VT Mamateurs

I was one of those Mamateurs who convinced herself that my boys would be potty trained like Pavlov dogs by the time they were 19 months. I read the 3-day program and thought I could bang that out one long weekend. Honestly, I couldn’t spend three whole days in my house with 3 kids under the age of three. I would wet my own pants! (for the record I know many Mamateurs who swear by that program) The reality was that I was ready but my boys were not.

I clearly remember the day I met another Mamateur of twins. She convinced me that I could potty train my then 20 month diapered twins. Part of me hated her for her success with potty training but also because she made it sound so easy. My boys weren’t telling me that they had to pee or poop and they sure didn’t have the dexterity to pull up and down their pants. So it dawned on me….wait for it…there isn’t a right way to potty train. (her twins regressed anyway, booyah!, Jk..sorta)

*Be patient- When I say be patient I mean be very, very, very patient. So patient that you may spend a whole 30 minutes on the bathroom floor talking to a toddler about bowel movements when you much rather be watching the Bachelor. So patient that you may have to wash sheets and clothes more than you did when they were newborns. So patient that you allow your kids to touch the toilet, the handle, stare at their masterpieces and then try to run away without washing their hands. So patient that you get out of bed any time they say they have to go to the bathroom. The more patient I became the more relaxed they became and the easier the flow (no pun intended)

*Praise often- Once the boys started to use the toilet we began giving them a Starburst. In hindsight I wonder if we ever needed to. The verbal praise and acknowledgement might of been enough in our house. They still ask for them now and again but it isn’t expected and I eat them all anyway I started telling Piper, when I know they are looking, how great her brothers are doing and how she will learn from them. Out of the corner of my eye I can always see them smiling. That speaks for itself.

*Keep it fun- Our bathroom has a basket full of kids books. Every now and again I add a new one. When I bought the boys underwear I put them in their room for them to have access too. One day they wanted to wear them. Of course we talked about not wearing diapers and we even made up a silly song. Without the pressure they seemed to be more willing to try them. Now if I can only get them to stop fighting over who gets to wear which ones!

*Find out your daycare/pre-school policy- My boys are in a program four days a week and I can’t tell you enough how awesome their teachers are. When I met with them to talk about the boys potty interest they were on-board 100%. It helps so much when your children’s school friends are also potty training at the same time. The whole peer pressure works in a very positive way. Some programs want kids trained by 3 others are more lax. Find out ahead of time. Kids know what “rushed” feels like.

*Let them tell you when they need to go to the bathroom- Sure I still ask my boys every time we go somewhere if they need to pee. Then I ask them again when we arrive. Most of the time they don’t have to go, but they want to check out the bathroom anyway. I found that if I kept bringing them to use the bathroom they weren’t really figuring it out on their own. I still ask, but the majority of the time they tell the whole room when it is time :)

*Be consistent- just like any other routine try to be consistent with your children and their potty use. Before long they will walk to the bathroom before nap, before bed and in the morning. We still struggle to get the boys right to the bathroom in the morning. They really like to put that off.  For now I am happy with night time pullups. They will figure that out as well.

*There isnt a  ”magic” age for potty training- I relaxed a bit when I realized this and guess what? Yep, my boys decided when they were ready. My children teach me something new every day. Throughout “their” whole process of learning the potty ritual I learned something very valuable about parenting. It isn’t a race. Believe me, you don’t always want them to grow up.

What worked for you? What advice can you give for those about to embark on the potty train?