Peer Potty Pressure

If one more person tries to pressure me or guilt me into finishing potty training I'm going to shake them.    Mimi is my child last time I checked.  I know my own child best, last time I checked.  It's total "normal" for a 2 1/2 year old to not be 100% potty trained, last time I checked.  And most important, I don't care when you potty trained your child or how you did it.  All children are different. All children respond differently to training techniques and timing.  Now that we got that out of the way.....

I started introducing "potty training" about a month before Mimi was 2.  Probably a little too early.  At first she was really excited and loved the novelty of it.  She didn't really have any sort of control over her urine, but occasionally we'd catch her at the right time and she'd go and we'd celebrate her.  From there we transitioned to offering the potty and asking her to go frequently and she went through a period of NOT liking it. She would scream like I was killing her when I put her on the potty at all.  I backed off and a little later (maybe a month) started again with the treats.  One M&M worked for awhile, then it wasn't enough of an incentive to get her to potty when she was otherwise engaged in playing.  Then my husband gave her a WHOLE BAG (small halloween size) of M&Ms.  Candy pretty much works anytime we want her to go potty.  Fast forward to now,  months after ouf first potty training initiation.... When we are home, we leave her bottomless for the most part.   When she would pee on our concrete floors I'd make her help me clean it up and she quickly learned that it was easier and less work for her to go climb onto the potty and deposit the pee there instead.  So when left bottomless at home she will pee on the potty, and sometimes poop on it too.  She's going through the typical toddler phase of wanting to poop in the diaper and then promptly asking to be changed.

As it stands, when we're out of the house, she wears a pullup (which I originally had not intended on buying) and she very rarely asks to pee when we're out and about.  If I'm not being a lazy mom, I remember to ask her and we'll find a potty and she'll go, but in all reality, she just happily pees in her pull up and could care less it it weighs 10 lbs.  She's slowly starting to ask to potty when we're out of the house all on her own.  That is exactly what I wanted--for her to direct the process when she was ready.

Another hurdle we have yet to jump is nighttime.  Currently she still goes to bed with a sippy cup of water.  I think I'll leave her in a pullup at night even after she is 100% daytime potty trained because her hydration is more important to me than the fact that she wears a pullup to bed.  We'll slowly wean her off of needing that water cup and use proper underwear at night, but all in good time.

So If you potty trained your kid in a day or a week, or they're two or under two, etc.  Go you. That is awesome.  This momma is completely comfortable with how I am approaching potty training.  I'd say most parents are comfortable with how they do it and don't want your advice or tips, UNLESS THEY ASK.