Today is Day 3!! So, the unfortunate thing is that I needed to go back to work! Something urgent came up and I had to take her to our sitters. I guess that's the reality of a motherhood though. Whether you're working, staying at home, or juggling multiple children, there may be hiccups to the 3-day plan. As one mom wrote to me, life cannot fully be put on hold.
With that said though, I stuck to the potty training Day 3. Little K kept dry all night. One of the potty training "rules" or suggestions is to stop liquid 2-3 hours before bed time. This was really hard for us because we eat around 7pm and she likes to drink some milk before bed. So, I'm weaning her off of milk right before bed. I still bring it up as part of the routine, but it has maybe a few sips in it. Little K just says, "all done" afterwards and doesn't realize how little there is in the cup.
Our sitters have a handful of kids and they are amazing at keeping up with potty training, so things went well during the day. Little K went potty there successfully...but, also had 1 accident - during her nap. She didn't go #2 the whole day. I consider this a great achievement, but it's still not completely potty trained 100%.
Here are my overall thoughts on my personal experience with potty training. Take what you want from it, but you asked me to share my real time experience with you.
- Just like everything about parenting, no ONE method fits all. The influx of feedback from you out there made me realize that there are so many variables that are crucial elements of potty training. For example, type of childcare. Some have a nanny at home. Some have a pre-school type care. Others have a smaller environment homebased care. This makes a difference on the urgency of potty training, too. Some daycares don't accept kids who aren't potty trained, so that parent has to figure something out quicker. The obvious elements are the child's personality and the parent's personality. Some parents don't believe in giving up a full day or weekend to just potty training couped up in the home. (I can understand after feeling stir crazy myself!) Others don't have the patience to change diapers and slowly train over a course of a year. The key lesson: don't judge others, feel judged by others, or pressure your kids with judgment. I DO believe in figuring out WHAT method you want to try and stay consistent!
- I'm glad. I'm glad I did the 3-day method as a jumpstart. Little K is on her way, but I wouldn't sit here bloating that she DID IT 100%. I consider it as a great jumpstart to her learning. The dedicated time for me was a learning experience of her potty patterns. It helped me get a system down. I hate regrets. So, I figured I would try it now at 2 and if it didn't work, I always had time to try it later.
Thanks to all the moms and dads out there who openly shared advice and opinions with me! On Twitter, blogs, Facebook, and even parties...who knew potty training was such a popular and passionate topic?