You may or may not have read my post or seen my video on potty training a few weeks or perhaps a month or so ago. We were struggling with potty training Daisy, or at least making her toilet habits consistent anyway.
Well I am happy to say we finally have a toddler out of nappies after a long old slog getting her to this point. I should point out that we were not caught up on getting her trained right now but she decided she didn't want to wear a nappy anymore so we were forced into making the move into big girl knickers. We had to follow her lead and in my opinion she wasn't quite ready for it which is why it took quite a few weeks, maybe 7/8 thinking about it.
Had I have been more prepared then I would have done some research before hand and got in some essential "kit" but she kind of jumped it on us and it was a now or never kind of approach. There are some great articles out there and one in particular that really jumped out to me mid- potty training hell was this one from Parentsneed.com giving you some top tips for potty training. If only I had read this before I was jumped on by a piddle pants toddler! It is all about the introduction to the process, and some tips on how to get started and read the signs that it may be time to get cracking with it, find it here.
So my top tips would be the following:
- Be Prepared - Be prepared to do a million loads of washing EVERY SINGLE DAY for about at least a week. We had lots of accidents and you just can't leave soggy stinky urine clothes hanging around unless you want the house to smell like a men's public urinal!
- LOTS and I mean LOTS of pants - Cheap but comfy pants or knickers are a must. In my opinion leaving Daisy naked did nothing but make her feel chilly and care even less about doing an accident. At least with knickers on she learnt the sensation of "wetting herself" and I honestly think this is what lead to it clicking and her realising what needed to be done to not be left soggy.
- Patience - I struggled with this admittedly. There were days I just had enough of it. Training anybody is tricky but a toddler that is bursting with attitude and moods makes it even harder. We all know that toddlers will only do what they want to do, bribed or not. But being patient and chatting to her about what we were doing and why really did help.
- Be Supportive - Not only of your toddler but also anyone else who is involved. Some of us find puddles all over the floor easier to cope with than others. We all have breaking points. And believe me when I say Ben and I had to overcome a few of these days.
Potty training was definitely the hardest thing we have had to do with Daisy, hands down. I must admit I dread the day we have to tackle it with the little guy, Alex.
Hayley x
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