Potty Training: Essentials + Our Success with the 3-Day Method

ByAbby Saylor Armbruster
Potty Training: Essentials + Our Success with the 3-Day Method

Today’s topic is on a part of parenthood that I was (keyword: was) worried and stressed about: potty training. With our daughter showing lots of signs that she was ready to be potty trained, my husband having two weeks off for spring break and our second baby coming in about two months, now was the perfect time to tackle it. In this post, I’m going to be sharing how we knew our two-year-old (28 months) was ready, everything we bought and recommend, the 3-day method we used and our success with it.

HOW WE KNEW SHE WAS READY

We got her this potty training book for her birthday and read it pretty regularly, usually per her request. On her own, she started to pretend that some of her toys were potties and would talk about all the steps of going potty while sitting on it, even pretending to wipe. She also would tell us when she needed to go #2. She watched the Paisley’s Corner potty video on YouTube, as well as the Daniel Tiger one. We didn’t force the topic and she naturally showed interest, so that was a huge sign for us. Additionally, as all kids do with their parents, she has spent time with Justin and I in the bathroom, so she was familiar with the process.

HOW WE PREPARED

I initially wasn’t nervous about potty training… until I started watching YouTube videos about it and the other moms scared me (lol). They talked about how it was going to be sooooo hard and sooooo inconvenient, requiring the most patience you’ve ever had and all I could think was “what have I gotten myself into at 8 months pregnant…”

Don’t let anyone scare you! Even though the videos I watched stressed me out, they were helpful because they showed me different methods and approaches, allowing us to pick and choose what we’d like to implement with our own child based on who she is, how she learns, etc.

WHAT WE BOUGHT

We made sure we had everything we needed before we started, and here’s what we think is great and recommend you get:

  • Potty seat — we went with one that folds out with a step to put on our toilet. The idea of dumping a tiny potty seemed gross to me and I didn’t want to worry about the transition from little potty to big potty. I had heard some kids were scared to use the big potty at first, but our daughter loves it!
  • Training underwear — I bought two packs of training underwear (they have a little extra lining in them so they can absorb more than regular underwear, but they will definitely leak, which is what we wanted and I’ll talk more about that in a sec) and some regular underwear. I’m not impressed with the quality of the regular underwear (which we haven’t used yet), so I’m not going to link those, but we love this training underwear from Gerber! They come in lots of different colors and patterns, and the 2T fit is perfect.
  • Flushable wipes (for #2)
  • Sink stool — this one looks nice in our bathroom (which was a requirement for me because I know we’ll be looking at it and using it for years) and was easy to put together
  • Pull-ups — we refer to them as “sleep pants” (as we learned from some of our research) for sleeping, long car rides if needed, etc. We’re a Huggies diaper family, so we went with the Huggies Pull-Ups and my only complaint is they don’t have a clear wet indicator line like the diapers do — you kind of have to play a guessing game of whether they’re a little wet or completely dry. Just a small complaint… otherwise, they’re great!
  • Travel potty seat — we haven’t used this yet, but it was recommended in the video I watched. It essentially suction cups to any toilet seat to make the hole smaller and it folds up and can fit in your diaper bag. Easy peasy!

WHAT WE DID (THE 3-DAY METHOD)

We essentially did the 3-day “no pants” method this week. We talked about how fun of a day she was going to have starting potty training, let her test out the potty and we put her in underwear right away. She just wore a shirt and underwear for the first few days. We made the process very exciting and used a lot of enthusiasm. We told her to tell us when she had to go potty and that we would take her (that was a key phrase we used over and over again), instead of asking “do you have to go potty?” — because kids will pretty much always say no.

Wearing underwear right out of the gate lets them experience what it’s like to be wet, so they know the difference between wet and dry. When she started to go in her underwear, Justin (again, 8 months pregnant over here lol) would run her to the bathroom and put her on the potty. We would explain to her what happened, then say “we want dry underwear, not wet underwear.” Again, all very reassuring and positive. We’d put new underwear on her and send her off to play again.

We also intentionally made the bathroom distraction-free. We didn’t let her watch videos, listen to music, take toys in there or read books, telling her the bathroom was only for going potty. The only thing we did was put her Pooh Bear stuffed animal on the sink (her latest favorite) where she couldn’t reach it from the toilet and encouraged her to show Pooh how to go potty.

There were only about 4 or so accidents before she started to get it and peed in the potty for the first time. We celebrated majorly and she got to flush the toilet, wash her hands and eat a chocolate chip, which she loved every second of. The language we used surrounding the chocolate chip was to offer it as a reward, not a bribe.

We also implemented more of a fiber-rich diet to keep things flowing (apple juice and apples).

Two of my biggest worries before starting potty training were that she wouldn’t want to sit on the potty and that having an accident would upset her, but neither were the case. She was OBSESSED with the potty for the first few days. She wanted to go sit on it every few minutes.

MY TIPS

TIP: The language you use is so important. Make sure you and your partner are on the same page with what approach you’re going to do, what you are and aren’t going to say, and how you’re going to say it to frame the experience correctly for your individual child. This will help them catch-on and not get confused. Such as:

  • “Tell mommy and daddy when you have to go pee-pee/potty, okay?” (instead of “do you need to go potty?”)
  • “See, these underwear are wet — we want dry underwear.”
  • “Sleep pants” (instead of diaper or pull-ups)

TIP: Wait until they show that they’re ready. Our daughter showed signs for a few months before we started potty training, and I think that really helped us have success with it.

TIP: Be super positive and encouraging — even when they have accidents. Make the process exciting!

TIP: Cover your rugs and furniture for a few days. We used towels and blankets. This hasn’t been an issue for us, but it provides some peace of mind.

TIP: Keep a washable bin in the bathroom for wet underwear. This way it has a designated spot out of the way until you throw it in the laundry.

TIP: Learn how often your child needs to pee. Every kid is different and some go way more than others! This took us a few days to catch on to, but once we did, we were able to roughly know when her diaper was full and encourage her to go to the bathroom when needed. Key times for us are when she wakes up in the morning, once mid morning and/or before lunch, before nap, after nap, before/after dinner and again before bed.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me via Instagram DMs. We’re so proud of how well she’s done and I can’t believe I have a child in underwear. 🥲 Best of luck on your potty training journey — you got this!