Pros, Cons + Funny Stories of Toilet Training

The other day I shared on my Facebook page that we had mastered toilet training and promised I'd write about it on the blog. It's crucial milestone in the life of a little person, a big step and another thing to tick off before baby arrives soon! Here's my pros, cons, funny stories and helpful links :)

The Pros


  • You spend 'quality' time one-on-one with your child and give them your full and undivided attention (well if it's your first and only child as in our case)
  • You keep up to date with your washing
  • You very quickly learn the locations of all public toilets wherever you go
  • No more nappy changes!
  • You knew it had to be done sooner or later

The Cons


  • All. The. Washing.
  • Cleaning the potty 10 times a day (if you use a potty that is)
  • You can't just go out whenever and wherever you like - it all depends on your child's bladder/bowel movements
  • You need to make emergency departures from activities or conversations
  • When you're 6 months pregnant (like me) it's quite a struggle to hold your child over a toilet and constantly bend down to help with clothes on/off...

Some funny stories from friends around the www;


  • First accident on day 1 of toilet training, and she weed on Danny Dog. Was very upset by this, must wash him immediately (this is my funny story)
  • Funniest thing she did was insisting on standing and cocking her leg to do a wee, just like our dog does (friend from my online mother's group)
  • I caught him carrying his poo filled undies to the toilet last week, to tip it in himself... very seriously he told me "Say bye poo mummy" After hands had been washed, it was high fives all round! (another friend from online mother's group)
  • On my birthday this year, Master 2 styled his hair into a very fashionable mohawk...using the poo from his undies...I realised then that he wasn't necessarily ready for toilet training. (Kyie from Kidgredients)
  • We used jellybeans as an incentive to sit on the toilet for my 3 year old. He knew that if he sat on the toilet he was rewarded with a jellybean afterwards. We were out one day at the shops and a sales assistant offered him a jellybean. He looked at her, worried, and said "I need to sit on the toilet?". Poor woman didn't quite know what to make of it! (Rebecca from Seeing the Lighter Side)
  • My daughter got the potty seat stuck on her head. No I'm not kidding. (Kate from ...The Online Water Cooler
  • Tried transitioning our daughter to the toilet seat insert instead of potty for the first time. She was protesting so in the struggle to get her on there, I dunked her feet in the toilet bowl instead, thinking her legs were hanging down (couldn't see past the 8 month pregnant belly). Hubby doesn't say anything until she's already in the toilet... Great help. Not a successful attempt in the slightest. (Holly from Simplify Create Inspire). 
  • 'I'm having a wee, mummy!' she called out cheerfully, as I ran up to her. She was sitting on the toilet, completely naked, her clothes in a little pile on the floor next to the toilet....right beside the big puddle of wee. (Karina from The Laney Files)
  • I promised her an ice cream if she did a poo in the toilet. Then, she smiled excitedly and said, ‘I’m finished!’ ‘But there’s no poo,’ I said. ‘Doesn't it want to come out?’ ‘No. I want an ice cream!’ And just like that, the poo urge mysteriously disappeared. (also Karina from The Laney Files)

What worked well for us;


  • We tried toilet training in the last school holidays (July) and it didn't go very well, Miss M was deeply upset when she had an accident and didn't want to wear knickers anymore - so we didn't push it and decided to wait a bit longer (best, decision, ever!)
  • We knew she was ready this time, her language was developed enough and we felt like we'd done all the ground work.
  • I made no plans for the week - so she had 3 days home with me and then 2 and Child Care
  • On the night before we started we got rid of all nappies except one for over night, so she knew she'd get to wear her comfy knickers the next day.
  • As I said, potty worked for us, Miss M's choice
  • Prize box was another good trick - with some edible treats and some stickers, bubbles, stamps etc. We're in the stage now of phasing this out for at the end of an accident free day.

Some other helpful blog posts



Care to share your funny toilet training stories?

Lauren x

4 comments

  1. We've had a few sits on the toilet but it's very mood-dependent. Now that the weather is warmer, we'll encourage it more and more and try and work some kind of reward system in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck Beth! Keep me posted on how she goes :)
      By the way thank for being such a lovely regular commenter xx

      Delete
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