The Secret to Potty Training – From a Mom of 5!

I’ve been celebrating because my three year old is now fully potty trained! He’s my third child, and I really wanted him totally trained before my fifth baby arrived. I can’t imagine having to change diapers for three children! I decided it would be kind of fun to spill the beans on the secret to potty training, at least the secret in my experience. The way I potty train has evolved, and I have to admit it’s now a pretty stress-free experience for me. 

Now lean in real close if you want to know how I potty train my kids without totally losing my mind. 

Are you ready for it?

Here goes.

I wait to start potty training when my kids are ready.

Really, that’s it. I’m not potty training 18 month olds here. I’m sure there are some 18 month olds who are ready to potty train, but my kids are typically potty trained between 2.5 and 3 years of age. 

Around the age of 2, I do begin introducing the potty. I show them the potty chair, and even introduce a reward system like the potty jar. But, if it doesn’t work, I don’t push it. I hang up the potty training and try again in a few months.

We recently got rid of our last potty chair because it was getting a bit gross, so my third child was potty trained on the regular potty. If I’m being honest, all of my kids have used the regular potty much more than the potty chair while training, and it’s a lot easier for me not to have to clean out a potty chair. 

Signs of Readiness for Potty Training

There are two main signs of readiness that I look for when I start potty training.

The first sign is my kids will wake up dry. If they can hold their urine all night, I know that their bladder is ready to handle potty training. Knock on wood, we haven’t really had to deal with nighttime wetting. When my kids potty train they very rarely have a nighttime accident, so being able to sleep through the night without urinating is a great sign that they are ready for the potty.

The other sign I look for is their interest in using the potty. My kids see their older siblings using the potty and wearing underwear and suddenly they take an interest in doing the same. 

I keep potty training pretty simple. When the signs of readiness are met, I may try pull-ups for a bit, but then I switch to regular underwear and simply remind my child to go to the potty every hour or so. Before long, they are telling me when they need to go potty. My oldest was trained in literally two days this way. The other two children I have potty trained like this took about a week. 

I love not stressing much about potty training, and I’m glad my kids become pretty cooperative at a certain age. Potty training is not a race. We all eventually get there!