Our Adventures in Potty Training | Out with the Cloth and In with Batman

Looking for potty training advice?  I’m happy to say “B” has kicked the diaper habit and rocks his snazzy Batman underwear! I wanted to share with you our experience over the past couple months.

Yes, I said months.
No, don’t roll your eyes at me.

Potty training is a process, and believe me, I feel your pain when you hear “it will happen when they’re ready.” You probably heard the same thing when you were nine (ten) months pregnant and just so ready so snuggle that newborn squishiness. I feel ya.

One day I came across the cutest package of Batman underoos. Batman had become his favorite super hero (oh yes, my husband encouraged it!) I decided that if we’re going to go for it then I better get training potty, too. Luckily we found a neat Lightning McQueen one that is also a step stool.

We had short talks every couple days about big boys putting their pee and poo in the potty, gave examples of other big boys that use the toilet and let him ask questions. I let him pick out which pair of underwear he’d like to wear each day, and ask him several times through the course of the day if he’d like to use the potty.

We’ve tried our best to not make him feel bad about himself, to talk about going potty, to invite him in when we’re doing our business so he is familiar with the whole thing. He thinks it’s exciting to flush “the big potty” as he calls it.

I won’t lie. There were bribes. Or prizes as we like to think of it. Little toys for successful days gave him something to look forward to and get excited about.

I always made it part of his bedtime routine to sit on the potty before we brush our teeth. There were some minor speed bumps. He asked for his diapers back once or twice. A few times he’s used the potty excuse to get out of time out, or naps, but I always let him go if he actually stays seated at the oval office.

We were doing so well out-and-about which is the part I was most afraid of.. I was so ecstatic when he consistently asked us to “use the store potty.” My husband or I would faithfully bring him in if we were already stopped… or nervously ask him to “hold it” until we got to a place with facilities.

The little sweetie took us literally, gently placing his hands on his pants waiting patiently. For the very first tinkle in the “yucky store potty” at a gas station my husband built a little nest out of TP for him had us grinning ear to ear and high-filing each other.