Potty Training

What sort of parenting blog would this be if there were no post on potty training? I certainly don't have any research-based implications to share on the subject, but I will share my own son's story here just for fun and you can take what you want from it. If you have other success stories or ideas that worked for you, please feel free to leave a comment and share with the rest of us!

My son had just barely turned 2 when we started our first round of potty training, which was unsuccessful because he wasn't quite ready. I took a week off of work armed with a big jar of bribes, the toddler potty, and a book I bought for a couple bucks off of ebay called "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day." McKay would sit on the potty dutifully each time I asked, and he was so interested in getting treats that he refused to get off. BUT, try as he may, he just couldn't make anything come out. It was frustrating for both of us.

This brings me to my first idea about making potty training easier: wait until your kid is ready. There is no rush. The advice I got after sharing my failed attempt with more experienced parents was overwhelmingly to WAIT - wait until they're ready, wait until they're 3, wait until after the new baby arrives, you get the idea.

So we waited.... and tried again shortly after McKay's baby brother Matthew was born. The timing seemed all wrong in so many ways, but McKay was ready. I got ahold of a new book called "Pottywise" (by the authors of the Babywise books). I highly recommend it! There was a checklist of signs that your child is ready to potty train, and it appeared that McKay was ready. We used the fast approach again (which is outlined in the book and is meant to work in a week or less). It worked! McKay was potty trained in about 3 days (urine) and 1 week (bowel movements). The key was to reward him not just for using the potty, but to make him check his underpants frequently and give him small rewards throughout the day for staying "clean & dry". The rewards for staying "clean and dry" were sweet food and drinks, which in turn made him have to go to the bathroom more often, giving us more opportunities to reward him with bigger, non-food rewards for actually using the potty. For fast results to occur, though, you really have to make potty training your sole focus for the 1-7 days it takes and you can't be afraid to use lots of rewards for those few days. The book "Pottywise" also has instructions for how to train at a more relaxed pace, but I just figured why take more time if I could accomplish it in 3 days?
Another key I found helpful and have confirmed with other parents since is the importance of NOT relying too much on pull-ups and training pants. When I put his underwear on and left it on even if we went somewhere, I found I was 100% committed to the process, which again helped for a fast training. And it only took McKay one time having an accident in underwear not to want to let that happen again - so he was more committed to the process too.

So... feel free to share your stories with us! I get to go through the process again soon with baby #2, who has a totally different personality than my 1st, so I would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions!