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Helping mothers create routines, boundaries, and family practices.

Potty

Toddler Stalling Bedtime To Poop? Here’s What To Do & Not Do

If your toddler waits until right before bedtime – or right after – to poop, then this post will help you not turn it into a power battle.

“Do your duty at home.”

A lymphatic massage therapist in my small town told me this a while ago. She said to create routines around the potty that we can maintain at home. When we wake up, before bed, etc. NOT at 10 a.m. if we have a job at the office.

We are so focused on diapers and potty training and all the rest when our little ones are super small, that when they achieve some potty independence we want to celebrate 🎉.

And then… you have a child who lies down in bed, kisses you good night, joins you in prayer, gives you a snuggle then, as you are walking to the door, says…

“WAIT, MOM, I need to go potty!”

And this is all well and good until this starts happening every night. You take them to the potty and… well… it seems like they sorta have to go but maybe not.

They enjoy a nice prolonged period with you urging them to potty and then after a while, they’ll go to bed. It feels mysteriously like some bedtime stalling tactics but you aren’t quite sure.

Plus, obviously, you want your little one to go when they have to go so. What to do?

child waited until bedtime to poop, on potty

Is pooping at bed a power move?

Well… it depends.

Of course, needing to use the bathroom is not a power move it’s a bodily function. And if your child has to go, they have to go.

What can turn into a power move, however, is your child creating their own routine and ritual (that you don’t approve of) around going to the potty which turns into a big time of togetherness and bedtime stalling.

And saying they need to potty when they don’t, just to avoid going to bed.

The truth is…

  • We all end up using the bathroom at regular predictable times during the day – which is good
  • Often the calm and peacefulness of the bedtime routine itself relaxes your child’s body so that going to the bathroom is a natural occurrence
  • Not allowing your child to go to the bathroom is definitely not a good idea

AND SO, all that being said, let’s dive into how you can help keep your little one regular without extending the bedtime routine 30 minutes every night reading books on the toilet.

Routines To Cut Through The Crazy

Get my cheat sheets and find your family’s groove. Chore, independent play, meal, nap, bedtime, and MORE routine ideas!

Build #2 time into the routine

If your little one, without fail, asks to go to the bathroom right in the middle of the bedtime routine or right after you’ve put them to bed, simply make it a part of the routine.

Start your bedtime routine 20 or 30 minutes earlier – if possible – so your little one still gets to bed at the same time. And so it doesn’t keep pushing bedtime back interfering with your own evening routines.

If the bedtime routine typically started around 6:45 for a 7 pm bedtime, and at 7:05 pm every evening you get a call for the potty… start the routine at 6:20 or 6:30.

Then, when it’s all said or done, you’ll still have your little one in bed by 7 pm ish.

Read These While You’re At It
5 Reasons Bedtime Stories are More Important Than You ThinkBedtime Battles: How To Avoid Stalling, Tantrums, & Constant QuestionsAwesome Bedtime Storybooks For Babies, Toddlers, & Young ChildrenNightmares, Night Terrors, & Sleep Walking In Kids: Strategies For Relief

Put it in the middle or beginning of the routine

And, tagging onto the earlier section, add the bathroom into the middle of the routine.

Don’t even put on the pajamas until it’s done, if you can help it.

  • Have your child sit on the potty while you get their room ready, black out blinds down, white noise on, etc.
  • If you are reallllyy annoyed by the potty delays, you can even do the book reading while your little one is on the potty. This may help them relax and go before you get into the lying down portion.

Don’t make it super special and fun

If your little one will sit on the potty willingly and go, or read books and go, GREAT!

Then, if they tend to wait until right before the kiss and then want to sit on the potty for 15 minutes with you, this is where you don’t reinforce the very thing you are trying to avoid.

Sometimes little ones see this as an opportunity for connection and bonding with their parent. If you have the space for that, excellent, but if not, then create these connection points throughout the day. NOT on the potty.

Continuing to read, sing, play, and sit with your little one for 25 minutes on the toilet at bedtime will simply create a dynamic where they are using a bodily function to gain time with you.

