Potty Training: The Good, The Bad, The POOP! Part I: The Process

It was a busy summer for the Whitaker Family. I was nurturing the next Whitaker Boy in my belly, all while preparing my big boy Duce to be a big brother. So what does that preparation look like? Well for starters it is potty training! I told my husband, I just didn’t want to make the monthly $100 investment in diapers and wipes for two kids. My argument was that Duce is very smart and a quick learner, so I am sure that I can get him potty trained before the summer is up! It also helped that his pediatrician was pressing the matter too. She gave me the goal of August 26th and then from there its sleep training in his own bed with a “good” bed time. =) Let’s just say, I have focused a LOT on the potty training and well, the sleep training, yeah that’s another post. =)

I can say that I was a bit of a drill Sergeant with Duce during our potty training time. I took it seriously, and wanted him to as well. We focused on it intensely for 4 weeks before he finally “Graduated from Potty Training School.” That was a fun time! But let me backup and share how our journey went. I hope it inspires, encourages and motivates you to tackle this preconceived daunting task of helping your toddler to gain independence with pottying.

Mommy Checklist:

1. Potty Training Reward Chart
2. Potty Watch
3. Potty Books
4. Potties-I had many! We had one in the half bathroom close to the living room where we spent most of our time. There was also one upstairs in his playroom, one in mommy and daddy’s bathroom and in the living room. Don’t worry! We didn’t have them all at the beginning. I will explain how we incorporated them throughout the potty training process and review different potty options in a future blog
5. Potty seat liner and Protectors
6. Rewards
7. Big and Small Stickers
   1. 1. Popsicles
      2. Small cars
      3. Clapper
      4. High Fives and Verbal Praises
      5. Fruit snacks
8. Certificate of Completion Picture time! Because why not be the first to award your child with their very own diploma of completion.

The Process:
For my son and me we spent the first 3 days locked inside the house and close to the potty. I know that can be tough for some, but those first three days are crucial to getting a routine and helping your little one understand the process. By the end of day 3, Duce had shown understanding of the concept, and now it was time to create discipline and good patterns for him to be able to recognize he had to potty, tell mommy and go!
I chose the option of having Duce go bottomless and work his way up to big boy undies. This meant that momma had to lay blankets down everywhere to catch potty messes. I also kept disinfectant wipes, carpet cleaner and a rag close by for accidents. For Duce, his first accident (peeing on the couch) was a scary one for him. He immediately knew he had did something “wrong” and it was up to me to encourage him, have him watch me clean it up and walk him to the potty and tell him “Pee goes in the potty.” The first 3 days, I monitored his liquid intake and asked him every 10-30 minutes if he had to go potty. This can get daunting, but you want them to be able to communicate “yes” and “no” about this new task so they can soon be able to recognize the sensation and need and act.

The Accidents:
There will be plenty, but you can be prepared for them and even prevent them by doing just a couple of things:

1. Constantly ask if they need to potty
2. Have your kiddo attempt to potty at least every 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Watch liquid intakeBy Day 3, Duce used his cleverness to determine that he would limit his liquid intake so he wouldn’t have to “go potty.” Momma wasn’t having that and still encouraged him to drink his water and milk to stay hydrated.
4. After a meal, you know your child will need to poop within the hour or so.Be mindful of activities if they are bottomless. Funny Moment: Duce was playing with toys and it was time to clean up. He hadn’t pooped yet and even though I was constantly asking him if he had to go and he replied “No,” I allowed him to continue to bend down and pick up his toys. Bad idea! This one time when he bent down, he had a friendly package leave his bottom! We were both shocked and a little traumatized. Lol Luckily, it was on the protector sheet next to the potty.

We spent 4 weeks Potty training and by week 2, Duce was able to say, “Momma/Daddy Potty!” And we would rush to the potty where he would go pee. He also took to the habit of saying “Potty” and patting himself as well, letting us know he had to pee. This was so exciting for us all because he was not only able to recognize the sensation, but verbalize it in a timely manner. By the end of week Duce was in big boy undies at home as his reward for going to the potty successfully for 2 days and not having accidents. This was really exciting for him because he had already been eying the undies with cars on them before potty training started. So we went out together and picked out undies and made a big deal about him being a big boy and not needing a diaper. We used the undies to review colors and vocabulary as well! With undies on full time at home, we left the blankets down for another week, but were excited to pull them up by week 3!

Now that’s a lot to take in and celebrate! Check back with us next week to see how we incorporated rewards in our potty training journey that really motivated Duce to potty independence!

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~Soli doe Gloria💜

Copyright © 2019 by Da’Quisha Whitaker
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer.