It seems I’m no good at potty training.
The entire process went poorly with G. At the time, I chalked it up to inexperience on my part and resistance to change on his part. Some kids are more difficult to potty train than others, I told myself.
And then it was time to potty train B. I’d say it went slightly better than it did with her brother. Part of that is because we had more experience under our belts, and part of that is because I got a little bit wiser.
Before I had kids, I wasn’t going to be a mom that bought Pull-Ups® Training Pants. I thought they were an unnecessary step between diapers and underwear. I thought they just prolonged potty training and confused the child about what the goal was.
I was wrong.
It turns out toddlers thrive on consistency and diapers don’t teach potty training skills like Pull-Ups do. Plus, they look and fit more like underwear, giving your child the independence to slide his pants on and off.
By the time we started the potty training process with B, I’d learned my lesson. With her, Pull-Ups were a big part of the process, and they were also why it was easier on all of us. We used Pull-Ups to help B make the transition from diapers to underwear. Thanks to Pull-Ups, B felt like a big girl because we no longer had to change her diapers, but J and I didn’t have to worry she’d have an accident while we were in public.
Pull-Ups are super easy to put on and take off; the stretchy sides make them way more convenient than any other options we tried. Even though we’re grateful we discovered them in time to take a lot of the stress out of potty training B, that doesn’t mean the process was without hiccups. She’s a super stubborn kid- strong-willed, we like to say- and she can’t be easily coaxed into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.
All of the mistakes we made potty training G and B have solidified my desire to do a better job when it’s time to train baby number three. Luckily, I found the Pull-Ups website, and it’s full of resources to help make the transition from diapers to underwear as smooth as possible for both parents and toddlers. Specifically, I found three resources I’m absolutely going to take advantage of next time around.