Instead, let them sit on the potty and busy yourself elsewhere, making it a boring experience where the only activity is a bowel movement.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, give your child an iPad on the toilet. This will simply be more incentive for them to request nightly potty breaks, disrupting bedtime.

Give the connection time freely, during the day or before bed, not in the bathroom on the floor begging them to poop.

Routines To Cut Through The Crazy

Get my cheat sheets and find your family’s groove. Chore, independent play, meal, nap, bedtime, and MORE routine ideas!

Silent returns

If your little one is constantly getting out of bed, going to the bathroom, or coming to get you, employ the silent return.

Take their hand, don’t lose your cool, say not a word unless necessary, and simply walk them back to their bed. You may do this 100 times the first night, 75 the second, 50 the third, and then eventually they will simply stay in bed.

Or only get up when truly necessary!

This will help you remove the question of “do they really need to go to the potty or are they stalling?” from your mind.

To recap…

Let’s break this down.

  • Pooping at set times is normal and healthy
  • Start bedtime earlier to accommodate pooping
  • If your child is pretending to need to go, but never does, simply give the option to poop before bedtime, but not after
  • Put potty time at the beginning or middle of the wind down bedtime routine, before pajamas if possible
  • Don’t reinforce long periods on the potty at bed by making it a connection time. Connect other times throughout the day and leave your child to poop, without an ipad.

Routines To Cut Through The Crazy

Get my cheat sheets and find your family’s groove. Chore, independent play, meal, nap, bedtime, and MORE routine ideas!

Are there ways to help them wind down after going to the bathroom and transition to sleep?

Whether you’ve added a visit to the bathroom into the bedtime routine or it’s an occasional occurrence, continue your child’s wind down routine, which will signal to their bodies that it’s time for sleep. If we get into the habit of extending the bedtime routine to accommodate a potty trip, then it can easily turn into connection time or a power move on your child’s part.

 

Could the timing of their meals and snacks be influencing their nightly bowel movements?

Possibly. If this becomes a chronic problem, you can try to move dinnertime up by half an hour for a few days and see if that helps. It is not necessary to change the whole family’s schedule in order to accommodate one child’s bowel movements unless the nightly pooping routine really bothers you and other strategies aren’t helping.

Sources:

Should I Wake Baby Up To Change Their Diaper?

Baby is sleeping, the diaper is wet or soiled and you’re thinking… should I wake baby up to change their diaper? Let’s figure it out.

Have you ever felt like the minute you get baby fed, cleaned up, in cute little clothes, swaddled, and then down to bed… that they immediately go to the bathroom.

Whether it’s pee or poop, it feels like they just don’t stay clean very long at all. And that’s because they don’t. They are constantly feeding and napping and getting their diaper changed. Around the clock, every few hours, for months.

Tis life with a newborn.

mom waking baby up from sleep to change his diaper

Should I Wake Baby Up To Change Their Diaper?

If your baby is sound asleep, even if they have a dirty or wet diaper, there’s no need to wake him up to change his diaper. This will disturb his sleep cycle, cause sleep inertia, and cascade through the rest of the day because his sleep window will be lengthened.

Babies never go that long between feedings anyway until around 6 months or so, and you can rest assured as soon as baby wakes up for a feed you can change the diaper.

There are obvious exceptions:

  • If baby’s diaper has leaked
  • If they are sick and have something like diarrhea, which can cause pain and a rash.
  • If baby is having trouble settling to sleep or connecting a sleep cycle (waking from early nap) and their diaper is wet or dirty, I definitely suggest changing it.

In these cases, however, baby will typically wake up crying and you’ll know.

Should you change baby’s diaper before a feed?

This is a great question and one of my favorite diaper hacks, to help baby sleep better.

Daytime

If baby wakes up from a nap and has a dirty diaper, I’d obviously change immediately. If it’s wet but not super wet, you can decide at your own discretion.

