Can yall believe I have a toddler? I feel like I was just writing my “1st Week of Postpartum” blog post! Now, it’s potty training time! Life really comes at you fast. We have officially had some progress with potty training and I figured I would share with you all some things that’s been working for us! For my new subscribers, Ryann will be 2 and a half in a few days! Our goal is to have her completely trained as soon as possible at this point. After being more consistent, we have been doing pretty well!
We first bought Ryann a potty a little after she turned one. I recently read an article that talked about starting too early and how it can (for most babies) make your potty training process a lot longer simply because, they just aren’t ready. My husband was potty trained by the time they turned two and I was trying to do the same with Ryann. But, if we’re being completely honest, I wasn’t consistent or REALLY taking the steps to get her there. She was also in school and that slowed the process down because they don’t start potty training until they’re in the 2s class.
We started really letting Ryann use her individual potty before we moved from our home. She doesn’t like to wear clothes so she would come home after school and take off all of her clothes. It was a lot easier starting her off that way because while of course she had accidents, she didn’t like pee on her, so she would just go on the potty. We kept the potty in the living room at this time because it’s where we spent most of our time and it made her remember to use it since it was always in site. I wouldn’t say this is when we REALLY started though because there was no routine and she still wore diapers for the most part.
We officially started potty training and being consistent with it when we moved out and with my MIL. (Around the second week of January) We bought one pack of pullups because we were heading out and I realized, we had no more pampers. (She was using pampers overnight in case she had accidents) But pullups were never apart of the plan (we’ll discuss my feelings about pullups later) so we are not making it a “thing”. We only used them when we’re going for a car ride, on the plane, and overnight. Basically when she could possibly have an accident and we can’t get to a potty in time. But, we are not buying anymore! I recently purchased a portable potty and I keep it in my car so now I’ll pull over so she can use it when we’re in the car.
Currently, Ryann wears underwear throughout the day and the pullups overnight. She uses the potty when we’re home and the travel potty when we’re out. Additionally, I bought a travel potty seat that folds up into a bag for public restrooms. I also ordered disposal seat covers. They cover the sides and the back of the toilet when which I love! Yall know kids hold on to the sides of the toilet and thinking about Ryann touching it freaks me out. LOL. The seat and covers are a match made in heaven! We recently traveled to Chicago and it worked wonders for the airport and while staying in the hotel. *I would not advice using the same seat in your home because of the germs it can carry from public bathrooms. (Unless you bleach it down)
*If you’re only interested in recommendations on what to buy, skip down to “Potty Training Items I Bought”.
My Thought on Pullups:
It’s simple… a waste of time. I’ll always say do what works for YOU and your family, so if pullups is YOUR thing, do it! I don’t like them and didn’t plan to use them because they can be confusing for kids. If Ryann knows she can still pee in them, she’ll think it’s a pamper and continue to use the bathroom in it. The ONLY reason I bought them and have been using them for a few days now is because we were heading out to the mall and I had no more Pampers and I knew being able to pull them up and down was better than buying more pampers. When the pack is finished we’ll be strictly in panties. I’m super nervous.
Stock up on your Underwear:
I bought her some training panties from Target, which I highly recommend! The trainers are a lot thicker than regular panties so when she had accidents, it didn’t go through as much. They are unisex so whether you’re a boy or girl mom, there’s options for you. Additionally, we allowed her to pick out her own from Amazon. These aren’t trainers but also recommended because she’s so excited when she’s wearing the panties she picked out. Since they have her favorite characters on them, it encourages to go because she like to pee in them.
All Things Potty: Individual, Travel, Seats
Ryann has had two individual potties, 2 potty seats (one for home and one for travel), and a travel potty for the car. The first potty we bought was from Target. It was really cute because it had a handle and made flushing noises. The second one was a potty seat from Amazon that she picked out herself. Also, really cute because it had a tissue holder, which didn’t last long because toddlers potty training with unlimited tissue? Yeah, nah. Lastly, the potty seats. At first she didn’t feel comfortable using the potty seat because her legs couldn’t touch the ground. But one night at a girl friend’s house with big kids who used the potty, changed it all. Once she started using it when we stayed out, I told my husband to hide her potty so she would continue to use the seat when we got home.
We now have her whole process down packed. We taught her how to go into the bathroom, put the stool in front of the toilet, put the potty seat on top of the toilet, pull her panties down, use the bathroom, use the stool to stand up, pull them back up, flush the toilet, bring the stool to the sink to wash her hands. A process, process. LOL. Ryann loves being independent, so she enjoys not only doing the whole process, but telling you exactly what she did after. It’s the cutest thing!
Pros and Cons for Individual Potties vs Potty Seats:
Individual seats are more comfortable when they’re smaller and scared to sit on the big potty. It was convenient when trying to get her to go because we would go at the same time. Sometimes when I ask her if she needs to use the bathroom, she says no so I would switch it to “Mommy has to pee, can you come with me?” She would come and sit on the potty and of course, she did have to pee too. (She still does this but instead, races me to the bathroom to go first lol) But, the not so fun part about the individual potty is constantly having to clean it. Especially when she pooped in it. Ew.
The Potty seat is clutch for those moments! And honestly, that’s my only real pro to the potty seat. Which is a great pro! Since she’s been using the seat, it makes things a lot easier because now all we have to do is flush.
My Plan to get ryann completely trained:
Eliminating the pullups completely and keeping the travel potty in the car. As for the night, we have been cutting her off from liquids a few hours before she goes to bed. We also make sure she uses the bathroom before it’s time to go to sleep. My plan is to remove the pullups overnight and let her sleep in her panties. Last week was a lot. I was so tired that I forgot to put her pull up on. Somehow, she was sleep on top of me and I woke up in the middle of the night with pee on me and in the middle of the bed. The night after that she woke up in the middle of the night and told me she needed to use the bathroom. I took her to the bathroom, she went, and went right back to sleep.
*This is the part I know I’m gonna hate. But my plan is to start waking her up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. It shouldn’t be too hard since I can’t stay sleep throughout the night anyway. I’ll take her one of the times I wake up in the middle of the night to go with me. Additionally, we have mattress covers on our bed and that I plan to double up on and/or put a towel under her for now.
Throughout the day she’s pretty vocal now and let’s us know when she has to go but if you aren’t in that stage yet, definitely getting some kind of plastic pad or something your child could sit on during the day should help. Before we started REALLY training Ryann, the hardest part was when she was sitting and watching TV. She would be so comfortable and forget she didn’t have a pamper on so she would have an accident. I would just suggest covering the plastic pad with a blanket to make things more comfortable for them.
Lastly, I plan to continue to use the foldable potty seat and the disposable wipes for public bathrooms.
Potty Training Items I Bought:
What I’ve Learned So Far:
Accidents ARE gonna happen. Be patient with them. Oh, and once they catch on those “Mommy/Daddy I gotta pee!” moment sometimes get annoying. Especially when you just got comfortable in bed and walah, the kid needs help going to the bathroom. It’s a process but the more consistent you are, the better it gets!
Do you have any potty training tips? Share them in the comments! Oh, and for my traveling parents, stay tuned. I’ll let yall know all about my trips and tricks of traveling with a tot in a few weeks!
Until next time,
4 Comments
Yoshiko
At what point during training did she become more vocal about asking to go?
admin
YoshikoOnce we were consistent with potty training and getting her to go to the potty often. I think it helped her understand once she knew she shouldn’t pee in her underwear.
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