Potty Training: What DIDN'T Work for Me

I have to admit I thought this whole potty training thing would go pretty smoothly for my little girl. I had worked in a two-year-old daycare classroom when I was in college. I had assisted many of those little ones in their quest to be diaper free. It was a somewhat messy process but I felt fairly confident in my potty training abilities.

My little girl started showing interest in potty training just after she turned two. The problem was, I had a two-month-old son. I was still in the midst of newborn madness and the idea of potty training was overwhelming. Another month passed, my baby was on a more predictable schedule and I decided to bite the bullet and try to potty train my daughter.

I thought we had some of the key components in place. She had an interest in potty training. I had the time to devote to the process (i.e. we could stay home for a week). I even went straight from diapers to real panties. But, oh my, her little spirit was very willing but her flesh was very weak. She, honestly, wet her pants every five minutes. She would pee a little and stop because she was surprised. I would dash her to the potty and nothing would happen. Clean panties, out to play, five minutes later, repeat cycle. She was simply just not mature enough physically, or emotionally, to handle the whole process.

Lesson 1: Some key components may be in place, but it all has to fall together before a child can be potty trained successfully.

To save our sanity, we took a month or so off. I read numerous blogs and websites for helpful potty training tips. One idea I found was to put the child in regular panties with a Pull-Up over the top. The idea was that the child could still feel wet and uncomfortable, but messes would be contained. No carpet scrubbing? I was so there. So we tried it. Everything worked as the author had said, except that my little girl really couldn't tell she was wet at all. She didn't feel uncomfortable; she wasn't bothered in the least. I loved not having to scrub my carpets but this wasn't getting the job done either. It was time to head back to the drawing board.

Lesson 2: Pull-Ups over panties doesn't work for the actual training process. This technique is very handy for public outings though when you don't want your child to have the fall back of diapers.

Third time is the charm, right? Actually, it was. Almost four months had passed since our last potty training attempt. We geared up for it this time. We placed a "Bye-Bye, Diapers" sticker on our calendar and counted down the days. We completely ditched the diapers for good. I actually had to pack them up and just get them out of my sight so I wouldn't cave when the going got rough. She went straight to panties and I went straight to scrubbing my carpets after each accident. By the third day, I was very weary. And then, she made it to the actual bathroom before having an accident. Not actually on the potty yet, but she was getting there. Not even four hours later, she was making it to the potty. My joy could not be described. By the next day, she was making it to the potty each and every time. She has still had the occasional accident. Usually while watching a favorite movie or playing outside. But, all in all, she was potty trained. Just about a week from start to finish.

Lesson 3: When all the pieces are in place, most children to get the whole potty training process pretty quickly. I think going straight to regular underwear is the way to go. Feeling the pee run down their leg really does help them catch on. Old-fashioned incentives like M&M's and mini marshmallows don't hurt either.