The Best Potty Training Advice I Ever Got

Last Updated on October 2, 2021 by Diane Hoffmaster

Want to stay sane during potty training?  Only a mom could find amusement in potty training humor, right?  Let me give you some advice for this tricky phase of life: Enjoy it.  Remember every moment of it.  They will be teens before you know it!

Potty Training Humor and Advice

I have 2 kids who are both (thankfully!) well past potty training years.  I also taught a 2 year old preschool class for 4 years. Since everyone wants to potty train their child at the age of 2, I have a lot of experience with teaching young kids how to potty train a 2 year old! 

Everyone seems to have their own ideas on potty training children.  Some are militant about beginning at 18 months (or younger!) and others don't care if their 4 year old is still in diapers.  My method fell somewhere in the middle for my own kids and was fairly successful:

The Naked and $75 method of Potty Training

In this method, you let your child go naked all day from the waist down with a potty seat available at all times. You spend a week at home with your child and give them as much as they want to drink. 

Reward them for every successful potty trip (we used M&M's) and ignore accidents.  And at the end of the week, the $75 is to clean the stains out of the carpet.  It works!  HONEST!  

Of course, according to the Potty Training Concepts website it is not a method supported by so called 'experts'.  I started both my kids training at the age of 2 and my son was done potty training (except for night time) in 2 weeks.  My daughter was potty trained completely in 1 week.  So much for expert opinions!

How Do You Keep a Sense of Humor During Potty Training?

It is important to remain calm and keep your sense of humor when you are potty training.  If you get stressed out and yell and make a big deal of the whole thing your child is going to turn that stress into a power struggle. 

So, I was very laid back about the whole process. I bought a very sturdy potty seat.  Sometimes my kids wanted to put the potty seat in the living room and watch TV on it.  That was okay. 

Hand washing after using the potty became a very elaborate process involving lots of soap and occasionally they actually got their hands clean.  That was okay too.

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Since the kids had free access to the potty seat at all times, they often found creative things to do with it.  Sometimes it was a step stool to reach things they shouldn't, other times it became a toy to play with.  I kept it meticulously clean between uses  so I wasn't overly concerned with them playing with it.

One day, both the potty seat and my daughter had been conspicuously absent and a quiet 2 year old is rarely a good thing!  I headed upstairs to see what she was up to and discovered her in the bathroom. 

She had decided that it was time for her baby doll to learn how to use the big kid potty too.  She was just so proud of herself, I had to take a picture to show my husband.  Apparently, her baby doll's favorite book was a Barney book so she brought that in, too.

Remember, this potty training stage will pass.  I promise they wont be going off to college in a diaper.  Try to keep your sanity while you wait for them to master this complicated skill!