Nothing anyone could have told me would have adequately prepared me for the roller coaster of emotions I’d face with potty training my child. First, there was the realization that Little One was moving onto a new milestone. I know I should have been embracing all her newest milestones, but part of me felt emotional since potty training was like saying goodbye to her babyhood. She was growing up far too quickly for my liking. I wanted to try to prolong those precious moments and savour my time with my baby.
Then came the frustrations that went hand in hand with potty training. Little One displayed signs that she was ready to ditch her diapers and was using her potty like a pro just before she turned 2. Then all of a sudden, she decided she just didn’t want to have anything to do with potty training all together.
I tried positive reinforcement, potty training books and tools, making potty training fun, giving her stickers…and eventually other incentives chocolate…bribery. I didn’t understand why Little One was obsessed with potty training and then all of a sudden lost interest. We kept encouraging her and about 8 or 9 months later, she gave up her diapers for good and wanted to use the big girl potty. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. I thought that we’d start potty training and she’d be trained really quickly. Our potty training experience took almost a year. By the time I took her to the Philippines, she was already potty trained. Thank goodness, because that’s a long flight! I was grateful that I didn’t have to change diapers while taking her on an adventure to the other end of the world!
So hard to believe Little One went from this:
To this!
I think the key really was to let her do things on her own time. She let us know when she was ready. Oh, and was she ever ready! It seemed to happen so quickly after that!
Potty Training Journeys
When I think of our potty training journey, it was rocky to say the least. That was about three years ago and back then, I didn’t have the same kind of support system I do now with social media being a large part of my life. Now it’s so easy to hop onto Twitter or Facebook if you have a parenting question or need tips on potty training (or anything else for that matter). I love that parents can share and offer support via various social media platforms.
My friend, Tammy from InRDream.com shares her potty training journey in a Pampers video here:
I love this video and just had to share it! I love Tammy’s attitude towards potty training and parenting. Okay, seeing Tammy and little Oakley made me a little weepy! The video made me miss Little One at that age! I sometimes wish I could freeze time and hang onto all those precious moments.
In case you haven’t seen the fabulous Pampers videos that highlight real mom experiences from fellow PGmoms, you can view them here:
Rachel Cleland talks about joining 500,000 Canadian parents in the Pampers Village community.
Sarah Lynn shares some sweet moments with us as she plays and explores with her little girl Hannah.
Stacey Kazmir and her sweet little Lucas make me smile as she shares tips for new moms.
Tammy Mitchell and her adorable and active two-year-old son, Oakley take the potty training journey.
With Pampers, you really feel like part of a great community.
Giveaway
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- two HBC Canada onesies (0-3mo & 3-6 mo)
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Im a mother of 3and in the process of potty training my 2nd daughter. This is a challenging time but can be fun for you and your child. I find that going to the dollar store and making a “Potty Bucket” filled with toys and little treasures brings on excitement to use the potty.
Im a mom of 3 and in the middle of potty training my 2nd daughter. I find that a “potty bucket” of prizes works great!! simply just fill will dollar store items and decorate! Its like a treasure every time. Less accidents when there are toys and trinkets involved.
I have 1 4 year old that is potty trained and am currently trying to train his little brother who is 3 and it is not going well at all he knows to and will use potty but only when he wants ???
We’ve been using stickers, and so far there’s been some limited success…fingers crossed!
With our first child on the way in November, I can’t offer any tips on potty training, but I’m definitely reading through the comments for the day I have to with my little one!
My baby is just starting to walk. Once he is a really good walker I will introduce the potty to him.
My oldest was finished potty training by age of 2, my youngest didn’t start potty training until she was 3. Don’t rush your kids, let them learn when they are ready, it is less of a headache for momm.y
Love pampers in my house! Our son is potty training
Granddaughter (Sandra’s baby) will be 1 yr old on Friday. Another grandchild (Patrick’s) will be arriving early October. My memories of potty training my children have gone into storage/archives…LOL
My best tip is to have patience, it will happen when the kids are ready. My son was trained at a much earlier age then my daughter, have no idea why. Seems night time was the worst for my daughter.
Some kids take longer than others. My son was 3 and a half when he was fully potty trained. It takes patients, encouragement and reassurance. Don’t be frustrated – no 8 year old is going to walk around peeing in his/her pants 😉
We just started potty training. I feel so overwhelmed. I hope it gets easier.
