Potty Training

Oh boy, where to begin with potty training? Carson has always been one of those kids who does not care how wet his diaper is. Because of this, we were not looking forward to potty training and honestly had no idea where to begin. When we started thinking about having Carson begin to potty train, I started doing my research and read a book on potty training in three days. The book was helpful but seemed almost impossible to follow for our family due to having an infant and a busy toddler.   My husband and I discussed it and decided one weekend to give it a try, at least to the best of our ability. The book recommended having the child be in their “big boy underwear,” having constant eyes on the child, not watching tv, and having them sit on the “big toilet” to get them used to it. Well, this is how that weekend went…

We changed Carson from a diaper into big boy underwear, and he ended up having several accidents within the first half of the day. I was still actively breastfeeding, and Caleb was still needing a ton of attention and being held. Our first mistake was that we wanted to get stuff done around the house because we were stuck at home. However, that meant one of us was doing something else while the other one was watching both kids. That was challenging. By the afternoon, we were exhausted and allowed Carson to watch some cartoons. He ended up having several more accidents, and that is when we decided we couldn’t do it and that Carson had no interest in potty training. We were not giving up completely, and we just wanted to let Carson have some more time and hopefully become more interested in the idea of using the potty.

Fast forward a few months and a handful more times trying to potty train. We are in the present now and have decided to slowly get Carson more interested in using the potty. We decided we needed lots of prizes and excitement. I set out to find some good toys and treats to give him while we are learning to potty on the toilet and chose a sticker calendar, M&M’s, and the little hot wheel cars.

A few weeks ago, we asked Carson if he wanted to wear his big boy underwear and try to potty on the toilet. He said yes, and that is when we began. We put his big boy underwear on and would constantly ask if he had to go potty, or we would set him on his toilet to let him go. The first time he went, my husband and I got so excited and proud of him that I think it made it so much easier for him. After he went, he got to choose his M&M, and he got a sticker to put on the calendar. He was so proud of himself. After another hour had passed, he went again on the potty, and we did the same thing, happy dances, M&M, and a sticker. The entire day he did so well. I think he only had one accident. At night, of course, we still have him in his pull-ups because he is not ready to transition to underwear at night yet.

The next day we did the same thing. We changed him into big boy underwear in the morning, and he continued to potty in his toilet. However, we needed to pick something up at the store, so my husband decided to take Carson out in public with just his underwear. HE DID GREAT! When they got home, my husband told me that Carson went potty on a public toilet and even told him that he had to go potty beforehand. We were so very proud of him and so surprised. We knew it was a turning point and that maybe he was ready to give up his diapers during the day. We spent a week taking him to daycare in his pull-ups and then coming home and putting his big boy underwear on. After a few weeks, we decided to talk to our daycare and see if they were okay with him just wearing his big boy underwear to school. They said they would work with him (they had also been doing potty training with him since he moved into the current room he is in). This is our first week doing this, and he has only had one accident all week. We are so very proud of him, and that something switched in his mind, and he decided he wanted to potty train. He still likes wearing diapers, but I think it is more for convenience than anything else. I am hoping that soon he will not like wearing the diapers and really understand when his body is telling him that he needs to go potty and do it on his own.

I think this process will take a while, and we are just being patient and letting him figure it out. We continue to ask if he needs to go potty or make him stop and sit on the potty so that he will go. Carson is a busy boy who has a hard time just stopping and taking the time to go, but we are getting there slowly. Hopefully, soon we will be completely away from diapers during the day. I know he will continue to need at least pull-ups at night for a long time.

Additional Resources:

ZERO TO THREE: Potty Training: Learning to the Use the Toilet

American Academy of Pediatrics: Create a Potty Training Plan for Your Child