Wait until he’s three.
That’s it.
I’m kidding. I’m kind of kidding.
But after potty-training four kids, I can tell you the amount of work you’ll do is pretty directly related to the kid’s age. I have sat on the urine-stained floors at McDonalds and public pools, waiting to my kid to potty. I have scraped out underwear while threatening to bring back the diapers. I have dragged almost-potty-trained twins all over town and changed their soggy underwear at every stop. I have started potty-training too early, and I have the disgusting accident stories to tell.
Like you, I caved to the peer pressure of moms who report their 18-month olds, “Really want to potty in the potty!” Well, here’s the deal. Your toddler has a bladder the size of a walnut, so you’ll be in the potty every twenty minutes.
Potty training is so much more physical than it is mental. You can offer your kid all the My Little Ponies and M&Ms in the world, but if your kid doesn’t have the ability to hold his pee, you are both going to be frustrated a lot. And wet.
So, at the risk of sounding bossy, or like I know a lot (so ridiculous), trust me on this one. For every million stories you’ll hear about kids who embrace the potty before they can walk, I’m giving you the dry-pants truth.
It is so much easier at three. Their little bodies finally have the capacity to “hold it.”
Your dry couch cushions thank me.

 

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1 Response
  1. Anonymous

    Finally, the last diaper changed…

    4 kids * 365 days per year * 5 diapers per day(about) * 3 years = 21,900 diapers changed!
    At an average of $.36 per disposable diaper that is almost $8,000 spent on diapers in all. Sorry kids, you have to pay for your own first car, you got diapers instead:)

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