Potty training is a milestone for toddlers and parents as well. Again, some parents will pass through this without many obstacles. But for some parents, this might be a little more difficult. For me, it was a huge challenge when I trained my boys.
I never thought potty training would become a big challenge for me before my kids were born because I never considered it an issue.
Many people told me it is difficult to potty train boys compared to girls. Also, boys take more time to get trained than girls. Well, I would say it is true in my case. Let me tell you about my experience first. When my boy was 2 ½ years old, I started searching schools where they potty train kids. Because I tried many times at home, but nothing seemed to work out.
Also, most of the kids I know(girls and some boys, too) were already potty trained by that age. So I decided to take help from the school. Believe it or not, he was the only one in the class who was not potty trained by the end of the academic year. His teachers told me that he was not ready yet. At that moment, my only question was, why only my kid? When every kid in the class is potty trained, why not my kid?
I talked to his pediatrician, and she said he was completely normal. It’s just he is not ready yet. So I waited for some more days, and finally, he was potty trained at 4. And my second kid (boy again) at the age of 3.
How did I potty train?
It took 1 week for me to fully potty train my kids. By the time I started potty training, he knew what potty training was and why we needed to use the bathroom. The only thing is he was stubborn and did not use it. Also, he pees in the toilet but doesn’t go poop. He always does in the diaper.
Day 1: I made him sit on the potty seat after he finished his lunch. He usually goes poop after his lunch. I told him that he is not going to get a diaper from that day. As I mentioned you that my kid was stubborn, he refused to go. I sang songs with him, read books even showed him youtube videos where kids were using the toilet. All I did was make him sit for at least a few minutes on day 1.
Day 2&3: same thing as day 1. I repeated the same process, but nothing worked out. All he did was “holding.”
Day 4: whenever my kid wants to poop, he usually goes to the corner. So on that day, I was vigilant whenever he went to the corner. I made him sit on the potty seat. After 10 to 12 trials, he gave up because he couldn’t hold up. So finally, on day 4, he went into the bathroom. I rewarded him, and even he felt happy that he made it.
Day 5&6: I did the same method by being extra cautious. he did well.
There were a few accidents, but it’s ok. Accidents happen. All I want is “my kid to start using the bathroom consistently,” and that happened.
Tips for potty training:
- The biggest mistake I made was starting too early. I started potty training when my kid was 2 years old. Yes, it is early, according to my kid, as he showed zero interest in potty training.
- Do not expect your child’s potty training to finish in 3 days. It might take longer than that.
- Set a potty routine for your child so that he and his body prepares for the next time to use the bathroom.
- Let him go naked for some days so he can feel when he wants to use the bathroom.
- Kids like to imitate others, especially parents. So let him watch you or his dad using the bathroom.
By following these tips, try to potty train your kid when you think he is ready. You can do it!