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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NicePak, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #NicenCleanatHEB http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
When it comes to potty training, you may find yourself somewhat overwhelmed by all the different methods out there. When your little one is ready to get started, there are several suggested potty-training methods out there to get you started. My personal favorite is the 3 day potty training method. Why? Because it worked!
I potty trained both my boys in three days. That’s right, THREE DAYS! Over the course of a weekend, I was able to ditch the diapers and boy did it feel good. A little prep work was required but it was as simple as picking up Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes and a few other things at the store.
There is no need to put your little one, and yourself through rigorous months of stress, spend a huge amount on expensive training diapers or clean up a billion accidents during this process. No one wants to be constantly covered in poop! Here are a few tips on how to rock the 3 day potty training method and get your kiddos out of diapers for good.
The 3 Day Potty Training Method
When it comes to starting the 3-day potty training method, you must make sure that you have 3 FULL days set aside where you are able to keep your hawk eye on your child. every. single. moment. With a little preparation and the right plan, your 3-day potty training adventure will rock!
What You Need for the 3 Day Potty Training Method
For the 3-day potty training method to work for you and your little one, you are going to require a few things. The following are items that can help you on your journey:
- Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes
- A potty seat and stool or child-sized potty (I say just go for the potty seat & stool; the idea of emptying poop from a small toilet is an unnecessary step in my opinion)
- Easy to remove clothing for your little one
- Big kid underwear
- Water bottles
- A good quality mattress cover
- Extra sets of sheets
- Rewards
Is Your Little One Ready for the 3 Day Potty Training Method?
Before you get started using the 3-day potty training method, you will want to be sure that your little one is ready. There are a few signs of readiness that you can look for that will set you on the right track.
- Interest when others use the potty
- Discomfort in wet or dirty diaper
- Can tell you when their diaper is dirty or wet
- Can understand simple instructions
- Understands “Potty” related words
- Can walk on their own
- Have predictable bowel habits
- Can stay dry for 2 hour (or more) stretches
These signs are great ways to know whether your little one is emotionally and physically ready to start potty training. It is important to make sure that your little one is showing signs of readiness for this method to be effective.
I always made it a goal to train before preschool. So my boys were almost 3 or three when we started potty training. Boys can be hard headed so I didn’t want to start too early.
Getting Started with the 3 Day Potty Training Method
When you are starting with this method, STAY HOME. You don’t want to be carrying a peeing child arm’s length in front you through a store to a public toilet. Trust me, it wouldn’t be fun.
Stay home until you get a solid routine down and so your little one can learn in familiar surroundings. This is where they will be using the bathroom most often anyway, to start at least.
Remember, consistency is key.
Day 1 – 3 Day Potty Training Method
As soon as your little one wakes up, change them out of their diaper and allow them to spend at least the first day bare bottomed. Yes, butt naked, but if needed they can wear a t-shirt to make them feel more comfortable. This will help your child to be more aware of when they need to use the potty and see when they have accidents.
Pump your child with LOTS of fluids and watch them like a hawk. Keep an eye out for signs they need to pee or poop. Ask them, “Tell mommy when you need to go potty, ok?” or some variation every couple of minutes. It’s repetitive and annoying but it gets the job done.
If you notice any little sign that they need to go to the bathroom, take them to their potty immediately. No one more text or flick through Facebook. NOW!
Proper Hygiene
If they started to ‘go’, have them finish in the potty and praise them for finishing. Having some Nice ‘n CLEAN wipes on hand is a must. Let’s face it, kids can be picky and don’t have the best coordination.
And you want to teach them proper hygiene and how they should clean themselves after going potty. Fumbling around with a toilet paper roll can be hard for some kids.
Wipes, on the other hand, are super easy just to pull one out and get to cleaning. Plus wipes are something kids are very familiar with and kids like familiar things.
