It all started after my baby boy reached his first birthday. The stress and anxiety surrounding this big developmental phase was starting to mount, not only on me, but on my baby boy too. The expectation is, that within the next year and a half, he should be potty trained. Surly by three years old… right? But what if it doesn’t happen that way… is something wrong my kid?
Now that we’re mostly done with potty training, I’m happy that we eventually ditched the expectations and delayed potty training so that our boy could learn at a pace that didn’t cause him stress. I’m proud of us for pushing back on social norms and taking the time to figure out how he learns and what methods worked best for him.
I delayed potty training beyond the “average” time a child is supposed to be trained because I wanted my son to feel good about accomplishing the goals – I wanted him to feel AWESOME! And even after he was potty trained, regression still happens. When we’re traveling or staying at Abuela’s house, accident occur, which is why we still keep training pants nearby. Pull-Ups® Training Pants are designed specifically to help teach potty training skills. They look and fit more like underwear, giving my little boy the assurance of his independence, while also providing consistency for any learning style.
Are you in the middle of potty training? Here are 4 tips on accomplishing potty training success while keeping your little one’s awesome at the forefront!
3 Delayed Potty Training Tips
Here are 3 potty training tips that will keep things positive and rewarding:
Get to know your child’s personality: The most important thing to know about potty training is that every child potty trains differently based on their personality. Work with your child’s personality, instead of against it. It’s best for parent and toddler to approach potty training as a journey, not as a finish line, especially when it comes to delayed training.
Here’s a tool that helped us tremendously! The potty training readiness quiz at Pull-Ups.com helps to recognize some of the sings of readiness and determine when it’s time to move forward with your family’s potty training journey. Don’t be fooled by its cuteness; this tool is extremely valuable! I was surprised at how thorough the questions are and how much it helped me get to know my child’s learning personality.
Based on research and observation of personality types in young children, Pull-Ups, along with child development expert Dr. Heather Wittenberg, has developed five potty training personalities: the Puppy, the Owl, the Bear Cub, the Turtle and the Squirrel. My little man is Bear Cub and I completely agree! He’s free-spirited and would rather be playing and exploring than settling down to do anything else! And he definitely likes to do things in his own way and at his own pace.
Comparison doesn’t help anyone: Like with so many other aspects of parenting, comparing your child’s development with other kids or “the norm” doesn’t help anyone. This was a huge hurdle for me as I was constantly comparing my son’s potty training journey to his older sister’s. My daughter was trained within a few days at the age of two with very few accidents. But her story isn’t typical and it was not the experience my son had.
This short video from child development expert, Dr. Heather Wittenberg, helped me to think of my son’s potty training journey with new eyes and understand that comparing development between girls and boys is not beneficial in the long run. Instead of comparing, take the personality quiz to help understand how your little one can best learn.
Regression happens! Most accidents are just set-backs, not complete failures. Potty training takes time and it helps to expect regression to happen as a normal part of learning a new skill. Though it can feel like two steps forward, one step back (especially as your child gets older!) and you may be tempted to use diapers while potty training because they’re more familiar to you, but resist the urge. Toddlers thrive on consistency and diapers don’t teach potty training skills like Pull-Ups Training Pants do.
Here Dr. Heather Wittenberg helps to explain why regression is a normal part of training and shouldn’t discourage parents.
The Pull-Ups® Training Pants is a whole new way to potty train and I’m grateful for it. No longer do we have to ignore our child’s awesome personalities. Though the process usually begins the first time toddler put on a pair of Pull-Ups training pants, it continues throughout their entire learning process. This system brings your child into the journey, symbolizing their promise to work together to navigate the world of potty training process as a true partner, tailored to his or her unique awesome personality!
This post is sponsored by Pull-Ups® Training Pants. Thanks for supporting the brands that support our voices!
No Comments