How Do YOU Potty-Train Your Child?

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Potty Training

If you have a little one in diapers and/or training pants, you likely know that potty-training is in the near future. According to parenting experts, transitioning your toddler from diapers to underwear (completely trained) can take anywhere from three to six months or longer AND the two biggest mistakes parents make when it comes to toilet training are starting too early and putting too much pressure on the child.

Potty Training

Do you agree? With this being said, how do YOU potty-train your child? Do you reward your child? Do you leave your child clothed or naked during the potty-training phase? Do you purchase a special potty seat? Do you keep your child consistently in underwear or do they wear training pants? Any special potty training books or videos that you recommend? Please share! 😀

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Comments 210

  1. Liz

    My daug was trained at 14 mos n my son at 2 1/2. If u wait until they have a mind of their own they wont train themselves until they r almost four. It is work for days to train a child. Most parents now dont realize that and expect kids to train themselves.

  2. cindy

    Juli- I wonder why your daughter is uncomfortable using the potty to poop? I doubt if it is your fault. I am very quick to blame myself, too. She may have a fear about something- like where does the poop go? Or she may have discomfort or pain. It would be interesting to learn more about what she is thinking/her perspective. I have a daughter who is very anxious and it takes extra time to sort it all out at times. Hth.

  3. Kiesha

    I have potty trained two boys a few years back. I remember it was not as easy as the “books” say. I just got one potty chair and it was handed down to the other boy. I did keep both of them in a pull-up/training diaper, until i knew that they were trained enough to wear “older boy underwear”. There were plenty of accidents but soon learned after awhile of the sensation to know when to pee. I did in fact tell them i will have to put back on a diaper diaper if they don’t pee in the potty and not their underwear. 😌

  4. Rae

    Potty training was easy. I didn’t use any method. I didn’t give any thing for going potty. I guided but I did not push the best thing that worked was switching from diapers/pull ups to training underwear, and regular underwear. After that ALL on her own at 2 years old. She wanted to sooner even switched into the underpants when I wasn’t looking and had no accidents all day in public but the diaper where holding her back because I was nervous about accidents. The best thing to do is just bring extra clothes. Even if you do not need them… but if your little one is ready they are ready! Look for the signs, and pay attention.

  5. Rae

    & just remember every child is different.

  6. Ann

    Both of my kids were potty trained in 3 days. The first one, the week before he turned 3 and my second one at 2.5 years old. The key is to wait until they are ready. No rewards needed, no constantly asking if they have to go to the bathroom, no weeks and weeks of potty training. I think many parents try to potty train their kids before they are fully ready and it becomes stressful for everyone involved.

  7. tina

    What I did sounds similar to the three day method. My son was about 2.5 when we started. I let him run around naked and had his potty chair where he could easily access it. He kept having accidents, and I noticed he was going behind things in hidden areas. So I moved his potty chair to a less visible spot behind a recliner and that was it. We kept him in diapers at night for a while, and once he had gone a whole month without accidents we stopped the diapers (this took 3 months including the one month of no accidents). We did the constant asking him do you have to go potty and making sure he went before we left the house or went to bed.

  8. julie

    I did “naked-week” with DD#1 where she wore dresses, long shirts, or skirts, and no diapers or underware when she was about 3 1/2 years old, and she decided to stay dry at nap/bed at 4 1/2 years old.
    DD#2 totally trained herself at 22 months! I put a diaper on her for naps/bed, and after a few days, hubby asked why she didn’t have a diaper on. She ripped it off, threw it behind her bed, zipper herself back up, and slept without an accident. This was just a couple months after DD#1’s sleep-training, and I had a huge stockpile of diapers that went back to the store. I thought I had 2 more years of nap/bed diapers.

  9. Rebecca

    I did a POTTY PARTY for my just turned 2 year old. She loved it. The day before we went to the store and she picked out her under wear, a toilet seat (that sits on top) some streamers and balloons. I decorated the house that night and when she woke up it began. She was naked the first 3 days in only a long t shirt which I think helped. After the 3rd day she hardly had any accidents and on the 5th day we went on a mini trip out of the house. I also bought a potty watch that helped the most. It was only $8.

  10. Carey H.

    I have two boys that were born 18 months apart. I tried everything on both of them. What I learned: 1. Every child is different (even though you know this as a mother, you are just wishing for the easy road, like that would ever happen!) 2. You have to let them tell you when they are ready. Pushing will only make it worse! 3. I work with children for my job ages 1 1/2 – 5 years old. There are days where I feel like I live in the restroom teaching them to go potty. They always end up training at the same. Encouragement and making a big deal when the deposit is made into the porcelain bank, that really seems to help.

