OK readers, I feel I’ve dropped a lot of nutritional blogs on here that it’s time for a mommy check-in. I’ve been asked a lot throughout the year on how I handled potty training. You may have heard that boys are harder to potty train than girls because there’s the question of whether the tot should sit or stand? How does he know how to aim? I helped two of my nieces become potty trained and now that Colton is potty trained, I feel boys and girls are equally as challenging. Boys just seem to have more steps. My nieces, you help them on the pot and presto, she’s finished! With my boy, there were a few more steps.

Colton turned two one month before we started potty training and by the third day, he was out of diapers. Hallelujah! Well, other than his bedtime diapers. That’s a whole other post for a whole other day.

Now, be prepared to have these three days set aside for at home activities and laundry. I didn’t buy him pull ups, I went straight to training underwear. It’s underwear that’s a little thicker than a normal pair. I wanted him to understand what happens when he had accidents while not wearing a diaper. Be conscience of what your babe is drinking. With Colton, if he has juice, it goes right through him. This could be a good thing for when you’re teaching your boy to aim so you’ll have plenty of practice shots. Please please know the most important thing to potty training is patience patience patience! The child is trying to learn a new method. Be patient with their little minds as they learn a new type of responsibility after only knowing the diaper. Leading up to the first day of training, I was sure to get him used to the terms “potty on the pot” “tee-tee” “stinky” etc and familiar with how to use his step stool and Ninja Turtle toilet seat. I heard of friends leaving a toddler potty in the living room, where they spent most of their time. This was so the tot could go whenever they felt the urge. I didn’t care for following Colton around with a potty, room to room, and I wanted him to get used to going to the actual potty. That’s why I went with a seat to go on the actual toilet seat.

So, taking all of the above in to consideration, I was prepared that first day. I woke up eager to help my child grow. We took off bedtime diaper and I told him, “No more diapie. We tee-tee in the pot.” I started out by taking him every ten minutes and basing the time off of how much water, juice, or milk he was consuming. It would seem like hours at a time that we were in the bathroom! Once that ten minute mental timer would buzz, I’d scoop him up and insist he tee-tee before we play. He would want me to sit down on the tub, chat about the characters on his shampoo bottle behind me, discuss what the TMNT on his potty seat were doing, squirm to see which way was the most comfortable, ugh…you name it, he did it to stall. I finally would remind him to “go tee-tee” and “almost all done..” Finally, when we were successful, I would make a HUGE deal about it. I’d get a big, happy, surprised look on my face and scoot towards him squealing, “You went Tee-tee? Oh my goodness, you did all by yourself?! What a big boy! I’m so proud of you!” Then, I would kiss all over his face and give him a big hug. He loved that! Now, apparently with boys there’s a “shake it” method. Since I’m not sure and don’t care to know the exact details of it, I just tell him to “push, all done” and that seems to get the remainder out.

Knowing what I do about food, food addictions, and child/adult nutrition, I’ve never been a fan of rewarding a child with food. For Colton’s reward, we would make play time a lot more fun by blowing up the bouncy house instead of only riding tricycles. That way I get him to potty in the pot and have him exercise. Win-win!

We went through 3 pairs of underwear the first day. The second day was four pair and the third day we had two accidents. It was a learning process for me, too. I had to learn how to read my child by his actions. All of my focus had to be on him not just by interacting through play, but getting to know his potty mannerisms. By the way, don’t be too grossed out. Their potty puddles are so small when they have an accident so clean up is a breeze.

We started out sitting, but while playing outside he would have to go and he, on his own, began standing. I would recommend that for transitioning; letting him stand when he’s comfortable with it. Going outside isn’t a necessity for aiming, I just didn’t want to deal with a mess every bathroom visit. Some people suggested ringing the center of Fruit Loops or Cheerios in the toilet, some said to let him go in a coffee can because he’d like the sound. The place we would go outside has an old flower pot with one hole in the bottom and that’s where he aimed.

We still had a few accidents here and there, but it was rare. When traveling anywhere, I would have him “push all done” even if he said he didn’t have to go, before we left. Once we got to where we were going, I’d have him go right then. Before we left wherever we were leaving, I’d have him go once more. Worked like a charm. Now, don’t think for the first few weeks I wasn’t tempted to put on the flashers and rush to where we were going. When taking 30 min trips or longer, I’d put him in a diaper just in case and he was not a fan. He either held it or, told me repeatedly, “Mommy, gotta go tee-tee..”

You’ll be surprised at how quickly your child may pick up on potty training. But remember, every child is different. Some may require a little more attention than others. Practice your patience. Don’t lose your temper! Make it fun, be encouraging, and buy some cool undies.

Best of luck!

XOX -C