Nice ‘n CLEAN wipes are super strong, thick, and very absorbent thanks to the 100% plant-based fibers they are made from. They can easily help your child learn to clean themselves properly after going to the bathroom. Trust me, these wipes are so gentle too so you won’t hear complaints of “ouchies” or paper sticking where it shouldn’t.
Made of 99% purified water and naturally derived ingredients — there’s no need to worry about an allergic reaction with these wipes either!
Remember to teach them to wipe from front to back, and be plumbing smart. These wipes go in the trash can!
I picked up these wipes at my local HEB. Boy, do they have a variety of sizes to choose from there. From single packs to triple packs up to large boxes. I suggest getting a LARGE BOX — they will be invaluable. Especially when your child has the inevitable accident (in their new big kid underwear) and you have to help them clean off squished poopy from their tushie like the good old days.
Oh, and I love the green tea cucumber scent too. It will help with the smell and get everyone fresh! They smell SO good but if you’re not a fan of scents the Nice ‘n CLEAN wipes also come in a fragrance-free sensitive skin variety.
I don’t know why but a lot of kids are scared of going number two on the potty. I had this problem with my youngest. You just have to keep at it and praise like crazy when they get it right. My son used to like waving “bye bye” to his poopy when we flushed. Hey, whatever works 😉
Praise is crucial at this stage
When your little one successfully uses the potty, it is important that you be extremely emotionally expressive. Seriously, if they poop or pee in the potty act like they just won the noble prize. Jump up and down and give them LOTS of praise. We had a mini party every time they went and it got them excited to go again.
Some children will respond well to rewards like stickers or treats and others will respond better to simple praise and attention. You know your children best, so do what works for them.
Day 2 and 3 – 3 Day Potty Training Method
Both day 2 and 3 are essentially the same as the first day except that on day 3, your little one can wear some big kid underwear. This will help them to get used to pulling them up and down to go potty.
Naptime and Bedtimes – 3 Day Potty Training Method
Whether you decide to put a pull up on during naps and bedtimes is essentially a personal decision. Personally, I started with a pull up for naptimes and bedtime. Once they mastered naps, I moved on to big kid underwear at nighttime too.
Have your kids try to use the potty at every daily transition too if possible. This means before eating, after cleaning up and before nap or bedtime. This will start to be recognized as a routine for them and get them in the habit of knowing their body.
The 3 day potty training method can be extremely successful. Just be prepared for accidents because they will happen. I potty trained my son while having an infant so I know you can do it too. Good luck!
And don’t forget to head into your local HEB to purchase Nice ‘n CLEAN Baby Wipes today!
This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NicePak, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #NicenCleanatHEB http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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These are great tips. These products sound really nice! I bet the green tea cucumber is a nice scent.
For boys I put a Cheerio in the toilet and have them aim at it.
Cheerios do make great target practice!
My first child, who will be 6 years old in a few weeks, was a bit of a challenge to potty train. She had some physical setbacks and she didn’t walk until she was 2 1/2 years old. She didn’t go to the potty until she was about 3 1/2 years old. Going to preschool with older kids really helped and motivated her to go potty. She has now potty trained her little sister who wants to be just like her.
I still think 3.5 is great! I say anytime in the 3 timeframe or earlier is perfect!
These are good tips. For boys put some cheerios in the toilet water and have them aim.
Target practice does help little boys a lot!!
I potty trained our kids by get them a pool. I told them that we could go swimming after they were potty trained. It took several weeks but they did it.
That’s a really good potty training incentive!
It’s been a few years since I’ve had to potty train. But I remember we did it on a long weekend. Prepping is key – a child approved potty seat, lots of rewards & making sure the child has shown signs their ready. Then we let them run around naked for the weekend -they couldn’t hide when they had to go….
Yes, not being able to hide anything is a must! And making sure you are always watching them so you can catch an accident.
My daughter was so super easy to potty train. Once she knew what to do she was off and running.
