I used to think that potty training boys was a lot harder than girls, but after my son potty trained in three days, I feel differently, sort of.
I recently wrote an article about a failed attempt to take my son to the public restroom on my mom.me blog while potty training. When it came to taking him to the bathroom, trying to get him in the right position to pee in the toilet was much more complicated than I remember when training his sister. But that was about the hardest rate of difficulty we’ve experienced.
In fact, by the fourth day he was asking to go whereas our daughter started requesting to go on the potty by the fifth day. Here’s how we did it.
We began introducing the potty around 20 months. He’d sit on it with his clothes on for fun in the beginning. But once he turned two, we decided to go full on with potty training.
As I had done with his sister, I stayed home with him a few days because I wanted to establish a routine without any distractions. We completely ditched the training pants and went commando. I knew there would be accidents and it just didn’t make sense putting on underwear.
The first couple of days were pretty exhausting. I’d have him drink water, wait about 15 minutes then take him to the bathroom. He didn’t always want to sit on the potty, but having his favorite toy gave him some encouragement. I also found ways to keep him entertained throughout the day.
As far as overnights, we placed mattress pads underneath his crib sheet to allow for easy an cleanup in the event of an accident.
By the fourth day, he was ready! We had family over to celebrate his 2nd birthday and everyone was surprised that he was asking to go to the potty, which happened quite often.
When he returned to day care, I spoke to his teachers and made sure that they kept the same routine. I also brought extra clothes and underwear in case he had an accident.
It’s been a a couple of months and he’s been doing great. Even though it got a bit stressful at times, we kept going. I know that potty training is a sensitive topic for a lot of parents. Some believe that a child will start using the throne when he or she is ready. Others will begin the task and give up when they get frustrated.
I believe that any toddler can potty train as long as the parents remain consistent. If you give up, then your child will give up too. I admit that it’s hard work, but if you establish a routine and stick with it, you’d be surprised at how quickly your child with get it down pat.
Hope you find these tips helpful. In the meantime, feel free to download my ebook, Potty Training Boot Camp: Guide to Getting Your Tot to Ditch the Diapers in Less than 5 Days. You can also read it for free.
How long did it take you child to potty train?
I feel sad for a great many moms that feel the struggle in this area. The reality is many moms have to work and if you do it is going to take longer. If you can stay home with your child and give them a good amount of your attention they will get it quickly. Put those pull ups in the garbage!!! I went straight to underwear. You are better than me, I did use the pamper overnight for my own sanity.LOL
My first born got it right away and yes….was asking for the toilet at a family gathering. He was not even 2 yet. My second born is right behind him and I have a third so it’s really slow going because I don’t have the time to put in. Good job mom! Nice post.
You’re doing great. It’s challenging when you have multiple kids too. I know some parents who may be training two kids at a time. When I potty trained my daughter I took off three days (Wed, Thurs, and Fri), that way we were able to focus on a routine through the weekend. I know some parents work full time, so did I with the first, but it can be done.
This is awesome. Our daughter was day time potty trained at 18 months. But we aren’t sure of how to do it overnight. Is your son consistent? As in does he ask to go in the middle of the night? Not sure of how that works so any advise will be appreciated.
Thank you!
When he fusses in the middle of the night, that means he’s gotta go. My husband or I will also wake him up and put him on the potty every night and cut off the water supply one to two hours before bed time. That usually works. He has gone behind our backs and has guzzled water right before bed and has had accidents. But generally he’s okay. He no longer has accidents during the day. But you never know. They say that some kids relapse.
I love this, and I’ll definitely be checking out your ebook. My son is 13-months-old and isn’t even walking yet, so potty training isn’t quite something we’re ready to tackle. I find myself reading on it a lot though, because I want to have an arsenal of knowledge when the time comes. I’m definitely hoping it’ll go as smoothly for us as it did for you! Thanks for sharing <3
Hey Savannah! THanks so much. I appreciate you taking the time to read and purchase my ebook. I’m the same way. I like to plan ahead. There were a few hiccups which I mention in the ebook, but we got through it. I hope you find it helpful. Thanks again for the support.