This post is sponsored by Pampers, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board.
"If you’re home for an extended time with a toddler right now, it might seem like the perfect time to start potty training. But if you find yourself frustrated with the process, I wanted to share our family’s journey for a bit of solidarity and hope if it’s not going according to plan.
I’ve tried various methods with both of my kids, but ultimately, only two things worked for them both. Now that we’re past the potty training stage, here are two of the best-kept secrets for frustration-free potty training.
Ditching the Diapers
To begin the transition, I first got rid of the diapers. I found that no matter how much we talked about the potty or how interested they seemed in using it, the diapers held them back from making that official step towards potty independence. We tried to make saying goodbye to the diapers an exciting event and introduced training pants as their “big kid pants.” Training pants made it easier for them to practice their pushing and pulling skills while still avoiding accidents.
I recommend using Easy Ups because of how similarly they feel to cotton undies, which help avoid confusion. They’re also extremely stretchy, which makes it easier for little hands to push down. As an added bonus, Easy Ups keep your floors and their bedsheets clean with up to 100 percent absorbency. Even when it is finally time to move to underwear, most kids won’t be ready to potty train at night until about 4 years old (sometimes older), so training undies will be a necessity. If you’re planning to tackle potty training soon, order a pack of Easy Ups online and get them delivered straight to your door.
Letting Them Lead
I bought my daughter a potty when she was 18 months old. My friend had potty-trained her daughter the same age, so I thought it would help to at least have one in the bathroom to help her get comfortable with the concept. And she did sit on the new potty many, many times—for over a year. We encouraged her, so did her daycare, but not once did she actually use the potty to go potty.
Until one day, around the time she was 3, she did. And she kept doing it. Full disclosure: it would be another few months before she used it for a #2 (she made herself so uncomfortable, and the—ahem— issue forced itself out).
Then, as it so often goes in parenting, when it came time for our second child to move beyond diapers, we forgot what we’d learned our first time around. We used some of the tactics we read about—no pants for three days, lots of tries, daycare support, etc.
Frustration mounted until we decided to postpone potty training until after we returned from an upcoming trip to Disney World. We figured it’d be easier to use diapers in Disney than to find a bathroom in a pinch, like say, if we were at the front of a long line to meet Elsa from Frozen. But then a week before we left for the trip, she used the potty. And then she did the next day and the day after that. We packed Easy Ups for the plane and for the parks, but she didn’t need them.
This makes me lucky, not a potty-training expert, but the biggest learning from both experiences was: to have the right tools and let our kids lead the process.
Yes, my friend’s daughter used the potty at 18 months, but some kids learn at 2 years, others at 3, and some middle-schoolers still wet the bed. Every child is different, and sometimes you can’t force the issue, even if the timing seems perfect right now.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
A mom of two, Kathy is passionately committed to sharing the honest, helpful—and often humorous—stories of motherhood, as she navigates her own everyday adventures of work, marriage, and parenting. She honed her creative and strategic skills at advertising agencies in Detroit and Chicago, before pivoting from marketing to editorial. Now instead of telling brand stories, she’s sharing her own, with articles published across popular parenting sites—including hundreds of stories on The Everymom.
This post is sponsored by Pampers, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend brand we genuinely love.