Yes, you read that right - you can potty train your toddler in just 3 days. I know because I did! Throughout this article, I will outline in detail how I got rid of day-time diapers over the course of a weekend. Potty training can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be!
Potty training has so many benefits, besides the obvious good-bye to that diaper changing table that takes up space in your toddler's room. Having your child transition from diapers to underwear gives them a sense of independence and confidence, creating that "big kid" identity. There is a lot less waste around the house, not to mention the financial savings of not buying diapers every other week! A lot of daycares and preschools nowadays will have a different price point for children potty trained vs. still in diapers. A lot of day camps don't even accept children if they are still in diapers because they don't have the resources or counselor ratio to provide diaper changing care services.
So how do you know if your child is ready to be potty trained? The simple answer is: just ask them! There are a lot of priming strategies you can implement to gauge their readiness so let's start there.
Preparation:
Start by introducing conversations and visual aids regarding the bathroom. Simple things like praising an older siblings for using the restroom before bed, or announcing to your toddler that you need to use the bathroom and that you will be right back. This is an effective method called modelling, or observational learning. Your toddler sees others doing a behavior and will become curious about it, and most likely want to copy it.
Toddlers love visual stimulus, so we can also introduce our little one to the bathroom by making it fun! There are so many children's shows and books that incorporate an episode where one of the characters learns to use the potty. I personally used a Peppa Pig book where the little brother, George, learned to use the potty. This book included buttons to press throughout the story that made common bathroom sounds such as washing hands and the toilet flushing. This was a great way to get them involved in a mock potty time. Music is also a great training aid. My littles love music, so I found a music video that they loved to sing and motivated the youngest to start potty training. An additional way to model bathroom behavior is to pretend like their favorite toy or stuffed animal is using the toilet! Have them pretend to sit on the toilet, you can make sound effects, and have your toddler flush the toilet for their toy!
Even introducing and quizzing your child about the bathroom is a fun way to acclimate them to the environment, while also increasing their confidence in that skill. Ask your toddler if they know where the potty is, or ask them if they know where the toilet paper is. By asking them about the bathroom steps like, "what goes into the potty?" they will start associating bowel and bladder function with the bathroom, rather than just the comfort of their diaper.
A helpful idea to get them excited and involved is by taking them to the store for undie shopping! Let your toddler pick out which underwear they want to purchase and explain to them why you are buying it. Label them as underwear, which is what “big kids” and mommies/daddies wear because they use the toilet. If they have a sibling, you can also point out that their older sibling wears undies!
When implementing these steps, stay consistent! Once your toddler seems like they have a really good understanding of the bathroom and its importance, you know your toddler may be ready to potty train! Or better yet - they'll try to do it themself before you even prompt them!
When planning your potty training, if you intend to do it over the course of a few days, make sure you can spend the entire time with your toddler. I reccommend doing this over the course of a 3-day weekend. If that is not an option, consider having someone else to help with one of the days like a spouse, family member, or babysitter - someone your toddler feels totally comfortable around.
Day 1:
Welcome to Day 1 of Potty Training Bootcamp. Your toddler should be mentally prepared on what you are planning, so be sure to tell them as early as possible that today they will be using the potty! The key tool for today is using the naked baby approach. As babies age, they grow accustomed to the comfort of their diaper and don't stress about going to the bathroom wherever they are. By having your toddler completely naked, they no longer have that assurance and comfort of the diaper, and are less likely to use the bathroom at a moment’s notice.
Now that they are awake and know what the game plan is for the day - it's time to juice them up. Using their favorite drink, or whatever you know they will have lots of, have it in their hand at all times. In my case, we used juice and diluted it with water. We want them to be hydrated - not loaded up with sugar! I found the magic ratio to be 4 parts water and 1 part juice. This way, they still had plenty of the juice taste, but it was mostly water.
The second they start chugging their drink, start your timer! Every 15 minutes, encourage your tot to sit on the toilet. I reccommend using a timer that is loud enough for them to hear. That way, each time it goes off you can tell them it's time to sit on the potty. The timer gives them an audible cue that it is time to go. Keep them on the toilet for 10-15 minutes or until they urinate. If there is no success, that's okay! Restart the timer for another 15 minutes and repeat the process. Make sure to praise them for sitting on the toilet, and an even bigger praise if they successfully use the toilet.