Smart girl you got there. I hear girls are often easier than boys.
Definitely with a reward based system, I like to use stickers
Any motivation helps. My kids weren’t a fan of stickers for too long, unfortunately.
Good tips to start.. I don’t have kids but yeah , good to know.
I’ve never had a kid to potty train. Lol
One day, Sara. One day I’m sure you’ll have your chance to potty train a little one.
My sons are grown men now but potty training takes time, patience & consistency. The bottle was gone at a year. I skipped the pull ups & opted for cloth padded under pants because they are more like underwear. Had both mine potted trained by 2.
Being potty trained by two is awesome!! I was a fan of the padded underwear too.
Not going to lie… my twins’ babysitter potty-trained them; and my youngest was a pain in the butt. We tried everything with her, and nothing worked. One day she just sat down, went, and never looked back.
Lucky girl! I actually think I was potty trained by my babysitter too.
My daughter literally potty trained herself after a few failed attempts by me. She took off her diaper at 2 yrs, 3mos & told me, “I no wear diaps no more Mommy!”
Haha, your daughter sounds so smart!! She knew she was ready 🙂
I helped potty train the little one I babysit by asking her every half hour or so if she needed too. When she did I made a big fuss and praised her
Sounds like you did the right things! Kudos. I don’t think I’d want to potty train someone else’s kid, though lol.
Honestly, my oldest pretty much got potty trained at daycare & my other daughter basically just did it on her own. The only one who really needed help was my son & that was just awful because one day he was all into it & then he didn’t care for a week – for a whole year – UGH! I’m hoping my 13 month old will just follow suit when it’s time to train her. If not, thanks for the tips!
I sometimes hear girls are easier to potty train than boys. I’m lucky my boys didn’t stick their heels in which was what I was totally expecting lol.
I’d have to agree that girls are way easier.
It always seems that way. I guess I got lucky with my boys 🙂
It was years ago, we made it a game. I was asking constantly and when they needed to go, off we went to the potty
That’s very similar to what we did. I’m not sure how fun the game is for adults, though lol.
I waited until I saw readiness in my kids before I started training them. I used some cloth diapers on a looser setting, to be able to pull them up and down like pull ups. When I took them, every hour or so, to use the potty, I would praise them or give them a sticker for going. If they had an accident, I just made no big deal of it. It took 2 or 3 days to train the oldest. The 2nd took longer. Kiddo number 3 is still in diapers.. he isn’t close yet.
Sounds like you’ve had pretty good experiences potty training. Your youngest will get there before you know it!
I find that the use of the inner toilet ring worked wonderfully .My boys went straight from diapers to the toilet with no fuss at all.
I love the inner toilet ring too! Little potties gross me out lol.
No potty training knowledge or info from me. My niece is working with her daughter right now who is only 2 1/2.
Good luck to your niece! I’m sure she will have her daughter potty trained in no time.
My daughter was a breeze to potty train, but my sister’s son was not. This is a very helpful post.
I’m glad to hear you had no issues potty training your daughter. I was one of the lucky ones too.
I bought potty picture books for my son. I also put my son in cloth pull-ups instead of disposables, too. I heard that speeds up the process because you can feel the wetness.
I’ve heard that too and it makes sense!
To be honest I can’t remember how/when I potty trained the kids. My youngest is now 37 and he was not easy. These are some wonderful tips that I will pass on to my daughters. Thank you.
Ah yeah, it has been quite a while since you potty trained anyone. I hope these tips will help your daughters out training their kiddos 🙂
We used M&M candies as an enticement for my niece to use the toilet. She actually wanted to use the toilet and was excited to learn.
Sounds like she was all for potty training. That’s great!
We used pull ups and started taking them to the bathroom when they were a year and a half.
You started early! I just played it safe and waited until they were around 3.
I did not have much luck potty training any of my kids and they ended up potty training themselves. They were potty trained before they started school so it was a win-win. 😉
That’s the ultimate goal! Potty trained before school!!