  11. v

    Its been a long time since my two sons were potty trained.
    What worked for them in the pee department was…
    having them stand in front of the toilet on a homemade step platform….turning on the cold water faucet…. and then just waiting…
    The sound of the running water was “suppose” to get them to that urgency to go mode.
    Once they started peeing…..and seeing that pee stream….and getting praise from me……that’s what got em started doing number 1.
    I had been waiting for that moment for a long time. An old timer passed on that info to me. It definitely worked in a matter of day.

    Number 2 took a while longer….I think they eventually got tired of messy diapers and sorta figured it out.

  12. Nikki

    Eeks…brag time- my son willing started potty training on his own before his 2nd birthday 😉 I just left the little potty out for him to see and before I knew it, he wanted to use it! He got stickers on a chart and m&ms (which the m&ms helped him learn his colors-bonus!!). He runs around naked majority of the times- which my in-laws always jump his case about UGH it drives me insane!! He has problems getting pants off to pee/very independent! When we go out, he wears his underwear/we bring his little potty b/c he doesn’t like big potty. I put him in diapers at night but encourage him to have a dry diaper in the morning- I will get up w/him if he has to pee/lets me know!! Night time is taking a lot longer but I couldn’t be more proud of him 🙂

  13. Rachel

    My son is going to be 4 in a couple weeks and I can’t get him to sit on the toilet but will stand and pee in it.He kicks and screams every time I try to sit him down.I put a pull up on him and he goes poop right away. I tried everything and he will be constipated and in pain if I don’t put the pull up on him. Any suggestions?

  14. Nikki

    In response to bedwetting every situation is different but way too many pediatricians are not concerned with bedwetting in my opinion. My situation was totally different my son was potty trained with no accidents at 2.5. I tried a method of letting him go without pull ups/underwear started when he was 2 and about 6 months later I found him with a step stool on the regular toilet going to the bathroom and potty trained from that point no accidents. At 5.5 he started wetting the bed every night early FALL 2007, I was pregnant at the time the pediatrician blew it off as him having accidents because I was having another child, wasn’t even showing but ok, my mom was concerned and told me to have him tested for diabetes. I had no idea that his pediatrician drew blood work to pacifier me and completely ignored my request. Some time later the bedwetting was completely out of hand so took him to the baby’s doctor a different pediatrician for blood work. This was now FEB 2009. My son had Type 1 Diabetes. So I say this, don’t just let a pediatrician give a false sense that everything is okay it could be something more.

  15. tracy

    I had girls but my friend used the cheerio in the toilet for her boys. Keep a few cheerios near the bathroom and let the boy throw a couple in the toilet before going. He then tries to “sink” them with his stream.

  16. cathy

    Personally I don’t see the point for these kinds of posts. Yes many people need advice but there are a lot of places to get get help. These kind of posts are just a breeding ground for bragging and name calling and hurt feelings and just flat out know it alls.

    • Lauren

      You sound crazy, and probably have no friends!

  17. brianne

    I work at a daycare in the toddler room which means we potty train up to 14 kids at one time! We have them go potty every 20 minutes, and put them in ONLY underwear, say goodbye to diapers and pull ups forever! Let them recognize what it feels like being wet!

  18. DeMoonSta

    I did the no pants method for 3 days for both of my boys. Kept the potty chair in the same room a couple weeks, then closer to the bathroom, then IN the bathroom. They get the concept after that initial weekend after all the praise for success. My now 2yr old did way better than my 4yr old when he was 2. Pullups/”diapers” only for sleeping (or emergent situations: long car rides, known diarrhea). Purchased a pair of Super Undies on Amazon for bedtime. My 4yr old loves them. I honestly think no pants is the way to go. My boys refer to pull ups as diapers and when wearing them sometimes didn’t care to just go without saying a word. Dontcha just love being parents!?! I do!

  19. pottytrainingapps

    When it comes to potty training, its time to ease your “baby” into a very huge change. Sometimes you can be a little bit abrupt, and sometimes its better to take your time. You know well as I know, that its not very easy to potty train a child. Well…. help is here! Make your job was a parent much more easier with these 19 brilliant tips to make potty training so much easier. Yes!! You’ve read correctly: much more EASIER! Its time to say “good-bye” to those diapers and “hello” to the “potty”. Also, by potty training your child you will be saving a lot of money and lets be honest… its unhygienic! So, discover these 19 brilliant DIY potty training ideas and make your life much more easier! All 19 potty training brilliant tips here…pottytraingapp Enjoy!!!

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