What To Do When The Three Day Potty Training Method Fails

Special announcement:  11 months, 1 week and 2 days into potty training Xander has earned his potty training reward, the coveted green lightsaber!

Yes, my boy is (pretty much) potty trained! I am so happy, proud and relieved.  Xander loves his lightsaber and seems to enjoy staying dry.

A few weeks ago, I had planned to write a post titled “A Frustrated Mom’s Guide to Potty Training”.  The post kept being put off for one reason or another. Just as I was about to sit down and write the post last week there was a twist in the plot.

*cue Mommy’s happy dance*

It has been a long, frustrating, exhuasting and what felt like never-ending road of potty training for us.  The end result is well worth it though- seeing Xander’s face of accomplishment when he goes to the bathroom by himself is exciting. It’s also great that we now only have one kid in diapers.

I haven’t posted too much about your potty training olympics around here, except for when we attempted the Three Day Potty Training Method, and became drop outs after failing miserably. In hindsight, even though Xander was demonstrating all the potty training readiness signs physically he was not cognitively ready. He just never figured out his cues that he needed to go potty. Every time Adrian and I talk about our attempts at the method he tells me to get my money back (for the e-book). I haven’t yet nor will I because I know a few bloggers and friends in real life that successfully trained their children using this method. I am most in awe of Sarah’s experience with sucessfully training her 2 year-old following the 3 day potty training method. As the saying goes one size doesn’t fit all.

After trying the 3 day method instead of putting X back into diapers, we switched him to pull-ups. We also didn’t push potty training and waited for him to show us signs that he wanted to use the potty. At the first of the new year we worked together with our daycare providers to start Xander on a potty training schedule. At this point he was still in pull-ups and put on the potty every 30-45 minutes. This plan was exhausting for all those involved, considering our sweet little boy would turn into a six legged monster and fight his way to the bathroom most of the time. Gradually he started to have little successes, which we celebrated with candy, stickers, hugs, and excitement. These sucessess only happened when he was brought to the potty though. None of the rewards really seemed to help him figure it out. By the end of the winter we did away with the rewards and decided to let him lead the way. He never led the way to the bathroom, that’s for sure.

Once spring began our daycare providers started putting Xander in underwear and continued to keep him on a strict potty break schedule. Daycare reports were always stellar, “Xander had a great day with potty training!”. At home he continued to refuse to use the potty, kicking and screaming the entire way there. Since we are a two working parent household we are all pretty exhausted by the end of the day. Honestly, there were many times when we were just too tired to fight. On these nights we would put Xander in pull ups as soon as he had his first accident. He never complained and just went on his merry way playing. There were glimpses of hope here and there but he just wasn’t sensing when he had to go.

About two weeks ago I was chatting back and forth about our potty training difficulties with pediatrician Dr. Gilboa. She recommended we put Xander in underwear at the beginning of each day and tell him that if he has an accident he will be put into diapers. Since we still had a pack of pull-ups I just used those, even though I called them diapers. The first day went as planned and he was not happy when I took him out of his underwear. The second day went much better and he fought less when we brought him to the potty. He seemed to be going longer between potty times, as well. We also started potty training on the go. Surprisingly Xander was more cooperative with using the potty out of the house than in.

I can’t say for sure his bladder was just getting use to the whole idea of potty training or the strategy of “diapers after an accident” worked. We will never know but things were starting to click at the beginning of last week. Potty training started to become easier in the sense that there were less power struggles and longer periods between bathroom trips. Last Friday night our beloved cat of 9 years passed away. I wasn’t sure how potty training would be affected but I prepared for a regression of some sort. On Saturday morning Xander shocked me and daddy. He walked straight into the bathroom and went potty all by himself! I am sure my mouth hit the floor from utter amazement. I was so happy and proud. He went a couple more times by himself that day too. But wait it gets better. On Sunday I posted this

Ok, so before having kids I vowed I would never post facebook updates about potty training but this time my fingers just couldn’t help it. Awhile back I even wrote about breaking my own facebook rules when it comes to potty training. All bets were off though. This was big news!

Xander’s potty training achievements were a silver lining to what was a very sad weekend for us, while mourning the loss of our family pet. Children have a way of brightening your days unexpectedly when you need it most.

And that’s it…this potty training wrap up is DONE! Fingers crossed Xander will keep moving in the right direction. My potty training advice: I still have no idea what I’m doing. Know you will lose your patience many times. Realize there is an end in sight. Celebrate the small achievements. Breath a sigh of relief when it’s over.

Now only if I could remember these when it’s time to train little Noah. Trust me I’m in no rush.

Potty Training Tips and Laughs

In the midst of frustrating potty training incidents I wrote about Xander’s first attempts at potty humor.

Our favorite potty training product is the Signing Time! Potty Time – You Can Do It Pack DVD and watch. I love all the Signing Times DVD but this one is especially great for kids potty training. The potty watch allows you to set a time increment for a reminder to use the potty. In the beginning times of training, the timer was more for me than for Xander.

The product that has been very useful for times when we are out of the house is the Kalencom 2-in-1 Potette Plus. This full size potty folds flat so it easily fits in a bag. It uses self-absorbing, disposable liners so there is no messy clean up while your on the go.

What are your potty training experiences, fears, or victories? Please do share!

*Disclousure: I am not affiliated with Signing Times or Kalencom. I purchased both products with my own hard earned moneyy. I do participate in the amazon affiliate program, which means I receive a commission if you purchase these items from Amazon. My credibility is extremely important to me, therefore I only endorse products I have personally purchased and used. This site is independently owned and the opinions expressed here are my own.

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Tagged as: 3 Day Potty Training Method, growing up, potty training, potty training tips, preschooler, rewards, Xander