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The heading of this post may have scared you a little, but the 3 day potty training really does work! Read on to find out everything I’ve learnt from it as well as product recommendations & free printables just for you!
My advice before starting potty training is to ensure that your child is ready for it, doing it too early could cause accidents, constipation, kidney damage and UTI’s.
Some Signs Of Readiness:
· Being able to communicate needs
· Shows interest in using the toilet
· Has fewer diaper changes
· Let’s you know when they are making number 2
· Shows discomfort when diaper is dirty
What Age Is Appropriate For Potty Training?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, age 2 and a half. My daughter is 2 years and 4 months and has been trained successfully. Each child will show readiness at different stages which is completely normal.
Potty Training Essentials
This folding potty seat is very convenient for travel, it folds very small and can fit easily in a bag, it also has suction cups so when it’s being used it wont move around. The best part is that it comes with a travel bag.
This foldable step stool will make it easy for your little one to independently get onto the toilet with not much help. It can fold up to be packed away when not in use.
This potty is great for travel, and long roadtrips where finding a toilet wont be easy. You can use it as a potty seat on the toilet or on its own with a disposable packet.
Adjustable potty seat with step
Universal Potty Bags Fits Most Potty Chairs
Waterproof crib sheets – I suggest putting 3 in at once, if there are any accidents, you can just remove the top layer instead of changing sheets during sleepy time.
Toddler girl underwear
Toddler boy briefs
Training pants – I put these over my daughter’s underwear when we are out all day in case of an accident, I pretend it’s not there so that I’m not lazy with reminding her about the toilet and we haven’t had any accidents so far
3 Day Method Pros & Cons
Pros
- No more diapers
- Your child will be able to tell when they need to go instead of you putting them on the toilet every hour
- They get a ton of practise in the 3 days because of the liquid intake
- They see the importance of going to the toilet and not messing their underwear if you follow the training well
- You will learn that being positive with them is the best way to teach them anything
- It doesn’t drag on because they don’t get used to wearing a diaper part-time so there’s less accidents
Cons
- Be prepared for accidents
- You will want to react badly sometimes but have to be positive if you want it to work
- Getting 3 uninterrupted days is difficult, especially for working parents, you can do it on a long weekend if other days are impossible or get help from someone close who will follow the rules
The Training
My daughter had been going to the toilet for number 2 for a few months so I knew she was ready, I just kept putting it off out of fear of the unknown because I had 0 experience with potty training and the concept scared me a lot. How I got her to make her number 2 in the toilet is every time she made it in her nappy I used to tell her that it was so dirty to make in the napkin and to let me know before she made it next time so we can use the toilet and after repeating this a few times to her she used to tell me and I used to take her to the toilet.
Every diaper change before potty training has been so horrific. My toddler used to throw the biggest tantrums whenever we changed her. So I started getting her prepared to say goodbye to her nappies. I kept telling her that in a few days, we will be getting rid of her napkins and using the toilet for number 1 as well. I decided to do the 3-day method, give it my all, and hope for the best. I’ll just put a disclaimer here that it’s no walk in the park and those 3 days felt like 3 months to me.
The most important thing during training is to make sure you have a positive attitude and be extremely generous with compliments. Even when there’s an accident still find a way to compliment that they finished in the toilet so that they feel more motivated.
Day 1
We began potty training on a Monday morning. When my daughter woke up, I took her to the toilet and disposed of her napkin. I proceeded to show her that I was giving away all her napkins. I told her she’s a big girl now and will be wearing big-girl underwear and no more nappies. We rolled up all the rugs at home to prepare for accidents.
The training manual said to take 3 days off from work and don’t do any cooking and take a break from everything. It also says to keep the child in only underwear and a short top which is why I advise doing the training on warmer days. The reason for keeping them dressed like that and being with them the whole time is so that you can see when an accident is happening and run with them to the toilet immediately to finish in the toilet. You put them onto the toilet first and then remove their underwear. Then tell them well done you finished in the toilet! This way they know the importance of making it in the toilet and not just wherever they want to make it.
