Someone Should’ve Told Me

Now that my daughter is three and I would officially call her potty trained, I realize that I was not told the whole truth when it came to potty training. Someone should've told me that potty training takes a really long time.

When I was pregnant I read all of the right books, and all of those books talked about potty training like it was "no big deal". I actually received my very first potty at a baby shower from my aunt, and I received my second potty as a gift for my daughter's first birthday. I purchased my third potty from Wal-mart to ride in the back of my SUV. I purchased my first potty seat cover from Target when my daughter was about two years old, and I bought my first folding travel potty seat cover shortly after that. I never realized that potty training required so much equipment. I ordered my free potty training DVD from the Pull Up people, and I had every type of Pull Up imaginable. I even had cute training panties. I knew I was ready to conquer this potty training thing.

Just for clarification, here is why I needed all of those potty supplies:

1. The baby shower potty #1 is the potty that is in the downstairs bathroom.
2. The potty seat #2 is the potty that is in the guest bathroom.
3. The Wal-mart potty #3 is the potty that is in the back of my SUV. (You will not believe me when I tell you that potty has been the most useful of all.)
4. The Target potty seat cover is for the bathroom in the master suit.
5. The folding travel potty seat, from Wal-mart too, was purchased out of necessity. (I had to do something to keep potty training up on our first trip away from home.)

Now what I wish someone would have let me in on about potty training:

1. Pull Ups are EVIL. They are just over priced pampers, and I would limit the use of them as much as possible.
2. The cute panties are nice, but not practical for potty training girls. Go for the square bottom potty training undies from Wal-mart. They come up and down easy, and have a little extra padding for the tiny accident.
3. Potty training takes a lot of time. It took my daughter about 8 months to get from her first tinkle to "fully potty trained".
4. Potty training takes scheduling. You always have to be aware of your potential bathroom break, and plan it into everything you do. (Enter potty seat in the SUV.)
5. Toilets in America are so nasty it will make your stomach turn. You will hate them even more when you have a potty training toddler to assist. My solution – Lysol disinfecting wipes, a folding travel potty seat, and Wet Ones.
6. The Pull Ups DVD is propaganda. It is not meant to do anything but make you feel warm and fuzzy. It's free, but take it with a grain of salt.
7. Potty training doesn't work if the child is not willing.
8. Your child WILL backslide during the potty training process. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
9. Going #1 and #2 are very different. My daughter would hide when it was time to do #2, and one day my husband and I watched her every move. She made a quick move towards her "spot", and we ambushed her and took her to the potty. #2 came out, and we cheered so loud that the neighbors could here. #2 in the potty from then on.
10. Night potty training can be hard, or it can be very easy…and I have no good reason why this is the case. We were blessed that our daughter did not have very many night accidents at all. Thank God for that.
11. Cheering is mandatory. You may sound like a crazy person to the individual in the stall next to you, but you must congratulate you child for a job well done. It will make them eager to do it over and over again. Conversely, you cannot harp on the accidents. Acknowledge them and move on. You will both be happier for it.
12. You will wash a ton of clothes during this potty training process. You will also wash some nasty clothes too. It's just part of the process. This too shall pass.

In all, the smile on my daughter's face when she realizes that she is a big girl and can go potty all by herself is well worth the challenges. The other great thing about having a potty trained child…say it with me gang…NO MORE BUYING DIAPERS! It is an expensive, but necessary part of life. You will be very glad to move on and use your money for other things.

How did your potty training go? If you are not there yet, what are you terrified about when it comes to potty training. Leave a comment.