Once they begin feeding they’ll almost surely wet their diaper ad you’ll end up changing it again anyway. And then, after the feed, they may soil the diaper and you’d have changed it 3x.

But them’s the breaks with precious little ones.

Nighttime

At nighttime, I recommend when baby wakes up for a feed to change the diaper immediately, in the dark with a flashlight or something similar. Don’t turn the lights on and make it a Daytime Event that baby will struggle to get sleepy for after.

After you feed, I’d put baby immediately back to bed, not waiting for a dirty or wet diaper. It will most definitely wake baby up if you feed him into a stupor, then take off his diaper and expose his skin to the air. He’ll wake immediately up and you’ll have lost all that drowsiness.

If your baby is a newborn I’d highly recommend viewing my newborn sleep schedule to help you sort out all the intricacies of days and nights in those first few weeks.

28 Things To Do If Baby Won’t Sleep CHECKLIST

Fast, simple, and free strategies to implement if baby can’t get to sleep, won’t stay asleep, or is unsettled in general.

Read These While You’re At It
Should I Let My Newborn Sleep All Day? Will They Be Up All Night?When Should I Start A Sleep Schedule For My Newborn?Why Should You Never Wake A Sleeping Baby?How Do You Sleep Train A Newborn?

20+ Ways To Use A Timer With Kids (Great For Routines!)

Do you have a timer at home? You’ll be amazed in the ways you can use it with your kids and to help run your day smoothly with routines, chores, and more!

The never ending abyss of indefinite time… that’s my theory. That’s why children will stall, balk, and delay things. Because they secretly fear this thing you want them to do (whatever it may be) will last for-ev-er.

It is why the timer is your new best inanimate friend. 

It’s dependable. And it’s reliable.

It’s always on time. 

In all seriousness, the timer is a great too to help garner cooperation from your children when you want them to do things they aren’t wild about.

It’s also a great way to help you do something quickly and with purpose so you don’t end up dividing your attention and getting nothing done.

You can also use the microwave, your phone, a tablet, etc. to set a timer. I just like to use an individual timer that – at times – kids can bring into their own rooms without being tempted by the other features of a device.

kid holding a timer

Note: I don’t recommend the egg kitchen timers because they don’t always have a loud Ding which is what kids need to hear!

This timer beeps loudly and clearly.

Ways to use a timer at home with the kids relating to PLAY

  • To time independent play time. If your child resists playing on their own (here’s how to teach them to play on their own) this will really help.
  • Noisy time. If your kids are restless and have some energy to get out, turn it on and have a crazy noisy fun time for a while to get the wiggles out.
  • For one-on-one time with each child. It’s important to spend time with children individually, and this is a great way to get it in. Start a game, read, or play pretend, and having a timer set will help your child make the most of your complete undivided attention.
  • When there is one coveted toy and you want the kids to take turns playing with it.
  • Outside play time can be timed as well.
  • Hide and seek. Use the timer to signal it’s time to stay hidden or get found.
  • Let the kids climb on their indoor toys to get some energy out!
kid doing independent play while timer is on
  • For your evening sweep.
  • When the kids are occupied, and you need a 15 minute disco nap (also referred to as power nap).
  • Set the timer to 10 or 15 minutes and have the kids come with you from room to room doing quick tidying and clean up jobs.
  • After dinner cleanups can be made more fun with music on and a timer. It creates some urgency which makes little feet move faster.
  • Creating time blocks. Sometimes kids don’t visualize or conceptualize time as easily as we do, of course, so having a time block set can help them learn to manage their time.

