Potty Training Part II: How We Did It and Q&A

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If you haven’t already, you might want to check out my previous post in this shitty series (see what I did there???), Potty Training Part I: Preparation. In that post I talk about everything we did leading up to potty training, which ended up being more work than potty training, IMO.

In this post I’ll share our process, which we are still going through. We are on step 2 below but I’m sharing the steps we plan to take next and will update this post as we go! I talked to a few parents who are eager to start potty training so I didn’t want to wait to publish this.

I also answered some questions you all asked me at the end. You had some great questions, so be sure to check those out!

How We Potty Trained Our 2-Year-Old

The morning we started, I again explained to Memphis that today was the day we were learning to use the potty. Words matter. The Oh Crap book says to avoid saying “potty training” and instead say “learning to use the potty.” Training sounds scary. Learning is normal and allows for accidents. Then we started our first naked day.

Step 1: Naked Days

The first two days we spent mostly naked. I was prepared to do more than two days if needed, but he was ready for pants by day 3. Memphis loves clothes, so at first he was upset that he couldn’t wear pants, but he got over it. I let him wear socks, a shirt, and of course, his beloved hat.

On these days we also gave him apple juice, a special treat to help him get extra practice in. I put his little potty and calming jar in the living room where we start our mornings. When we’d go in another room I’d carry it with us. Tip: If you have carpet or are putting it on a rug, I’d suggest putting it on a large towel you don’t care about. Especially if you have a boy.

Perks of starting nude:

• Kids are more aware of what’s happening with their bodies.

• A pull-up, underwear, or even pants can feel too much like their diaper and they are more prone to accidents.

• Potty training will probably go quicker.

Down sides of starting nude:

• With no protection, you’re going to be cleaning up a lot of messes.

• You can’t leave the house.

I expected to clean up pee and poop 24/7. But Memphis caught on quickly. Yes, of course he had accidents. But he knew it wasn’t right and by the end of day 1 he was going in the potty. On day 2 he had only one accident and since day 5 we have been accident-free!

Handling Accidents

There are so many scenarios with guidance on how to handle them in the Oh Crap! Potty Training book. Every kid is different and will have different challenges. But one thing I think is universal (unless your child is magical) is accidents. They will happen. Kids don’t go from womb to walking in a day.

Again, words matter. I know if I didn’t read the book I would have 100% said “it’s ok, baby” when Memphis had an accident. Because it upsets him. He says, “Oh no, momma, mess!” But I learned that you can be supportive without saying that it’s ok to pee on the floor… or the couch… or the rug.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts of accidents that I learned from Glowacki’s book. I don’t think these are her exact words, but it’s what I took away from it.

Step 2: Add Pants/Shorts

On day 3, we added bottoms but NO PULL-UP OR UNDERWEAR. I put him in loose-fitting shorts to start. If he had any skirts, that would be even better. I wanted as little fabric on him as possible so he could still be aware of his body.

I was confident it would go well. I was wrong. We did a lot of laundry.

I felt discouraged but planned to give it one more day. If he hadn’t improved with pants on day 4, we’d go back to being naked.

Surprise! On day 4, he crushed it. He just needed some practice. So if you have a rough day and it seems like your kid forgot everything they’d learned, stay with it! I’ve read this is normal. It gets better and then you can do a celebration dance in your dry pants!

Step 3: Add Underwear

We are on week 2 and haven’t added underwear yet. Some kids need several weeks or even months underwear-free before they are ready and I don’t want to rush. Memphis hasn’t had an accident in three days. I’ll probably introduce them next week if he keeps it up and I’ll update this post!

Variety Boys Set / Paw Patrol Set

Step 4: Move the Potty to the Bathroom

Also haven’t done this yet but this is what we plan to do after underwear. I think the biggest challenge for him won’t be that he can’t make it to the bathroom in time, but that he won’t want to sacrifice leaving whatever activity or toy he is consumed with to use the restroom. Again, not in a huge rush for this.

Step 5: Graduate to the Big Potty

Finally, we will move him from his little potty to the adult potty—with the toddler built-in insert and his kids Squatty Potty.

I might encourage this but I’ll let him decide when he’s ready to use the big potty. My hope is that he’ll be excited to feel big.

Questions & Answers

I asked you all for your questions and you had some good ones! If you have more, send me a message on Instagram and I’ll be happy to answer.

Boy potty training — sitting down or standing up?

Sitting down. Once he’s tall enough to reach the toilet, we (and by we I mean my husband) will teach him to pee standing up. I’m not sure he always knows the difference between the urge to pee versus poop. That can take time to understand. Plus, aiming is hard. Even sitting down, I have to help him aim it in the toilet. We are working on it and he’s getting better. :) The training seat we got has a pee guard for boys. It helps, but not always.

Whats your opinion on reward system? (Stickers, candy, etc.)

We don’t do a reward system simply because the Oh Crap approach is against it. That being said, I know a lot of parents have success with rewards or candy.

Although I don’t do candy or stickers, I do kind of use rewards sometimes. When he wants to do something, like play outside, I tell him we can go play after he sits on the potty. So I guess that’s kind of a reward.

Annnnnd I totally used a bribe to get him to sit on the potty the very first time (see next question).

Was he ever nervous/scared of the toilet? If so, how’d you fix it?

He wasn’t sure at first. Understandable. It’s all new. I think the little potty was less intimidating, but scary nonetheless.

So I bribed him.

He loves suckers and watching YouTube Kids on my phone. I told him he could have a sucker AND watch Mommy’s phone if he sat on the potty. He ran right over and now he’s not afraid at all! Probably not the best mom move but it worked.

How did you know he was ready?

I shared this in Part I. I didn’t really know. He showed a few signs, but not all. The biggest reason I wanted to start was because I knew he was capable of it, if that makes sense.

Did you use pull-ups or training underwear?

We still use a diaper for naps/bedtime only. No pull-ups. I think they are just more expensive diapers.

We do have a couple pairs of training underwear that came in a Paw Patrol set, but I plan to only use those at night. They feel super thick like a diaper so I worry he will just think it’s a diaper and have an accident.

Did you night train and day train at the same time?

No. The Oh Crap book says it’s best to do both at once, but to be completely honest I didn’t want to. It seemed like too much to me.

What’s odd is that Memphis has been waking up dry in the morning and after naps for a while, but just in the last two days he’s started waking up wet. I’m not worried about it. I’m keeping him in diapers for sleep for now.