I don’t know how qualified I am to write this, but if any other moms are struggling with getting their kids potty trained you aren’t alone. It took until Braxton was 3 1/2 years old to get him potty trained. And he’s only daytime potty trained. Nighttime he still wears a pull up, and we’ll tackle that after Kaley starts sleeping better. So stay tuned for that adventure.
Here’s what helped Braxton after his regression. (It took about 3 days of doing these consistently to get him back to potty trained):
- Watching Daniel Tiger Season 2 Episode 1. It’s a potty training episode that is free with Amazon Prime. It has a catchy song which Braxton still sings when he needs to go, haha. (Another great one to watch is Potty Monkey.)
- We use a Toddler Cushion on top of our regular toilet, along with a step stool and have both always ready with the light on in his bathroom for easy access.
- Doing my own version of “Oh Crap, Potty Training.” (It’s a great book.) We started with the naked method for a day, and then started using just underwear the next day. Added in pants on day 3.)
- Sticker chart for reinforcing the good behavior. On day 1, he got a sticker every time he peed in the potty, but also got a sticker every time he even just sat on the potty. If he peed in the potty he also got one jelly bean or m&m. By day 2, he only got a sticker if he actually peed or poo’ed in the potty. Once he filled up the whole sticker chart, he got a prize. (I actually went to the store after Christmas and bought some on sale little toys and hid them away to use as prizes.)
- We didn’t attempt to go out in public until day 3. I do carry extra underwear and pants for him in case he has an accident.
- No punishments for accidents, only positive reinforcement for doing good!
I have to admit that potty training has been a struggle, and harder for me then sleep training was. We tried potty training at 2 1/2 years old and 3 years old. Both times he resisted, so for us it was just better to wait until he was ready!
I’ve attached both a Mickey and Minnie Potty Training Chart in case you want to try it out! (My Pinterest also has more options for free printables.) Good luck!
What are some signs to show they are ready to start?
I think every child might be different, but for us the signs were that he knew when he needed to go, and would asked to be changed right after peeing or pooping. (He never used to care about being in a soiled diaper.) We also started noticing when he was needing to go as well because he would go hide. I know for some children they start asking more questions about why adults use a potty and they use a diaper, and that would be a sign as well they recognize the difference.