I’m writing this potty training post so that when another mom, just like me, goes searching in google for articles to comfort her in her time of need, she’ll stumble upon my potty training challenges, rather than searches that I came across:
- How I Potty Trained My Daughter in Less Than 1 Day
- The Three Day Easy Potty Training Solution
- Piece of Cake Potty Training
- How I Potty Trained all 18 of My Kids in under One Hour Each
- Potty Train your Newborn Baby
All of these authors, although I’m sure quite smart and skilled at what they do, were of NO help to me, what-so-ever!
I have a two-year old {27 months old} who is very bright, headstrong, independent, likes to be just like Mommy, and who transitioned to big girl bed in under 5 seconds….and never turned back. Potty training, in my mind, was gonna be a piece of cake. NO WAY this kid will stand for wet undies. NO WAY this kid will want to do what the “babies” do – she’ll want big girl panties, and NO WAY this kid wouldn’t fall for bribes of cookies {she loves food WAY too much!}
I thought for sure my super smart little one would pick up on the potty faster than I could get her Tinkerbell undies out of the package.
We started the morning out with all of my old teacher reward stickers and charts. I was prepared to reward the crap outta this kid! I even got out a medicine syringe and a cup of water. I was totally ready to dupe my kid into thinking the dolly was peeing in the potty.
I had the “undies are for big girls” talk – and we started a timer for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, I took her to the potty and did the whole, “show mommy how you go pee pee in the potty” talk – she peed, I danced and clapped and cheered – GOD this is gonna be so EASY!
Next timer, 15 minutes. We go to the potty – it’s time to go pee pee in the potty….and she goes. YAY! What’s all the fuss?
Piece-o-Cake people
Next timer, 15 minutes.
5 minutes pass…..she pees, down her leg, onto the carpet – then proceeds to run and play.
{Cue me} initially wanting to go all Chris Brown on her….but reminding myself of the whole, “gotta be positive, don’t get mad at them, blah, blah, blah.” Quietly cleaning up the carpet, her leg, and providing new panties, I remind her that peepee goes IN the potty. {BTW, who in the world decided on the rule of not reacting much to them peeing on themselves? Maybe if I DID scare the crap outta her when she peed on the floor, she’d realize it was wrong!} Just sayin!!!
Next timer, 5 minutes this time. She can’t outsmart me….
3 1/2 minutes pass….she pees, down her leg, onto the carpet.
{Cue me} repeating the same…damn…thing…again….Quietly cleaning up the carpet, her leg, and providing new panties, I remind her that pee pee goes IN the potty.
Ok, this time, no timer, we’re just going to sit on the potty so we don’t miss the next shot….. 5 minutes – no pee. 10 minutes – no pee. 15 minutes, good lord, just go run and play! And…she pees.
Continue same thing for two…damn…days….
It was at this point that I realized that I was the one who was well trained…..well trained to set a timer and put her on the potty to pee. My little Sami, she has NO CARE in the world that she has peed, so I determined she just isn’t ready. She never once has told me that she’s peed or pooed. She doesn’t seem to either care or know that she’s wet herself….and THAT is a problem in my mind!
I feel a bit defeated and disappointed in myself for giving up. However, my mommy instinct told me she’s just not ready. In my heart I know that it shouldn’t take two days of constant struggle and stress to get her to use the potty. She loves the potty, loves peeing in the potty, and knows that we go pee in the potty. Now, the little roadblock of KNOWING when you have to go potty and CARING that you have to go potty need to be in place.
In my mommy heart I know that when my pumpkin is actually ready, she’ll pick it up in one day. Sure, there will still be accidents, but when she’s ready there will be more successes than accidents!
If at least one other mom reads this and sees that not all kiddos are the same, and that sometimes its harder than the books make it seem, then I’ll have done my job!
Now, I know I’ll get all kinds of comments about how I didn’t try hard enough or that I didn’t do it the right way or that I need to read this book or that book …. and I welcome comments of all kinds, but I did it MY way and I’ll do it MY way again next time…when she’s ready!
What challenges did you face when potty training? Let’s hear um…make me feel better!
My first (and only girl) pooped in the potty about 20 months was completely potty-trained at 24 months. By 26 months she didn’t even wear pull-ups at night. I thought briefly about writing a book so other mother’s could share in my success. I tried the same techniques w/ child #2-epic fail. He was closer to 3 before he gave up diapers and had to wear pull-ups at night for years and years. #3 had less problems at night, but happily wore diapers to his 3rd b-day party. I don’t think there is any magic method. Kid’s stop wearing diapers when they are ready. Good luck!
All kids are different, and no one knows them better than “mommy”. If you think she’s not ready, she probably isn’t. Good luck for the next time trying!!! Mine isn’t yet one year old and that’s one of the things I fear most… lol
oh gosh – we just got our daughter potty trained (she is 22 – almost 23 months – I wanted to have her trained before little sisters arrival in sept so I started at 21 months). It was a mess and nothing else at 1st. The timer method was the biggest pile of poo ever for us! I eventually just started waiting for the pee pee dance and we would run there and say pee goes on the potty and sometimes it would and sometimes she would refuse – she knew…. I had never felt for intimidated or defeated in my mothering journey than with potty training. Now a month in she refuses to pee in a diaper (only wears at night but has been waking up dry for over a week now). But 3 weeks ago I thought she’d never be potty trained by her birthday! and pooping on the potty is still scary for her – and I have no idea how to get her over that. poop days are a huge struggle. I nearly gave up soooo many times – but then thought of my being HUGE in summer trying or trying with a newborn and thought well on days I’m home we’ll just not wear a diaper and see what happens…
I think I’m in a similar boat with my almost 2 1/2 year old son. He’s not interested AT ALL! He doesn’t even want to sit on the potty. 🙁 I’m with you, though, that he’ll do it when he’s ready. I’d rather wait and keep him in diapers than clean up lots of messes. Your little lady will get there 🙂
Oh, the potty training! I’m from the “they’re each ready in their own time and find success in different methods” camp. My kiddo was a bit like yours at first – capable of going but it wasn’t completely connecting somewhere in his head. We started at around the same age as your daughter, took it slowly, and even though it took a few months, we had very few accidents and frustrations. (My blog entry about it is here. One of my biggest recommendations is to just let her go commando every once in awhile. My Brennan had great success making it to the potty when he wasn’t wearing anything on his bottom. Good luck mama!
OMG. We have hade the same week. My daughter is also strong minded and twenty seven months and I shared our experience on Tuesday. Suffice to say she is back in nappies!
Thank you for letting me know I am not alone!
I am going through the same situation with my 28 month old daughter. I too went into the process expecting to be done with it after 2 days – 3 days tops (always the optimist) … WRONG! Anyways, you are not alone. Thanks for sharing & Good Luck 🙂
Gosh, I am not looking forward to potty training. Thanks for sharing a real-life fail. Makes me have a little more confidence that I won’t be the only mama running after a little pee-peed girl who could care less. P.S. So glad we have tiled floors here in Costa Rica! Can’t imagine cleaning pee off of carpet.