Truth be told, the first day will be the most difficult – especially if you are usually at work all day. It’s also a big adjustment for your child and there are bound to be disappointments on both sides and a few messy accidents to boot.
You are going to need to watch your child like a hawk so that you can start to identify the tell-tale signs that they need to go. This is going to be a hit and miss affair at first. In fact, initially, you will only notice that they need to use the potty when they are busy having an accident. The best thing to do is to get them to the potty as quickly as you can and let them finish their business. It is important to be extremely patient with them and never let them feel as though they have messed up.
I believe that when it comes to potty training advice the one technique that is more helpful than any other is to reward your child when they do the right thing and that they are never too young for that. Rewards can mean a sweet, a special privilege or even just a cuddle and should be generously given for even the slightest improvement.
The Best Potty Training Guide There Is On Potty Training Your Child in 3 Days
Your Cheat Sheet for Day 1
Keep the Potty in the Bathroom at all Times
Your child needs to associate the bathroom with pooping and peeing and so it makes sense to keep their potty in there. Keeping it there reinforces the association that the child has with the bathroom and also provides an area that is freer of distraction.
Let us say, for example, that you put the potty in front of the TV – you might find your child sitting there for hours because they get engrossed in their favorite TV shows instead of finishing their business.
Set a Clear Training Goal from the Start
It is a good idea to research different methods and decide on the one that you will use throughout. Start off with your chosen method from Day 1 and maintain consistency throughout the process or you risk confusing your child.
There are those that recommend that you let your child run around at home without a diaper on and keep the potty near to where they are playing. There are two reasons that I do not hold with this approach – By moving the potty to a different area in the house, you are not creating strong associations for your child with the bathroom, making the task more difficult. Secondly, if the child is wearing underwear, especially underwear that they love, they are more likely to try and keep it clean.
Start out with a little practice run before the actual training starts. Make sure that your child understands what happens in the bathroom. Get them excited about the process by letting them choose their own potty chair and explain fully how it works. Let them pick out underwear that they want to wear.
On Day 1, run through everything one more time with your child before they get out of bed and then switch the diaper for underwear. Take them to the potty and have them sit on it and explain that this is where they will poo or pee in future. If they need to go, great, if not, do not keep them on there for longer than a few minutes.
Be Prepared
Get together a cleaning kit – a bucket of water, mop, floor cleaner, wet-wipes/ wash cloth, a towel and several pairs of clean underwear and clothes. Be prepared in case your child has an accident.
Also be prepared to treat the accident as no big deal at all. Your child will be embarrassed about making a mess, there is no need to make them feel worse.
Positive Reinforcement is the Key to Success
Punishing or berating your child when they have an accident is entirely unproductive. Positive reinforcement is a far simpler and more effective way to get the results that you are looking for. Reward your child for any progress made at all.
Nighttime and Naptime
Naps and nighttime should be separately considered when it comes to potty training your child. A child that is able to stay completely dry whilst awake could still have problems when they are sleeping.
If you like, you can go back to the 3 Day Potty Training Method Overview.
Day 2 of the 3 Day Potty Training Method
Day 2 is bound to be a little easier because both of you know what to expect and both of you have learned some lessons about potty training from the day before. Keep on applying the techniques used in Day 1.
This is where patience really starts to play a big role. If your child has been having quite a few accidents, it might be tempting to throw in the towel and put them back into diapers. This is exactly the wrong move to make.
It pays to remember that we all had to learn at one time or another. I don’t remember learning to use the potty and I am sure that you do not either. I do, however, remember learning to drive – it took me a good few lessons before I managed to get it right. Imagine if the driving instructor had given up on me after the second lesson. I would not have had the confidence to try again for a number of years. The same principle applies to your child when they are potty training.
In some instances, it might not seem that you have made any progress in either Day 1 or Day 2. Again, do not let this put your off. If you are consistent, your child will catch on and get it right in next to no time at all.
Day 3 of the 3 Day Potty Training Method
On the third day, you can arrange an outing for your child. Make sure that they pee before you leave so that you are able to avoid accidents as far as possible. This also serves as a lesson for your child when it comes to having to pee before they leave home.
On Day 3, one of two things will happen. Your child may seem to instantly get it and keep dry the whole day or they may still have little accidents. The outcome depends on, believe it or not, how you have approached the process more than anything else. Children all learn at their own rate and so pressurizing them to get it right can be more detrimental to their progress.
Keep your emotions in check and keep being positive. Make sure that your child knows that you love them and are proud of them whether they make progress or not. If they know that they are free of the pressure of having to please you, they are more likely to make positive progress.
Whichever way things go, the principles learned during Day 1 and Day 2 will still apply.
It pays to remember that your child can always surprise you – maybe they don’t get it the first or second or even twenty second time but, when they finally do get it right, they learn extremely fast.
When you can see that your child has mastered this, give them some independence by letting them use the potty without telling you or calling you to help. Normally once you have reached this point, everything else is smooth sailing.
If you like, you can go back to the 3 Day Potty Training Method Overview.