We have just started potty training and I feel so overwhelmed. Hoping it gets easier!
i am going to be a first time mom in feb so i have no tips yet
My son (4) is potty trained. We started when he turned to, and he refused to sit on the potty. After about 2 weeks, we gave up. Kept the potty out where he could see it every day. Eventually, when he was about 2 and 1/2, he just sat on the potty one day, and was a breeze to train. He only wet the bed about 5 times, and a couple mistakes on the floor getting to the potty. It was a lot easier than I ever imagined. Our little girl (14 months), is too young, but I hope she’s just as easy to potty train.
I have passed the potty training years and am now a Grandmother with more expected in the next year . What was formost in my mind with potty training was to never make the child feel they had dissapointed me if they had a ‘back slide’….or and accident. Quiet and private with gentle praise and encouragement. My intenstion was to make them to relalize how much more comfortable it felt to be dry. ………….Girls seem to be easier to train….am I right on this in general; does anyone else think this ?
Bertha: I’ve been told that girls are easier, but I have no reference since I only have a girl! All my friends who have boys say that they have found it harder to potty train boys.
I agree with you about never making the child feel they disappoint if they have a ‘back slide’ or accident. Hard to not feel exasperated, but it does transfer onto the little ones, right?
My oldest was fully trained by the time she was 2 1/2. It was pretty easy with her since she wanted to be like the big kids at the daycare. My youngest is 11 months now so hopefully potty training will be as easy with her. The best advise I can give is to be patient and to let your child tell you when they are ready to start training. Thanks for the great giveaways Christine!!!
Starting to potty train the youngest now – our eldest was so difficult! Make sure you have patience and don’t ever give up!
It’s baby steps here.. my mom keeps saying that we were all trained by 6 months (HAH!!)… we’re hitting the 22 month mark and she’s well aware of the motions and tells us when it’s too late. Hoping that she’ll catch on soon that we need to know BEFORE the action! Fingers crossed that this happens in the next month before the arrival of #2. Can’t have two kids in diapers!! *SIGH*
My daugther started potty training after she turned 3. I think since recently she’s really good in holding it until she’s at the potty or washroom. But she still insisted that she wears training pants. However, we still working on going to potty or toliet for poo …
we started last week at the cottage. my son was ready for it. oherwise we wouldn’t have done it. we kept him naked all day so it was easy for him to know and let us know when he had to go. he’s still not night trained (he’s using pullups) but we’re pleased w his progress
We are huge pampers fans in our house! We are potty training right now and really love Easy Ups! I’d share this prize with my sister who’s expecting this week!! Thanks for the great giveaway!
I am a Nana now but I vividly remember the toilet training days. Luckily, my daughters have better luck with their children. My newest grandchild was born just a couple of weeks ago but time flies and before too long the training will begin all over again…My advise is patience! they will be trained before they get married LOL…
LOL! That is true, Diane!!! At least we hope so, right? 😉 Thanks for the Friday Funnies! xo
About to potty train my second boy who is almost two. was tricky with the first one….but have to be patient
True! Patience is key!
I will be potty training soon, and have already potty trained Little Man a while ago. It was a messy situation that’s all I have to say.
Patience and timing is everything when potty training… oh… and a washing machine, those are crucial LOL!
LOL! Had to laugh 🙂 YES! A washing machine is crucial! That’s a whole lotta laundry to get done when potty training! That and good floor cleaner!
When my son turned 10 months old he was showing lots of interest in the bathroom toilet. I know this was probably general curiosity but we decided to pick up a potty so he could become familiar with it. Well just before turning one he pooped in the potty (likely a freak cooincidence?) and has since earned 8 stars on his potty rewards chart. We keep it updated just for fun because again, we know he is not interested in the potty all the time but it is nice that he feels comfortable when he is put on the potty to do his business. I think has helped us prepare for a smooth transition into the actual process of potty training when he’s ready.
I just finished potty training my youngest daughter. She was fully potty trained, even through the night, around 2 1/2 years old
My son is only 8 months old so we haven’t hit the potty training stage yet. My daughter who is now 7 was fully trained by 2.5 and I found that being patient was important. She let me know when she was ready.
We potty trained my oldest at 2.5 years and we were very lucky and he was able to get it almost overnight, however before we got there we tried it at 2 years and it was a big disaster. My biggest advice is to try just to see where they are…some might be ready and some might not. If it doesn’t work now, try again 3-6 months later.
My nephew is 1 year old so not for a little while but soon enough! Thanks so much for the giveaway.
I tried and tried with my son then i decided to let him take the lead on when he was ready
My middle child is 3 and although he is trained for daytime nighttime is another story. We are still working on bedtime but i think it’s a ways to geo
I am still trying to get my son to use the potty. He starts JK in September and he fights tooth and nail against using the potty or toilet. We have a treat box for him when he uses it and he likes it but still fights us when we try to get him to use the potty. Argh…