Also in the 3 days of training, a requirement was to provide lots of liquids throughout the day to create many learning opportunities. I realized accidents are inevitable during the training and is a learning curve. I never instructed her to go to the toilet or asked her if she wanted to go, I kept making it her choice to tell me by saying “Tell mummy when you need to go to the toilet, okay?” so she could understand her body signals. She often doesn’t respond when I say that and carries on with whatever she is doing, but it is important to keep saying that every half an hour or so in those 3 days so that they don’t forget, after the training you can remind them around every hour because they won’t be having as much liquids.
On the first day, there were a lot of accidents and I kept a positive front but internally I was freaking out and wondering if we had started too early. She seemed to get the idea and 30% of the time made it to the toilet successfully before any accidents. I was concerned about nap time because I thought she would wet her mattress so I lined her cot with 3 waterproof sheets. After her nap when I went to get her I was happy to see there were no accidents and she went to the toilet when she woke up.
The method I used says to stop all liquids 2-3 hours before bedtime. I stopped giving her 2 hours before, she was allowed water during dinner time but not a bottle of milk – I now only offer milk after breakfast and straight after her afternoon nap. Just before bedtime they should go to the toilet 2 times during training, take them once (only if they say they want to go) then do your bedtime routine, after changing them and reading a book with them remind them to tell you when they need to go to the toilet. If they don’t want to go don’t force it just go with the flow – and hope that there’s no flow in their cot! Stay close by if they don’t go so if they wake up and ask to go you can take them. That first night, my little one went 2 times before bed and didn’t make the whole night. In the morning around 8:30 am, she woke up and just before I could pick her up from her cot she made. I didn’t give up hope because I knew accidents were part of the training, and it was good progress that she kept dry all night.
Day 2
On the 2nd day, my daughter had 50% of accidents and made it successfully to the toilet 50% of the time. This was good progress and expected. It was the same drill as day 1 and she made no accidents during her nap.
We followed the routine for bedtime that night, and the next morning I went to her room around 8:30 am to see if she was dry. She was dry and didn’t make any accidents in her cot. I kept giving her compliments on keeping everything dry and clean.
Day 3
On the 3rd day there were 30% accidents and 70% of the time was in the toilet. Everything else was the same as the day before, no accidents in her cot during her nap or sleep.
I won’t lie and say it was an easy process, it took a lot of effort and internal battles to keep up the positive front but it was worth it and I will be following this method with my future kids.
The End Of A Long Walk In The Park
On the 4th day, we were invited to lunch. I was so worried because it would be our first time going out after potty training and I didn’t want accidents. My daughter didn’t want to go to the toilet before we left, so I put a waterproof sheet on her car seat out of fear of accidents. I carried her potty seat and showed her it was with us. I kept reminding her to tell us when she needed to go wherever we were and we would go to the toilet. As soon as we reached the place she asked to go to the toilet. It was such a relief for me because she had 0 accidents during the outing and always told me when she had to go – obviously, I still had to remind her.
My plan for potty training was to never use a napkin again because I feel it makes them lazy, if something needs to be done, my opinion is to do it properly from the beginning so that it doesn’t drag out. Using a nappy in an emergency shows them that if they want their nappy back they can just make a few accidents and they’ll get it. Accidents are normal and they will stop, just keep up the positive attitude and hope for the best! I also did day and night training at the same time because I feel like it defeats the purpose of doing it separately. There are different ways to do it and every parent will do what’s best for them and their child. This method suited us best and I hope it helps anyone who also needs to do the 3-day method.
Sometimes she would say stuff like she doesn’t like to go toilet so I used to tell her that she’s such a big girl and she goes toilet like her big cousins so she gets excited about it. It’s currently 3 weeks after potty training and for the past 2 weeks, there have been no accidents! I also made her a star chart for every time she goes without messing her underwear to make it a fun experience.
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