Since all toddlers go through the process of potty training at some point, I wanted to share 10 tips for 3-Day Potty Training<\/strong> from our experience of the process with our kids. I have a realistic take on this popular method that I am happy to share.<\/em><\/p>\n Let me start by saying that potty training in 3 days\u2014at least getting to a mostly good routine by the end of the third (or fourth day)\u2014is definitely an intense process AND it\u2019s by no means the end of the story. But it\u2019s so remarkably effective that I recommend approaching it this way because it can get you off to a solid start.<\/p>\n It does require clearing the calendar and hanging out with your kid in close proximity so you can get a sense of their signals and patterns and doing little else for at least 72 hours\u2014which I realize may not be doable for many families.<\/p>\n In many ways, I actually enjoyed this process (despite it being exhausting!) because it\u2019s so rare that we hang out with our kids in such a focused way\u2014or see them master a skill in real time.<\/p>\n I am a real person who\u2019s had success with this method three times, so I wanted to share my big takeaways.<\/p>\n (You may also like my favorite Travel Potty<\/a> or my posts on Fun Rewards for Kids<\/a> and my List of Free Activities for Kids<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Your toddler won\u2019t eat? Help is here!<\/p>\n Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n To me, 3-day potty training meant that I wanted to send my kid back to daycare without a diaper on the fourth day or that I felt confident enough leaving the house. That can be a challenge though, and I\u2019ve learned that us parents really need to be in the right headspace as we start this process.<\/p>\n With my middle kiddo, we started right around her second birthday and though I think that she would have been ready around 22 months, I wasn\u2019t! So we waited\u2014and I prepared myself.<\/p>\n With my third child, we started soon after his second birthday and nothing clicked and it was so stressful. So we stopped after two days, waited two months, and then started again and it was much smoother.<\/p>\n My very best suggestion for this preparation is to get a copy of Oh Crap Potty Training<\/em><\/a>. The author is super straightforward, goes through what to expect, what some common pitfalls might be, and basically helps you feel like you can do this\u2014and that you really, really should. I read it twice before I felt ready.<\/p>\n There\u2019s actually not a lot you need to potty train, but toddler-size potties are key. They keep their little legs in good position (which can help with pooping), they are comfy, the kid can get to it all by themselves, and there\u2019s no fear of falling in.<\/p>\n We love our Baby Bjorn potties<\/a> since we can move them around the house from room to room so there\u2019s always one nearby. In those early days, you won\u2019t have a lot of notice and will often need to put your child on the potty after they\u2019ve started peeing to help them start to make the connection that pee goes in the potty.<\/p>\n I know that pull-ups exist, but let\u2019s be honest: They\u2019re just diapers with a different name. They don\u2019t give kids any reason to use the potty so we never used them. Instead, we go pants-less for at least 3 days (in my experience, 4 is better) and we skip underwear for at least the first two months since the tightness can mimic the feel of a diaper\u2026which can cause more accidents.<\/p>\n At home we don\u2019t worry much about ditching pants. When out and about, my girl wore dresses, then after the first weekend, loose Hanna Anderson pants. (With my son, we put on pants for short bursts when we went out to play in the backyard in the first few days.)<\/p>\n These are AWESOME pants since they are so easy for little kids to push down by themselves!<\/p>\n (I want to add that I understand that ditching the diapers sounds insane to many parents. I acknowledge that and fully respect if you hate this idea!)<\/p>\n As I mentioned, your toddler will go through these stages of realization: I peed, I\u2019m peeing, I have to pee.<\/em> This progression is normal and can take time to move from one to the other. I was always excited about any of these phases since they are a sign of recognition of the process.<\/p>\n We kept the potty close by during the first 3 days\u2014and honestly, we still keep a potty in the playroom or the kitchen\u2014because they often can\u2019t hold it for very long even once they start to realize that they have to pee. The faster and easier it is to get to a potty, the easier this will all be.<\/p>\n If you see your toddler starting to pee, pick them up and put them on the potty to finish (even if you have to bypass a small puddle to clean up in the moment). The more they are reminded that pee goes in the potty, the better.<\/p>\n I used the phrase: \u201cWhen your body tells you that it\u2019s time to go potty, it\u2019s right here for you.\u201d This helped me hand over power to the child and also help verbalize that I trusted them to be able to feel the signals in their own body.<\/p>\n You\u2019re probably worried that there will be pee and poop on the floor. (Spoiler alert: There probably will be at some point.) You\u2019re worried about how you\u2019ll ever be able to leave the house and keep a close enough eye on your toddler to be able to get them to a potty when they need to go.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot to worry about.<\/p>\n On the second day of training my daughter, I waited for two hours for her to pee so we could go get groceries. She was frustrated that I kept prompting her and then proceeded to hold it on the way to the store, at the store, and back home again. She went 3 hours! I was a wreck the whole time and she was FINE.<\/p>\n Which is to say, there may come a point at which you need to get out of your kid\u2019s way.<\/p>\n Trust them, incorporate going potty into your routine\u2014before leaving the house, before and after meals, etc.\u2014but don\u2019t get too laser focused on making them go\u2026because some kids can hold it forever and some may hold it longer if they feel pressure. Sometimes they won\u2019t go simply because they know you want them to.