When They are Ready, They are Ready: Potty Training 101

I must first declare to you that I am the farthest thing from an expert when it comes to potty training.  I tried twice with Elaine and we had epic failures.  I read books.  I asked advice.  I couldn’t decide which method would be best for us.  So I shrank in fear and avoided the whole thing.  My attitude was, “let’s stick with cloth diapers…I’m an expert on those!”

When Elaine decided she was ready to use the big girl potty one week before my entire family descended on my small apartment for the Thanksgiving holidays, I was less than enthusiastic. Yet everyone seemed to be telling me, “when they’re ready, they are ready.” So I reluctantly jumped into potty training with both feet.  What you are about to read is our journey in transitioning from cloth diapers to “big girl panties” – otherwise known as potty training.

I always thought that while the child may just “be ready” at a certain point, there must surely be a way to help them “be ready” when I was ready.  I thought that as a parent I needed to make the decision, and not just leave it up to chance.  And I surely wasn’t going to have a 3 year old still wearing diapers!

Well…when I thought I was ready, Elaine definitely wasn’t.  And when I was scared out of my shoes about failing again, Elaine decided to be ready.  It was the easiest thing in the world.  She practically taught herself with a little gentle guidance from Mommy and Daddy.  So it is true – when they are ready, they are ready.  Introduce the potty chair.  Demonstrate the concept.  Try – it’s okay if you fail.  Just wait a while and try again.  Don’t force it - wait for them to be ready.  And then it will be easy.

I shared briefly some of my potty training necessities back in November.  We were only just beginning down the potty training trail, so I didn’t want to share too much “advice” in case this turned into another epic failure.  Now that we are mostly potty trained, I feel a little more confident to share with you some things I have learned along the way.

And I will try, but with this topic its rather hard to be polite and “kosher” about everything.  So just understand that I am not trying to be crass.  And enjoy a laugh here and there.  We certainly have!

So come back tomorrow and the rest of the week as we delve into an amateur’s version of Potty Training 101!

To read on this series, please use the links below:
Part 2 :: Part 3 :: Part 4

For more potty training tips and product reviews, please read here:  Potty Training.