Using a star chart!
I hear some people swear by those for potty training 🙂
I was 25 years old when I tried to potty train my 2 year old. I needed the help of my mother. She told me to keep the potty in the kitchen where I was most of the day. It worked. It was easier with the 2nd child and he trained earlier but he was a more compliant child. 3rd child was harder to train and 4th was easy.
Wow, you’ve had a lot of practice potty training! Sounds like all your littles had different experiences.
My daughter took her own diaper off at 2 yrs, 3mos & told me, “No more diaps Mommy!”
Awe, that’s too cute. She knew she was ready!
For me, I usually will ask my child to let me know when a diaper is wet or soiled.
That’s great! I don’t think my little hard heads would have told me, though lol.
Both of my children took longer than 3 days – I had my daughter all ready to go then she got the chicken pox (before the needles came out for the pox) and my son just didn’t care whether or not he was wet or poopy, he really didn’t care – which made it hard to train but once they figured it out it was fast and steady for them.
Mishelle
Awe, I’m sorry chicken pox derailed her from potty training. I hate when illnesses mess things up!
Oh my, it’s been so long, my kids are grown, have kids of their own, & those kids have kids. Yes, that makes me a GREAT grandma! My oldest had a ureter blockage & had to have surgery at 4 years old. After that the second just followed by example.
I’m so sorry your little one had to have surgery at such a young age. What causes that kind of blockage?
I was so fortunate to have had such an easy child in all the different stages of her life. Potty training was a breeze for us because she basically wanted to ‘be a big girl’ and not wear diapers anymore. Perhaps I might have helped her to be excited about it, because I would say things to her, like, “pretty soon we’ll try using the big potty, and you can get some pretty panties to wear.” I also took her shopping for panties, and let HER pick them out, and told her that when she was ready to only use the big potty, then she could wear them. She wore them the very next day.
Awe, she sounds so cute! Having her pick out big girl underwear was a great idea 🙂
Yes, and that was about 30 years ago. Time sure does fly.😉
My best advice for young parents is to just relax.
Such good advice! They will get there when they are ready 🙂
We potty trained at age 2 and used dollar store gifts wrapped up as a reward.
Cheap little gifts is a great reward. I bet they loved that!
I used mini m & m’s for rewards. And I didn’t leave the house for a week.
Mini M&M’s are the perfect sized treat reward!
We use the potty training tape, great for young children.
Interesting, I’ve never seen a potty training tape before.
I think it’s important to just relax. Rest assure that your little one WILL ultimately make the decision NOT to be in diapers for the rest of their lives.
That’s very true! No one wants to be in diapers forever (I hope).
At the age of 3, my third girl trained herself a week before her brother was due. She wanted to be like her twin sisters who were 18 months older and to wear pretty panties. She only had 1 accident and our whole conversation was my daughter saying, “No more diapers.” I said, “Are you sure?” Then we got out the days of the week panties and she used the potty chair just fine.
Having a great example like that usually does help. They always want to be like their older siblings.
I switched my son straight from diapers into “big boy” underwear, skipping pull-ups entirely. That way it was easier for him to feel when he was wet.
That is a huge advantage – being able to feel the wetness. It helps so much!
wHAT I HAVE DONE IS TO USE A CHART FOR MONITORING HOW OFTER THEY GO. NORMALLY EVERY 2 HOURS.
I could see a chart being very helpful especially if you started tracking well in advance of starting potty training. It’d give you a good idea of how their body works.
great tips I will have to try them
I potty trained my daughter at 3 and half by taking off her diaper when she seemed ready, grabbing at it on a daily basis or removing it on her own. This was a clear indication that she was ready. I followed this routine on a two week basis with giving her lots of fluids and and frequently asking her if she needed to go to the bathroom. Be prepared for spills and messes but it was worth it.
