She just turned 2 and we started training right before her 2nd birthday.. So I am not really pushing it on her at all. I know she can do it but for now I am just letting her go at her own pace because she is doing really well with it.
I wanted to give all the parents out there MY tips so far on potty training and how I knew she was ready to start using the potty. NO.. I am not an expert by ANY means.. This is my first child, I am a young mom, and I didn't potty train my child fully in 3 days! But what we are doing so far is working well for us so I thought I would share!
Months before we actually started GOING potty, we had bought a potty and had it sitting in the bathroom for her. When I go to the bathroom, she would sit on it too and "pretend" to go potty. I think that really helped her get an idea of what I was doing and that she should eventually start using hers as well. Close to her 2nd birthday she started feeling uncomfortable after she would "go" in her diaper. She would bring me a diaper and a wipe and lay down on the floor and wait to be changed! To me, this was a huge sign that she was ready to start using the potty chair..
We had a trip to Lake Tahoe right before her 2nd birthday so I knew that I did not want to introduce it to much before then. But the week after we got back I decided to give it a shot and see how it goes! The first day she went! She had a few accidents but when I would ask her to go, she would go!
I let her run around the house in just a top! Butt naked!! haha.. The feeling of having something on her butt confused her I think.. because if she had pants on she would just go to the bathroom in them. If she was butt naked, she would run to the bathroom or tell me that she had to go!
We used "potty treats". I would explain to her that IF she went to the bathroom on the potty, she would get a treat. NOW … This tactic was successful BUT it caused a slight issue.. she started to FORCE herself to go to the bathroom even if it was just a drip in order to get a treat! So as a parent, what do you do at that point?! Yes they technically "went" so I would give her a treat.. eventually she stopped that and only asks for potty treats once in a while now. Otherwise now it is more of the "Good Job Chloe!" that she looks for! Make sure that you make it exciting and recognize them when they go. Potty treats worked well for us but they may not work for everyone.. We are lucky that she grew out of them herself and doesn't RELY on them now.
We have bravely taken her out in public in her underwear a few times! Both resulted in wet pants! lol Both times she was crying when she went potty. I think when she gets upset she can't control it as well. Other than that she did very well and she uses the "big potty" out in public too. But once she has to go.. its right now!! Even if we are in the car :/
I think for us, it was just making that decision to start and TRY it. I had a feeling that she was ready but was nervous about starting it and what I was doing. Its a trial and error kind of thing. Find out what works for you and what doesn't. We had tried the potty just for fun months before this also and she did use it. But when it came to going poop it scared her and she wanted nothing to do with it after that. Thats why this time around I am not pushing it on her. She will decide to go on her own time. And she KNOWS she is supposed to go on the potty chair.. just depends how stubborn she is feeling that day ;) She will sneak around the counter and go poop in her underwear sometimes!
Literally just writing this blog post and Chloe took a pee on the floor! Duty calls :P
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