As many of you know I have 4 boys, all Potty Trained!!! Wohooo!!!! I potty trained my 4 boys just after their 2nd birthdays! No matter if it was cold, hot, vacation, weekdays, weekends, etc. Nothing will change the fact that they will be fully potty trained by the 15th day or less.
BOYS VS. GIRLS
Everyone says Potty training boys are harder, I can’t know for sure as I only trained little boys, but if that is the case and you have girls you are in luck!
Many of my friends say that they prefer to wait until they are older (3 + years) and if you want to wait that its ok and completely up to you, but here are my points of why I think potty training a 2-year-old is better.
• Buying diapers can be expensive.
•2+ years old poop stinks and they poop like grown ups!
• The younger they are the more obedient and compliant they are. They don’t know better, so it’s easier for them to grow knowing that going to the toilet is a normal thing.
•If you go out you will never have to carry a diaper bag.
• Potty trained kids hardly get diaper rashes (big point for me as my kids skin were very sensitive, they got quite some rashes).
•If you are pregnant or already have another baby (which it was always my case) its easier to just have 1 baby at home with diapers and not 2.
DON’T BE AFRAID
I know just the idea will freak you out, and it may even scare you a little bit, but just think its only 7 days! after that first week or maybe even sooner you will see the light on the end of the tunnel.
So here some very important tips you need to always remember.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
•Every kid is different, so one may have a lot of accidents and the other one can get it quite quickly. I remember Emiliano was quite stubborn, he would sat at that little toilet for 20 minutes and the minute I put him down he would pee all over his pants. Cristobal got the peeing part at day 2-3, but ohh he had some poopy accidents, for a longer period. Benjamin was quite easy, and Lorenzo, boy! he was born to be potty trained.
•Never show frustration, anger or punish the kid for having accidents. You don’t want for him to associate a negative-bad feeling over the potty business. I remember with my boys after they had the 5th accident, I just smiled told them its ok! and went to my room and wept, screamed and just shake it all off and then return to them.
• NEVER go back,
once you start, DO NOT back up! I promise you it will get easier, he will eventually get it! Emiliano did not pee/pooped on the toilet for 7 days!!!!! Can you imagine? 7 days of cleaning accidents everywhere but the toilet! and magically on the 8th day he just went! And he never had an accident since! So BE PATIENT!
•REWARD, REWARD, REWARD! I used to scotch tape small candy on the bathroom door and some hot wheels, so whenever they did pee, they got a small candy and whenever they pooped they got a hot wheel! That way they are eager to get the reward and they will ask you to take them to the potty just to get the price.
• I do not recommend using pull ups as they need to feel wet for them to understand what it is all about. So its better to plan to stay in your house for 2-3 days and then you can start going to quick errands, always taking him potty prior to going out.
• You need to be on top of him reminding, asking if he need to potty and even if they say no, if it’s been a while you take them, just say I need to go can you join me?
•Pack multiple changes, whenever you decide to go out, you need to be prepared to change him if there is an accident, so have underwear, socks, pants/shorts and even shoes on your bag.
• Get yourself a little portable potty! This will come very handy if you are at your car and suddenly he needs to go, I always had a little potty and we just parked and they will just sit down on his potty and go, besides sometimes its easier to take them to their portable potty than public restrooms.
That is all I can think of to help you with this process, so good luck!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!
YOU CAN ALSO SEE MY YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT THIS HERE.
XOXO