Yes, messes are def part of this process but they get there!
Getting ready to potty train my fifth and last child and I still feel like I have no idea what I’m doing! Each child is so different but these methods you shared really do work!
Having 5 kids, I say you’re a potty training pro. What worked best for you?
When my kids were young I always brought them into the bathroom when I went and they would sit on their potty. That always seemed to do the trick for me.
That’s a good idea! I’m sure they wanted to be like mommy 🙂
I always used a sticker chart.
That seems to be one of the favorites for potty training.
These tips are very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
Don’t have kids, but these methods are solid
I have two older girls who where super easy to break but now i am working on my boys who are 2 and 1 and man talk about hard!
This method worked great on my boys and they are super hard headed!
I trained my 2 boys the long, tortuous way and it took forever; it was the same with my first grandson. I like your method and so far it’s going much, much faster with my second grandson, but I’ll pass this on to my DIL.
I hope it helps your DIL out!
My youngest daughter was difficult and nearly 3.5. I did the full naked method with the potty chair in front of the tv for her to sit in.
That must have been a sight 🙂
Love and logic is a good method. Every time you need to use the bathroom, you get super excited and say “oh boy! I’m so excited. I get to use the potty. Its so fun to be a big person and use the potty. It’s too much fun for little kids to use.” Kids pick up on that. Lol.
That’s a good idea since kids love copying people!
I am well past the potty training days, but I remember the struggle I had. These tips would have been a real asset at the time.
It’s def an interesting part of parenting lol.
I bough 10 dollar store toys and gave one for everytime my little went. We potty trained for a few days consistently and had it! So happy it was so easy!
I’m glad it was a breeze for you!! Dollar store toys are a great idea too 🙂
I ha d to potty train two boys. My first son was completely potty trained by the age of 2. He did not like the feeling of having a nasty pull-up or diaper on. I was lucky with him but not so much with my second son. We had started potty training around the same time as Halloween. Everything was going rather smooth. Then my husband & I took the boys to the pumpkin patch. You ask what does the pumpkin patch have to do with potty training? Well, on our tour an ugly, scary monkey popped up out of an old toilet. My boys were petrified!! This pushed both boys back a bit. They were afraid of our toilet, thinking a monkey was going to pop up from it. My oldest son was now 5 years old and understood after an explanation. However, my baby was only 20 months. He did NOT understand!! I spent months trying to convince him he was safe! I used cherrios in the potty and even paper targets. The best training was done outside, in a jar and #2 in the potty chair. I think that child used that darn potty chair until he was 3 1/2.UGH!!!
That must have been scary for him!! Darn monkey. I’d be scared to go too if I thought something creepy was going to come out of it. Poor guy.
I really never had a problem potty training my son. He thought it was fun to stand up like daddy and go to the bathroom.
Kids do love trying to imitate these parents!
My advice to parents entering this stage is to relax and don’t get frustrated. Children sense your frustration and that can result in an even tougher time. Realize there are not many high schoolers still wearing diapers.😉
That’s very true. Kids are great at picking up on emotions.
I can’t have children but the little one I babysit is close to my family. When she was potty training I used to ask her every half hour to an hour if she needed to go and set her on the potty a few minutes if she hadn’t gone every couple hours and made a big fuss when she went, so proud
Sounds like she did a great job potty training!
Moms, be patient; it will all work out.
So true, Dawn! They will most def get the hang of it with time.
No kids here and no plans for any. I have heard the reward system works well!
Rewards do help and lots of consistency!
These are great tips, thanks for sharing! My three kids are over this stage, but I did find that they each did it differently and on their own time.
Yep, they all do it in their own way but most importantly they all get there 🙂
Thank you for the tips, It was many years ago when my son was potty trained. It was super easy, I was at home at the time so he was running around in big boy underwear – no pants so when he ran to the bathroom there was no fumbling.
Losing the pants makes things way easier for little hands 🙂