• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Happy Family Blog logo
  • About
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Me
    • Collaborate
    • Resource Page
    • Press
  • Recipes
  • LIfestyle
  • Travel
  • Shop
    • My Favorite Products
    • Make Money Working with Brands
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Me
    • Collaborate
    • Resource Page
    • Press
  • Recipes
  • LIfestyle
  • Travel
  • Shop
    • My Favorite Products
    • Make Money Working with Brands
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Parenting » Toddlers

    Is it Time to Start Potty Training?

    Jun 26, 2015 · 4 Comments

    0 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    During my parent teacher conference (that will be another blog post) I heard what I was not ready to hear..Bailey is ready to be potty trained.  No one likes changing diapers, but I had started to embrace them.  When Bailey had to go to the restroom she could go and I would change her when I had a free moment.  I knew as soon as we started potty training that it meant learning where all the restrooms were in town, get comfortable have a potty in my car and dealing with accidents. It took us a couple of days, but Kurt and I decided we would try.  There is no perfect time to start potty training, but if you start to early it will only make it more difficult.  Below is a checklist to help you determine if the timing is right for you and for your child.

    1. Can your child pull their pants up and down on their own? - This was one of the first things my sister in law told me and at first I did not understand why it was important.  Now that Bailey is potty trained I could not agree more.  It would be so discouraging if they make it to the bathroom but have an accident because you cannot get there fast enough to help them get their pants down.

    2. Can your child communicate enough to tell you they need to go to the restroom? - Some people start with putting their child on the potty every 20 minutes, but at some point you want them to be able to tell you that they need to go to the restroom.

    3. Can you stay home for 3 days straight? - I made this mistake.  I had not really thought about how important it would be to stay home.  One of my lowest points of potty training was in the Costco parking lot, Bailey knew she had to go, but she was not ready to use the big potty and there was too much going on in the parking lot for her to concentrate on the task at hand on the portable potty in the car.

    4. Their friends are potty training  - This is ideal, but not a necessity.  At this age peer pressure can be a good thing.  Bailey's best friend was away when we started potty training, as soon as she got home and saw that Bailey was wearing big girl underwear and using the potty she was instantly interested in starting too.

    5. Shows interest in the restroom  - As a parent it is unusual to go to the restroom alone.  When we first starting thinking about potty training I started to tell Bailey what I was doing to see if she was interested.  She started coming in and saying "Mommy you go potty".

    6. Going longer periods between peeing and BMs at the same time - Bailey started waking up from her naps dry.

    I hope this checklist helps you determine if this is the right time for you and your child.  There is no perfect formula or age to start.  Best of luck.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Amber says

      July 19, 2015 at 12:06 am

      We are currently in the throws of potty training the quads! They are ready, but goodness it is every bit as terrible as I imagined. The one thing in our favor is built in peer pressure. I figured out that it works best of they all go as a group because they want to do what siblings are doing.

      Reply
      • HappyFamily says

        July 19, 2015 at 12:10 am

        Peer pressure works so well at this age. Good luck. I cannot even imagine.

        Reply
        • Amber says

          July 19, 2015 at 12:10 am

          Thank you- I need all the luck I can get!!!

          Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Join the Party!

    Subscribe for exclusive party inspiration, hosting tips, recipes and family fun ideas.

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Amazon Disclosure

    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Press
    • Partner

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Happy Family Blog