Since sharing our potty training experience through social media that last three months, I have received a lot of questions surrounding so many aspects of potty training Charlotte Lane, so I thought there was no better way to share what we are doing and using than through a blog post.
WHAT WE USED
I have to give credit where credit is due! The Tiny Potty Training Book is what we have used throughout our potty training experience and it has worked wonders! This book breaks every step into phases and provides lots of details and directions, which is definitely my cup of tea. Being a first time mom, I was clueless when it came to potty training and did not know where to start so I did some research and was immediately drawn to this book.
Right from the start I was so excited because the author Andrea Olsen’s believes that there is no “right” time, that we don’t have to wait to start when our child is ready, but we can start when WE, the PARENTS are! This excited me because I was so ready, but I was nervous that Charlotte wasn’t prior to finding this information. I also love that there is no gimmicks, no rewards, charts, or bribery whatsoever. If you know me at all, you know that is not my parenting style whatsoever. Much like this book, I am very straight forward, detail oriented, and I don’t believe in bribery.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Within three days of starting potty training using the “diaper free” techniques, Charlotte was not only recognizing when she need to “go”, but was even walking over to her potty. Don’t get me wrong, the experience is definitely time consuming. I had to have my full attention on Charlotte every second of the day for those first two days, but it was so worth it. I don’t know about you, but I would rather spend two full days doing nothing but “catching pee” than spend four years trying to teach my child to use the potty using stickers or pull-ups any day.
We moved onto phase 2, where Charlotte was wearing only pants by day 6! I still can’t believe how quickly things went and how impressed I am by my little girl! Now obviously we have had our bad days and she is going to have ups and downs, but for the most part she is doing amazing and I am so proud!
SOME SUGGESTIONS
After going through this potty training experience, I do have some helpful tips if you are looking into doing the same method. During those first few days, I found it very helpful to not only record Charlotte’s ques, but to record the times she went potty. This helped me as the parent to understand her patterns much better. I also found it very helpful to keep Charlotte confined in a small space. During the first week or so, I blocked off our kitchen with these gates, so Charlotte could not run off and get distracted and have an accident.
Once Charlotte got “the just” of potty training I started taking her on outings. I would highly suggest purchasing training pants for these occasions. They are not diapers, but they do prevent full on messes in public. We use the tiny undies that the book suggested and really like them! I would also suggest taking some precautions in protecting your car seat. We used this seat protector and I added in these bladder pads (yes, I know weird concept, but they work) to protect the pieces of fabric that goes between her legs. Oh and I can’t forget we use these liners in our tiny potty for travel as well.
OUR POTTY TRAINING MUST-HAVE’S
Below I have listed all of our potty training must-have supplies for both at home and for going out.
Clothes that are appropriate for a potty trainined 18 month old are few are far between, so I have linked some of our favorites below!
(All but the pajamas and the tiny undies run true to size. Size up on both)
Interested in more baby blog posts, check these posts out: Baby Must-Have’s Feeding Edition, Bedtime Edition, On-the-go and Travel Edition, and the Bath Time and Skincare Edition.
Thanks for stopping by! Please email me with any questions!