How To Potty Train In Two Days

Ah, potty training! Go to a local bookseller and you will find dozens of books on the subject. Search the Net and there are thousands of websites with information on how to do it stress free. There are even people who are capitalizing on a parents frustration with potty training by offering to do it for you, for a hefty sum! I honestly cant imagine anything more unseemly than paying someone to teach my child to "go".

Ewwww!!!

I have successfully potty trained two out of 3 kids so far, baby number 3 is only 14 months so she is off the hook for a few months at least ;

I seem to be the envy of the playgroups when other Moms see that my 3 year old son has been in whitey tighties for over a year. My oldest was also 2 when he potty learned.

For me, potty training starts with a newborn. Now dont get me wrong...I do diaper my babes unlike the native African mothers who wear their babies on their backs and who, to avoid being soiled on, learn to read their babies cues so well that they know when their newborn needs to be held over a bush...no, Im not kidding! but I have always used cloth diapers, which encourages babies to train early. Im not a longhaired, barefoot, off-the-grid hippie not that theres anything wrong with that, but youre more likely to find me in Doc Martens than Birkenstocks! but I have been cloth diapering since the beginning.

It has saved me hundreds and hundreds of dollars, but I also like the fact that my babies begin to make the association with the uncomfortable wet feeling and the knowledge that they can prevent it. Most babies will wake up dry in the morning at several months of age, demonstrating that they are physically able to "hold it". In my opinion, Pull Ups are evil and yet another invention that some clever businessman came up with that parents now think is a necessity. Along with formula, baby swings, and the like. Pull Ups just enable a 5 year old to keep soiling himself. Research has shown that cloth diapered babies potty learn several months earlier than disposable diapered babies.

So heres Grandmas recipe and I do owe it to my Mother, like most of the good stuff I know about parenting for easy potty training, even if you choose not to cloth diaper.

Let your baby come into the bathroom when you go. That way, they know whats going on in there. You dont have to get graphic, just talk to them about what toilets are for. If you are a woman at home all day with boy children, encourage Daddy to show em how its done. You dont want them thinking that if they go on the toilet their equipment will fall off, like Mums obviously did. Strange, but true...some tots will come to this conclusion.

Buy 3 or 4 of those cheap little molded plastic potties and put them around the house. At least, one in each bathroom and one in the kitchen or the room where you spend the most time with your child. Stick a towel underneath for the sake of your carpet if said child is a boy. Speaking of boys...you can take advantage of nature here by keeping an open mind. I know at least one boy who was trained when his Mom let him go off the side of the deck.

The summer that your child is closest to two, take two days and dont leave the house. Let your child run around naked from the waist down, with a big tee shirt on top so that private parts stay private.

Every 10 minutes, place the child matter-of-factly on the pot. DO NOT ASK insane questions like "Do you need to go potty sweetie pie!" We are talking about dealing with a two year old here! Just do it like its the thing to do, and dont ask permission. Dont force it, and if he/she wants to get up right away, let him or her. If you have a resistant child, set a timer to go off every 10 minutes. Its amazing what a child will do when the power dynamic is taken away. When the "potty timer" goes off, its time to sit on the pot!

Use praise but dont go overboard. Act like this is the expected thing. Be cool. Say "You put peepee in the potty, just like Mommy and Daddy and big brother, and your older play group friend...3rd parties are gold here!! do.

Dont make a big deal out of whats happening. Dont spend hours reading potty training books or videos to the child. Again, be cool. If you make it into a big deal, your child will be more likely to dig in and resist.

Have some "big boy shorts" or "big girl panties" that you know your child will like, perhaps that you have picked out together, ready for the end of the two days. Your child will be less likely to have accidents if s/he is going to mess up their new undies.

When the inevitible accidents happen, dont scold. Be patient and gracious. This is part of the job. Remember that even if you decide to spring for carpet cleaning, you will still come out ahead if you dont have to buy diapers for another year or two!