I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating
Let’s face it: Potty training is a strange, strange thing.
When I first attempted to potty train Buddy four or so years ago, everyone would warn me “Every child is different,” and “You have to wait until your child is interested and ready.”
Sure, sure, I remember shrugging them off, thinking this couldn’t possibly be as complicated or time consuming as they were suggesting.
But when it took me more than a year to fully potty train him, while other friends were done in a few months, I realized they were right. Because there is no “right” age to start potty training. Some kids start using the potty after just a few months of practice, others take years and years. Some kids fight and resist, others are curious and determined. And some go back and forth.
And it’s all okay. Your child really will learn to use this potty in their own unique way.
Now that Mimi’s potty training adventures are nearly over (missed our previous updates? click here and here), I thought I’d share some of the lessons I learned along the way.
1. After awhile you’ll feel confident enough to leave the house without a diaper bag. And it feels frightening and liberating and strange and a bit like tempting fate. Because …
2. Your child will pee or have an accident in the most inconvenient public place (for Mimi, it was the Museum of Science, where she literally peed right in the middle of an exhibit). Just accept it.
3. Throw a spare set of clothes in your trunk — pants, shirt, underpants, and socks (don’t forget the socks) — for when No. 1 happens and you’re totally unprepared and don’t have a diaper bag or any supplies with you.
4. Pull-Ups are your friend at nighttime. Even though Mimi wakes up dry, and will get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, she’ll be in Huggies Pull-Ups for a bit longer, because nothing stinks as much as having to change wet sheets at 3am.
5. If you have a little girl, invest in some nightgowns. They make those middle-of-the-night potty runs a little easier.
6. Buy the cheap toilet paper during the potty training process. Trust me.
7. You’re going to have to go with the flow (no pun intended). For awhile, Mimi insisted on only using her Disney Princess potty seat, refusing to sit on any “regular” potty, then suddenly one day BOOM! She wanted nothing to do with it. So I shrugged and put the seat away, and she never looked back.
(Speaking of which, Pull-Ups is now partnering with The First Years on a range of different potty training systems and seats, including some decorated with Disney characters! And if you purchase a specialty potty system from The First Years, you’ll also receive a free sample pack of Pull-Ups Training Pants to tackle the potty training journey! Talk about a win-win!)
8. This is the one time peer pressure is your friend. I’m convinced that seeing their friends at daycare use the potty played a major role in my kiddos’ (eventual) potty training success.
9. Consistency is key, both at home and at school/daycare. Our daycare provider kept us in the loop on when they were prompting Mimi to use the potty, which we continued at home at night and over the weekend. I think having a routine and knowing what to expect was a huge confidence booster and gave her the security she needed to grasp this whole potty training business.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Potty training resources are all around, whether it’s your pediatrician, your girlfriends, or sites like the Pull-Ups Big Kid Academy (and their Twitter and Facebook pages.) And if you have a smart phone, the Pull-Ups Big Kids app has some really fun (and helpful) games and tools, too.
What would you add to this list?