Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Ever once and a while, I like to talk a little about parenting. Especially the things I've stubbornly learned along the way. It is, after all, my greatest DIY project to date. I figured this conversation could either provide some insight to fellow moms coming along after me or a good laugh for those who've already paved the way. If you follow along on , you noticed we tried our hand at potty training recently. So here I am, ready to regale my tail of teaching a tiny human to urinate in a large white porcelain fixture.
The 3 Day Potty Training Guide by Lora Jenson became my instant go-to for potty training tips. I read the guide and agreed with the process on most parts. What boggled my mind was the fact that the child would be potty trained in 3 days. Three whole days! I could do that, right?
There we were with a child who checked off Lora's only requirement to start potty training, not peeing during the night, and my last 3 day weekend before baby brother arrives. I was bound and determined to get her potty trained and out of diapers in those 3 days and back to daycare come Tuesday morning in big girl panties. The reality about children, however, is that they are not going to do anything you plan for them to do.
I purchased our supplies and we holed up in our bedrooms for those 3 days, the rooms without carpeting or rugs and closest to the bathroom. I offered juice at every turn and reminded her to tell me when she needed to go potty with every breathe. The guide ensures you that somewhere between day 2 and day 3 it will "just click."
Well, the end of day 3 arrived and Aspen had just peed all over the floor for what seemed like the millionth time. Mopping up the mess, I was at my wit's end. Why did my child not get the concept? She knew how to answer my questions but would not act on those answers. I sat down in our living room with tears filling my eyes feeling defeated. All of those old feelings rushed back from our other obstacles and failures. I didn't know how to process this all or what to do next. I became a ball of anxiety, an old friend I wasn't happy to see. The guide said nothing about what to do when mom has to return to work. Do I just let her pee all over the place? Go back to the forbidden pull ups?
I turned to Google, searching "3-day potty training failures," "what to do past 3 days of potty training" and "how to potty train a toddler in daycare" for answers. Not much popped up. Just mom's relaying similar stories, being scrutinized by others it seemed. So I did the only thing I knew to do, kept her in panties and continued to remind her. I made sure our sitter was on board to continue the training.
Again, I really loved the aspect of the training guide. That eventually the reminding them and the wetting themselves will click. The timeline on the other hand, just wasn't what my strong willed child wanted to do. For us and for many others, that "click" doesn't happen on the magical day 3 but more like day 4, 5, 6 or even later. But it did eventually happen. Just like magic on day 5, she stopped peeing on herself and started telling us when she wanted to go potty.
So I am here to say that we survived this thing called potty training. And I wanted to share that if you've decided to try this potty training route, don't give up or get discouraged when your kid doesn't pick it up so quick. Remember that eventually, they will get it, but that eventually is in the hands of your toddler.