Potty Training...

We have been potty training for about three weeks, and while I think we have mastered it now - he goes to the potty without being asked, and has very few accidents; it was not as easy as I initially thought. There were stages that I was tempted to go back to nappies, they was a stage I was tempted to see if I could find a potty training boot camp and there were days that I just wanted to leave home.

But perseverance paid off; and after many hours of sitting in the bathroom with him, after many hours of nagging, he seems to have the hang of it. I definitely do not think that potty training is for sissies. 

What worked for us, was that we tried a variety of techniques. We went cold turkey from the beginning - removing nappies and only using them for sleep time. He was in underpants for the rest of the time. I put the potty in the lounge for the first week, and asked him every five minutes if he needed to go. About every 30 minutes, I would put him on the potty and get him to sit there to see if he needed it. We did this until he could tell when he needed to go. We sometimes used pull ups for trips to the shops etc (we made it clear that his pull ups were not nappies, but another type of underpants) - I think it is terrible for a potty training child to be embarrassed by an accident in public; and we would ask every once in a while if he needed to go. He would always come home dry, and in his own time he asked to go out in underpants. The potty was slowly moved into the bathroom, and it became 'exciting' for him to go to the bathroom together. We still have to ask or remind him sometimes, if we know it has been a while since his last trip to the loo, but he is also aware now of when he needs to go.

We spent a lot of money on all sorts of toilet training accessories, we have two toilet seats, a potty and a portable potty (with disposable bags) but it was worth it. If you are only able to afford one product, I would HIGHLY recommend a portable potty, as you can use it as a toilet seat, a potty and it folds down to go everywhere with you!

Hope this helps! :)