I’m sure that title didn’t make you smile. Most parents don’t enjoy this process we call potty training, but all know it is necessary. Even though I have potty trained four children so far, I am no expert. But I would like to share what I have seen.

My first was horrible. Not only was I learning what to do, but she is deaf and the communication was just not there. She did finally figure out what she was supposed to do, but we also later learned that she has neurological problems that delayed messages to her brain. So her biggest problem was getting to the bathroom fast enough once her brain got the message that she needed to go! I say all this to let you know that I understand having children that have other issues surrounding their potty training.

My second born, and only son, was one of those that potty trained himself. I can take very little credit for this one. He decided around his second birthday that going potty on yourself was disgusting. He cried if he ever had an accident. So I have had one of these too.

My third, we did the whole wait-until-your-ready philosophy. Ugh! She is 8 years old now and we are still working on it. I do have to admit that I think she has some autistic-type behaviors that have contributed to this, but I also think that if I had started earlier she would have had a better chance of figuring things out a little earlier. This child needed detailed instructions EVERY time she used the potty. (And she still has her chart in the bathroom.) Using the potty is baby steps for her. First it was going IN the potty. Next it was learning to wipe oneself. After that was mastered we moved on to flushing. Finally we moved onto washing hands. It was a real process!

So when the fourth child was born, I was determined to do a better job! I got to thinking . . . when you want to break a toddler’s habits you do it at age 1. If you want to say bye-bye to the pacifier, you make it disappear around 12 mo. If you want to transition from a bottle to sippy cup, you do it at 12 mo. Why? Well a child’s memory isn’t fully developed yet, so they easily forget these habits and it makes transition easier for everyone. But just waiting six months and you have a hard habit to break. So I figured I could potty train at 12 mo too! Why get them into a habit of going potty in their pants? A habit that would become acceptable and comfortable.

So at 12 mo, I introduced my baby to the potty chair. At home we let her run around naked and when she started dripping, we ran her to the potty to finish her business. If anything landed in the potty, she got a reward (we have used M&M’s, choc chips, goldfish, and stickers). It only took 2 months for her to really get the hang of it. She was still having accidents but she was trying to get to the potty. I have to note in here that we also used cloth diapers on this child, which I think helped. The wetness was truly wet and encouraged a great dislike for being wet. By 18 months she was potty trained. Very few accidents, if any. She could hold it until we got to the potty, even at the store. We do still carry a portable potty in the car for those emergencies when there isn’t a nearby potty. Now she does have moments of regression, but not physically. Just by choice. Just recently we had a lot of company over and she started peeing on the floor. But it wasn’t because she was too busy to notice. She noticed and wanted everyone else to notice too! Ugh! But on these regressions, it never takes much to get her back in the act. I also want to note, that this is not parent training. I do not take her to the bathroom on a schedule. I do not ask her if she needs to go all day long. She tells me when she needs to go. And now at age 2, she can tell me what she needs to do in the potty.

So many people ask me how I got my toddler so well potty trained, so I thought I would share my stories. I hope I gave you some ideas. If your child is already past that 12 month stage – don’t fret! Consistency is key and try to keep frustration at a minimum. And let them feel wet! Pull-ups create a drier environment and make it comfortable for the child to go potty on themselves. We use pull-ups only when in town to reduce embarrassment issues, but we only go to town twice a week. I tried using the cloth diapers in town, but found it really difficult to put them on and off quickly in public restrooms.