<\/p>\n And the goal is that after 3 or so days, you reduce the amount you\u2019re prompting them (other than in your routine as I mentioned) and let them take the lead. I often have to literally remind myself that they can indeed do this and that I just have to let them actually do it.<\/p>\n My Constipation Smoothie<\/a> can help if the kids are having a hard time going #2.<\/p>\n This will depend on the time of year, but if at all possible, get out of the house during those first 3 days. Take a walk around the block. Run a quick errand. Get some fresh air. I always try to get in a good pee before we go, but again, if they won\u2019t go, just go outside anyway!<\/p>\n Also, this potty training tip is really helpful: Try not to ask \u201cDo you have to go potty?\u201d because the answer is almost always no.<\/p>\n Instead say something like, \u201cWe\u2019re going to pee, then go outside.\u201d So it\u2019s just in the course of normal business.<\/p>\n I take this Pottete Plus Travel Potty<\/a> everywhere we go. It\u2019s lightweight, foldable, and is comfy for the kids. They sell disposable liners<\/a>, too (though often I just use plastic grocery bags with folded-up paper towel.)<\/p>\n product we love<\/p>\n Pottete Plus Travel Potty<\/p>\n This potty can be used as a toddler potty and as a potty seat on a full-size potty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I know this stresses people out\u2026myself included. We had white carpet with my first kid and newish hardwood floors with the second! But honestly, it\u2019s not really that big of a deal.<\/p>\n We put the area rug in our playroom into a closet for two weeks to simplify things a little and kept rags, wipes, and floor cleaner nearby. And when pee did wind up on the floor, we reminded our kiddo that, \u201cPee goes in the potty, not on the floor,\u201d and didn\u2019t punish or make her feel badly.<\/p>\n If possible, talk to any care providers (whether at daycare, in your home, or simply other relatives who spend time with your kid) ahead of time and share your plan. Make sure that your child has easy access to the bathroom and that they\u2019ll be taken often.<\/p>\n And communicate whether or not they\u2019ll need diapers during nap.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a potty training tip very few people ever mention: You can stop if it\u2019s clearly not working.<\/p>\n I actually started potty training my daughter 2 months before I did it for real and had to stop. My husband had an emergency appendectomy and I was taking care of two kids and him. We were one day in so I didn\u2019t want to stop\u2026but when I realized I was yelling at the kids way more than normal, and that my toddler was peeing (and yes, pooping) on the floor deliberately, I pulled the plug and waited for another long weekend.<\/p>\n I initially felt a little like I\u2019d failed but it was FINE. In fact, it went much better when we started again!<\/p>\n So remember that it\u2019s okay if life happens\u2014or if you\u2019re just not ready.<\/p>\n Starting the 3-day potty training method is just the beginning. Some kids get it faster than others and there are so many factors that come up that might present challenges. My first daughter had way fewer accidents than the second, but the second also started a new daycare, went on two trips, and had a few other daily routine changes within the first month of going without diapers. My third never needed diapers during naps or nighttime since he randomly always woke up dry.<\/p>\n It might take a few days or months for a child to get to the point of being able to tell you ahead of when they need to go potty. Some may take longer to be able to pull their pants down and up. It\u2019s honestly all good.<\/p>\n Kids are unique, which means this process will be.<\/p>\n This is a process, just like any other milestone, so give your child some time for the elements to click. (Whenever we have a regression or a series of accidents, we go back to being without pants in the house and that usually helps things get back on track.)<\/p>\n With my girls, we did naps and nighttime training a few months after we had a good grasp of daytime. I wasn\u2019t prepared to do it all at once and that worked better for us. I did always try to get them to go before sleeping, but I do want to say that much of how a child does with nighttime is developmental and some kids are just not able to hold it all night (or wake up on their own to go) until they are older.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a more complete explanation of this in the Oh Crap! book linked below.<\/p>\n I hope all of this info helps you on your potty training journey. Feel free to comment below with any questions or feedback!<\/p>\n This post was first published June 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since all toddlers go through the process of potty training at some point, I wanted to share 10 tips for 3-Day Potty Training from our experience of the process with our kids. I have a realistic take on this popular method that I am happy to share. Let me start by saying that potty training […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":283521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[46153,10267,11260,3535,9351,324],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-283520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blw","tag-3day","tag-potty","tag-success","tag-tips","tag-totally","tag-training"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Travel](\"https:\/\/www.yummytoddlerfood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Travel-Potty-1-horiz.jpg)
Tip 1. Mentally Prepare Yourself<\/h2>\n
![\"baby-bjorn-potty-chair\"](\"https:\/\/www.yummytoddlerfood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/baby-bjorn-potty-chair.jpg)
Tip 2. Get the Right Gear<\/h2>\n
Tip 3. Ditch the Diapers<\/h2>\n
Tip 4. Make the Potty Super Accessible<\/h2>\n
Tip 5. Figure Out How to Relax<\/h2>\n
![\"potette-plus-travel-potty\"](\"https:\/\/www.yummytoddlerfood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/potette-plus-travel-potty.jpg)
Tip 6. Get Out of the House\u2014with a Travel Potty<\/h2>\n
Tip 7. Don\u2019t Sweat Pee on the Floor<\/h2>\n
Tip 8. Get Care Providers On Board<\/h2>\n
Tip 9. Know that You Can Pause and Reset<\/h2>\n
Tip 10. Remember that 3 Days is Just the Start!<\/h2>\n
What about naps and nighttime?<\/h2>\n
Best Tips for Potty Training Toddlers<\/h2>\n
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