To be 100% honest, there was no big secret in our potty training journey.
Three-day toilet training often comes with negative talk of how hard it will be or how you are forcing your child, but it’s not like that at all. In fact, I found it to be extremely positive, effective and my son loved our weekend of potty training. It was just us, working on a goal together.
I started potty training my son after 18 months. This is the age when healthy children become ready physically and emotionally. The golden window is 18-23 months. This is the easiest age to potty train your child because they are old enough to understand, but young enough not to be stubborn or set in their own ways just yet. With that being said, when you use the 3-day potty train in a weekend method, you can potty train your child at any age with success.
Here’s How to Potty Train Your Boy or Girl in Three Days:
• When your child wakes up in the morning, change his soggy diaper. Have your kid throw the diaper out and say “bye-bye.”
• Change your kid into underwear. Go for underwear and pants together. We went straight to underwear + pants, and it was fine. and explain there is no diaper to catch the pee-pee or poop, so he has to put it in the potty.
• Give your kid breakfast and an extra drink. Afterward, lead your little one to the potty. It should be a successful trip after all those liquids.
• Go on with the day, but remember, no leaving the house during the three-day potty training. Play, read, color and watch cartoons.
• Have a constant sippy cup of water at your child's reach. Just walk your child to the potty every 15 minutes, all day long for three days.
• Cut off all liquids and snacks after dinner while potty training.
• Complete one final potty mission before bed.
• Don’t get upset about potty training accidents. They’re not a big deal. Don’t react.
Repeat this process everyday. Day One there were a few accidents, but all in all, it was a successful day, with way more successes than accidents!
Day two Only one accident all day was a success! Remember to stay consistent! And Day three is kind of magic day! I feel like this was the day he gained confidence in himself.
The child usually starts to understand right away, but there is a period of accidents where the child has the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and practice the necessary skills.
My son was not speaking much when we started this process, so I had to learn to respond to the sound or activity he made when he wanted to go potty, which was something like, he raised his finger towards me and pointed toward the washroom. He had a couple of accidents simply because I was distracted and didn’t know what he was saying. I apologized abundantly and praised him for his attempts.
Eventually, you want your child to just go sit on the potty on their own whenever they have to go. When you take him to the potty, remind him that he can sit down by himself. Hold his hand as he sits down, to begin with so that he gets comfortable with the feeling. It always happens sooner than I expect that my son will be playing intently, then run to the potty, sit down and pee, then run back to playing. Although I want to shout from the kitchen sometimes, I usually just casually say something like, “Good job” or “Nicely done.” If he is casual about it, I want him to keep that attitude.
The potty training methods that I did not use:
• I did not wait until my son is self-potty trained.
• I did not give out rewards. He was self-motivated. Because This is a method that naturally and gently, yet firmly teaches your child to go diaper-free and stay dry without rewards in 3 days.
• I did not punish him for having accidents. I was firm but positive.
• I did not wait for him to be able to talk before I began potty training.
Sometimes when you are in the middle of it, potty training can start to seem like a big deal, but it really isn’t. Just have patience and remember that your child WILL get on board with using the toilet eventually. The less pressure you put on them, the better. Trust yourself, trust your child, and diapers will be out of your life before you know it.
You’ll be so proud of your kid and yourself when you’re done. Good luck!