You can also have a special treat/reward for successfully using the toilet. We used M&Ms because the toddler I care for loves chocolate. M&Ms are also small enough that giving one for every toilet success is not going to cause a huge sugar rush or stomach ache, and they still get excited about the candy. However, it does not need to be a candy. Whatever is small and easy to give throughout the day that your toddler is motivated by!
Now I know what you're thinking, how are you going to keep a toddler on a toilet sitting still willingly? This is where your entertainment skills are going to be essential. Reading a book, singing a song, and playing with toys are all great ways to keep them entertained until they use the restroom. Some expert tricks I picked up was to do anything that involved them making an "o" shape with their mouth and breathing out. So try blowing bubbles, having them pretend to howl like a werewolf, blowing out a candle, or just take deep breaths. These activities relax the muscles that hold their bladder and will encourage them to pee.
It is completely normal to not have pee success and some accidents at first, so don't panic and give up. Your toddler wants to be good, and they are going to try and hold their bladder because they don't want to have an accident - even if they are on the toilet! You’ll want to have your cleaning supplies ready, I promise there will be accidents. The key thing here is to catch the accident and put them straight on the toilet. The hope is that they finish going to the bathroom on the toilet so that you can celebrate it. This way, they can start associating their need to pee with being on the toilet. We want this process to be as positive as possible, so even though you will probably get tired or frustrated, remind your toddler that accidents happen and it's okay, just try to use the potty next time. Having an accident is embarrassing enough, and scolding them will just make them more prone to hold their pee, even if on the toilet.
Progression #1:
Ready to progress? As your toddler starts having success on the toilet, start stretching out the time between attempts. It only took us a few hours before I was pushing it to 20 minutes, then 25 minutes, then 30. I don't recommend going more than 30 minutes between attempts, because this is still new to them and we want to set them up for success!
Progression #2:
Success with the 30 minute stretch between bathroom attempts? Start incorporating wearing a shirt, but still nothing on their bottom half. It is important to restart the time between bathroom attempts back to every 15 minutes. We are incorporating a new physical sensation that may create a similar comfort that their diaper gives them. It its noteworthy to mention that every time you introduce a new aspect of their potty training, expect a regression in their ability to use the toilet. We are essentially changing the game for them each time. But be patient and consistent, you can do it and so can they!
Day 2:
So after a day of pee on the floor and some in the toilet, some of you might be getting tired after bootcamp day 1. But push on, I promise you it will be worth it in the end! The goal for today is to have a toilet success with your toddler completely clothed.
Now I am going to assume that yesterday your toddler has had some success on the toilet and you were able to stretch their time between bathroom attempts to longer than 15 minutes. It is a new day so yet again, start with “naked baby”. Remind your toddler that you are potty training today and let them know how proud you are of them for their success yesterday! If your toddler is picking it back up successfully, incorporate the next progression described above by putting their shirt on. You can fast track through these progressions as long as there are no accidents! And as a reminder: yes we are still juicing them up! Make sure they have their favorite drink on hand throughout the day. We stop with the liquids when we leave the house.
Progression #3:
So your toddler has been successful and they're ready to move forward? It's time to break out theier new underwear they picked out at the store! At this point, you should now have your toddler in their shirt and underwear, still no pants yet. I want to warn you: this is probably the trickiest progression, and the hardest point for us during our potty training bootcamp.
Because undies are worn like diapers are, they have that comfortable feeling again and may forget that they are not wearing a diaper anymore. During this step, be conservative with increasing your time between bathroom attempts. Remind your toddler throughout the day that they are wearing underwear and not a diaper. It may be an even better idea to ask them, "hey, are you wearing a diaper or are you wearing underwear?" to reinforce their understanding of what they are wearing. This is a small tip, and it can be used in general, but I have noticed if you give a choice between two things, they are more likely to pick the second. So when asking them, it may be better to ask them in that order, specifically.
Continue this progression until you are able to get no accidents over a 30 minute toilet attempt. Once you feel confident, you and your toddler are ready for the last in-home progression!
Progression #4:
This is the final test before you are ready to take your potty training skills outdoors. Go ahead and allow your toddler to be fully clothed! Restart your timer for 15 minutes, and continue until you can have success up to 30 minutes without accidents.
Parents, nannies, caregivers, I have news for you: your toddler has successfully completed the indoor portion of their potty training bootcamp and is ready to test their skills in the great outdoors!
