tell her again (in a chipper voice) that pee pee goes in the potty.

If she did go in the potty (even if she started peeing somewhere else and finished in the potty), I would over praise her and then give her an m&m. I explained that if she went in the potty, she would get an m&m. She loved it!

I kid you not, the child got the concept that day! Any time she needed to go, she would run to the potty and sit down. All by herself! She was so excited about it!

The next day was Sunday and I was a bit nervous because we had church. I contemplated putting a diaper on her, but then thought better of it. I had said no more diapers and I meant NO MORE DIAPERS! So I put on her big girl undies, some plastic pants and her jeans. And off to church we went!

I told the nursery she was potty training and to please take her several times. Jaelyn doesn’t say when she needs to go, she just goes to the potty and sits down. Kind of hard if there aren’t any little potty chairs just hanging around the nursery.

When I picked her up they said they had taken her once, but she didn’t need to go. I took her again before we left, but she didn’t have to go. I was nervous she would pee in the car. But lo and behold, she did not!

Our first outing, and she didn’t have an accident!

The following week she did great! Seriously. I don’t understand it, but this kid was potty trained. I continue to say she is potty training, but truthfully she is already trained! I don’t know how it happened in such a short amount of time, but she really grasped the concept!

That first week she would have an accident if she had on undies or pants. This is simply because she just wouldn’t pull them down. She’d still sit on the potty and go- just fully clothed.

It has been over a month now and we very rarely have accidents. She has learned to pull her pants down now before sitting on the potty.

Our next step is transitioning the little potty into the bathroom and eventually using the big potty! Currently she insists that her potty chair be in the living room. I have put her potty in the bathroom several times, but every time she has to pee she will literally pick it up and carry it back to the living room before using it.

So that’s my story in potty training. If you are considering potty training your toddler (even if they are younger than when most parents start), I say go for it! It might take a while, but consistency and fun always pays off!

So grab your mop and nail polish and go have some fun!

Little Miss Fits sporting her new big girl undies!

So proud!