Potty training is exhausting—but it will happen eventually, mama

Obviously I felt tired. But I also felt guilty. I had a very difficult second pregnancy. One filled with nausea, sickness, and vomiting all the way up until the delivery. I tried to potty train my then 2-year-old with no success.

Then, my son turned three and we added another baby to the family. And so many dirty diapers followed. Preschool was approaching and even though I was growing weary of constant diaper changes, I was also becoming more and more determined to figure out potty training .

My son is smart. He talks like an adult, counts to 10, picks up on story plots, and remembers things better than any toddler I know. He knew when his diaper was dirty and often told us when it needed to be changed.

So I decided to embark upon a potty training boot camp experience (I think more for me, not him). I had researched and polled friends for different potty training methods and heard it was most successful when you didn’t leave the house for at least three days. (Sometimes even up to a week, which sounds extreme.)

There’s the take them to the potty every 15 minutes method. (Not realistic with a baby nursing on demand.) The naked method. (Basically put them in a large shirt with nothing underneath so they can tell when they need to “go”.) And the three-day method. (Aka potty training boot camp.)

Honestly, none of these methods sounded that great to me. Mostly because I was also told that when a child is ready they will figure it out. (Otherwise, there are a lot of accidents and a very frustrated parent.) But we eventually ended up figuring out something that worked for all of us.

I ended up letting my son wear his own clothes with nothing underneath and rushing him to the potty when he felt he had to go. Yes—this was exhausting . And yes—it was messy. But after about 3-4 days he totally got the hang of it.

I’m not going to lie—it was rough. The constant trips to the potty. The accidents. The poop. But, the joy on my toddler’s face when he realized he could do it on his own? Priceless. And the pride I felt knowing that we figured out this potty training business together? That made it all worth it.

So mama, if you too feel tired or guilty about all this potty training business, know that the determination you need is inside of you. Soon enough, the feelings of exhaustion and guilt will turn to pride. Motherhood is all about conquering whatever mountains or obstacles are in the way of you—even if it happens to be a mountain of diapers. 😉

A mother’s love will empower her to do great things. Great things and small things. At least that’s what my week of potty training taught me.