Progression #5:
Pack up your diaper bag, bring a change of clothes, a plastic bag in case of accidents, and anything else you may need. Leave the juice at home and take your toddler out and about somewhere, anywhere. This can be a long or short trip- but if it is a longer trip, you'll probably need to use a timer and make sure there is a bathroom nearby. Remind your toddler before leaving the house that if they need to use the potty, to let you know. It may be helpful to check in with your toddler throughout the trip by asking if they need to use the potty.
Day 3:
It is the third and final day of your potty training bootcamp! At this point you have most likely had lots of success with your toddler on the toilet, and hopefully gotten some clothes on them! Please remember that every toddler is different and learns at different paces. So while some of you reading this may already have completed through progression #5 above, some of you may also still be on progression #2. And I want to say that that is more than okay. As long as you are patient and positive with your toddler, they will get there! Stay consistent and the work will pay off.
Today should be almost completely out and about, and ideally a fun activity for your toddler. Maybe even phrase it as a special day for their hard work on potty training and, again, express how proud you are of them! This is the ultimate test. Check in with your toddler throughout the day if they need to go potty, look out for signs that they need to use the restroom, and have some points throughout the day if you've noticed it has been awhile that it is potty time and they need to try.
Final Note:
To my reader: Congratulations! You have successfully completed potty training bootcamp. And you should be just as proud of yourself as you are of your toddler. As the adult, or one of the adults, this process can be exhausting, frustrating, and seem hopeless at times. Remember that while this model is set up for a 3-day time period, these steps can be used over any length of time. I had the fortunate circumstance of having older siblings around, and the toddler was very much ready to start potty training. I am also the full-time nanny, so I have the luxury of being with them around the clock and it being my job, rather than having to navigate around a work schedule.
Helpful Tips:
Have your toddler regularly practice how to ask to use the bathroom or to notify you when they need to. I frequently asked the toddler I work with “what do we say if we need to go potty”
For my working professionals/those who are not available for a 72-hour period: apply all these same methods when you are available to, and put them in a diaper when you, or someone else, is not available to assist with potty training. This will most likely take longer, but slow success is still success! Your toddler may progress themselves through these stages as time goes on as well.
When entertaining your toddler on the toilet, I advise against breaking out the ipad/tablet. It is probably the easiest tool to use in order to get them on the toilet and stay there, but if they use the bathroom while zombie-d out on their electronics, they most likely won't even register that they have used the bathroom. That association that is built between the feeling of needing to use the bathroom, sitting on the toilet, actually using the toilet, and the celebration afterwards is not nearly as effective.
the caviat to this is if your toddler has not used the toilet in over an hour and they refuse to sit still for more than a few seconds. The electronics should be a last resort, and used sparingly. At the end of the day whatever it takes to get them on the toilet is the way you need to go.
Sometimes it can be helpful to turn your faucet on so there is the sound of running water to encourage
If your toddler is becoming resistant to sitting on the toilet when your timer goes off - that is totally normal, and an issue I ran into frequently. Your toddler may get annoyed. Gently remind your toddler that it is okay if nothing comes out, but that they do still have to try. Stay firm, but calm. You are the boss, not your toddler.
If the above does not help, turn it into a race against the clock! Change your tone to an excited one and challenge them to see how fast they can get to the bathroom and sit on the toilet. Any version of this kind of race can make it fun!
If all else fails, try having a sibling or another adult tap in for a time or two. It may be helpful for your toddler to be told by someone else that they need to sit on the potty to reinforce its importance. It also gives you a small break from the frustration of arguing with a toddler.
Do not fret if your toddler isn’t having a bowel movement during the majority of the first day. Our toddler didn’t poop for the whole morning/afternoon. It wasn’t until after dinner when he was on his iPad that he finally pooped on the toilet. After that, he was much more comfortable
This approach is only for day-time potty training. You’re more than welcome to incorporate overnight potty training simultaneously if you’d like! For the children I care for, we continued using pull-ups over night. If you notice your toddler is waking up each morning with a dry pull-up/diaper, you may find it easier to just stop using them at some point.
POTTY TRAINING TOOL CHECKLIST
new underwear (that they got to pick out)
rewards for successful bathroom use
timer (I used my phone)
lots of cleaning supplies
paper towels
carpet/wood cleaner
plastic gloves
juice/favorite drink
Travel bottle
activities for entertainment
books
bubbles
toys/stuffed animals
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