It’s Finally Here…Time for Potty Training!

Emily is our oldest as you all know and she will be 3 in December. I always knew there was going to be a day when we would have to start potty training and I thought for sure it would have been sooner than a few months before her 3rd birthday.

I always joked that I would start potty training her after she could sit up by herself, but that day has passed by long ago. I then thought maybe around a year and a half would be  good time to start and that day too has long passed. Emily is now only 3 months away from her 3rd birthday and we are finally ready to begin this big step in her life.

There have been many times over the last 15 months that we have thought about starting the potty training process and there have also been times where we attempted it, but never committed to seeing it through. We would ask Emily every now and then if she had to go pee and she would say yes, so we would sit her on the potty and wait..and wait…and wait. She would sit there laughing, thinking it is just a fun game and not really understanding the point. Then there would be the occasional time we try to and she does go pee, but we never follow through and then we are back to the beginning.

It has also been hard to find a good time to start potty training Emily after the triplets were born. For the first few months they needed me 24/7 and it was difficult to step away for more than a few minutes. The last thing on my mind was trying to potty train. Then I just thought of the process and how time-consuming it was and I didn’t think I was prepared to put in the work. There is just so much going on in my day and to try and add an extra thing to it would be a lot to take on.

I never did too much reading or research regarding potty training. It would be more from hearing experiences that my friends and family have gone through with their children and just bits and pieces of information from different sources. I always thought it would be a pretty simple and easy concept to teach, but the more I think of it the more I realize it is not the easiest.

To be honest, at some points I think it is easier to just keep using diapers. I just think of the times when we are out at the store and then Emily has to use the bathroom. We have to first find the washroom, then I have to get her there in time before she has an accident, then make sure to cover the toilet seat with toilet paper so she can sit because she would be too small to squat and then after that wait for her to actually do her business. On top of all that, this could be a time I am out by myself with all 4 and then I have to maneuver the babies into the bathroom stall with us and it is not the easiest to get the triplet stroller in anywhere. To have Emily in a diaper while we are out and then wait until we are back at the van to change her just seems like so much less work!

I know it will take some effort, work and dedication to get through this potty training stage, but I think Emily, Dan and I are ready to make it work. I think it is important for both sides to be ready and excited to start potty training and I watch Emily get excited to use her new diapers and potty. It will be a lot of me constantly asking Emily “do you have to pee?” or saying “come and sit on your potty,” until Emily gets the hang of things and understands the cues of knowing it’s time to go, but I know it will work. It will be such a relief when Emily has mastered potty training and to have one less child to diaper change daily will feel great! This is an inevitable stage in Emily’s life and we might as well embrace it and make it the most exciting and fun adventure it can be for her!

 

What are some of your tricks and tips to potty train?

What your potty training experience what you expected it to be?

What was the easy parts and the hard parts you went through?