Here is another reason to potty train your toddler — June is Potty Training Awareness Month, and I’m right there in the trenches with you, momma.
My twin girls were potty trained differently than my son is currently being potty trained. Even if I had previously only had one girl or one boy, I still feel confident that my current potty training situation would be different than anything else I would have experienced previously.
Just as we get past the constant feeding stage and the “up-all-night” stage (it has to get better, right?), here comes potty training. It’s a “joyous” time where we envision never having to change a dirty diaper again, only to be let down multiple times until using the potty finally clicks with our kid.
However, there isn’t a magic plan or formula with potty training. The bottom line you need to know is EVERY KID IS DIFFERENT.
I have twin girls and a toddler boy. With all three kids, I have done my best to let them dictate the progression of potty training.
With my girls, after several unsuccessful attempts of thinking they were getting the idea of potty training, I finally said, “We’re done with diapers. It’s time to get this done, now,” for the potty training process to truly begin. I also let the other one gloat about how well she was doing to convince her sister to do better. Let me say, this is a tactic I don’t necessarily support, but it is one that worked while they were potty training.
With my son, it’s an entirely different ball game. It’s just me and him, a dual in seeing if he will initiate his own advances to the bathroom or if I need to engage, encourage, and push to see if he will go.
I am taking all this day-by-day with my son’s current potty training efforts. I ask him almost every hour if he needs to use the potty. I also incentivize him with a small candy if he not only asks to use the potty but actually uses it. I personally don’t like the idea of giving my child a small candy after each use of the potty, but I’ve also noticed that he frequently forgets he should be getting a reward, and I don’t remind him.
Momma — no matter how well you plan, no matter how well you have everything worked out in your brain, your child is in charge of their body and how quickly they are potty trained. As parents, whether we are in the midst of potty training or any other parent/child relationship activities, as long as your child knows that they are supported both emotionally and physically, everything else will work out.