Family Practices & Contribution

0-5, 13-18, 6-12

No Nag Chore Routines

Getting kids to do chores shouldn’t be a daily battle. Let me help you build a simple, age-appropriate system that teaches independence, teamwork, and responsibility—without constant micromanaging. Because a well-run home isn’t about doing it all yourself.
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kid playing on iPad
  • For bath play. I sometimes used to let the kids play in the bathtub with her toys even if it’s not actually “bath time.”
  • Counting down something exciting they won’t want to end, like swimming for example, setting a timer will say “15 minutes left.“
  • Couch time. This is from this book, and occurs when mom and dad sit on the couch together and talk. The goal of this is to show your children that you prioritize one another. During the timed event (10 or 15 minutes) the kids aren’t allowed to come and interrupt the adult conversation.
  • Screen time limits.
  • Taking turns for various things. A timer works well if the children’s sharing strategy involves one person having something then another getting it.
  • Time to go in…. in the school morning, for example. Set the timer for the time when the kids need to get to the car. When they hear it ding, they can get moving.

Family Practices & Contribution

13-18, 6-12

Simple School Routines

This workshop will help you create simple, structured before-and-after school routines that keep kids organized, independent, and on track—without you having to nag every step of the way.
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frustrated mom

Calm down habits that work well timed

  • Reading before bed. If your child is old enough to read before bed, you can do the bedtime routine, set the timer for the allotted period, allow them to read until it goes off, then lights out.
  • When you “need a minute.” If you are feeling overwhelmed and weary, use the timer and tell the kids you are going to rest (read a book, etc.) for a set time and during that period they are not to disturb you.
  • Creating anticipation. If you are about to do something fun  like go to the park or set off for vacation, set the timer until the excitement happens.
  • When the little ones are fighting or out of sorts, a timed “reset” works well. Everyone can sit with books, go to their rooms for a reset, or even do something to get that nervous energy out like push-ups, sit ups, or jumping jacks. (Yes, we do this.)

Basically, the sky’s the limit.

::

Some Must Have Potty Training Supplies… The Rest is Optional

Inside: Are you about to potty train your toddler? It’s an act of nature, but there are a few potty training supplies that make the whole thing go more smoothly.

I decided my daughter would get potty trained at 13 months. That’s when my son was going to arrive.

I read all about early potty training and how people in African trained their babies by 13 month sor so.

They did this because cloth diapers required a lot of water to clean and that was a luxury and if people in Africa could do it, why couldn’t I?

potty training supplies

Hahahahahaha

I die laughing at my former self. 

Needless to say, it didn’t work. Nor did it work a few months later when I was not prepared to “let accidents happen” and made her nervous. Soon enough, though, she figured it out and off she went.

I took a laid back approach with my second son and that worked out fine. I’m training my third son now. Again, we’re not making a huge fuss.

Each child will be different, and there are various approaches to take, but here are your absolutely essential Must Haves.

Psst… you may know it’s ready to start potty training if your little one is constantly fighting diaper changes.

Absolute Must Have Supplies for Potty Training

Well, now that we got those out of the way… let’s talk about some of the other helpful things that make potty training simpler.

Read: The Trickiest Part of Potty Training And How To Overcome It

two toddlers getting potty trained sitting on the grass with potty training supplies

Helpful Tools for Potty Training

And now that we know what is absolutely essential, let’s talk about what helps move things along. I know some people say to “wait until your child is ready no matter the age” but most of us aren’t willing to wait until our 4 year old is ready.

We need things to move right along, particularly if we need to put them in care or preschool.

Here are some helpful things I’ve personally done, used, or tried that may benefit you.

Read: How To Get Your Child To Pee On The Potty

child sitting on a potty

Potty Companions

A potty companion is something you save specifically for potty time that engages your child and allows them to relax near the potty and associate it positively.

Potty companion supplies could look like basically anything:

  • Specific books
  • An iPad or particular games on an iPad
  • Certain toys you bring out only at potty time
  • A white board with a marker to draw on
  • Markers and a notebook
  • M&M’s, blueberries, or whatever treat you choose

You get the idea. Something you can break out specifically (and only) during potty time.

pogo potty panda

Potty Train in a Weekend book

My friend Becky wrote this book and it’s wildly popular, and that ain’t an understatement. Potty Train in a Weekend is, well, just that, tips on how to set aside a few days (they need not be Friday to Sunday) and start and nearly finish the potty training process.

She also tells you what to do in the event they will pee but not poop or regressions or any other scenario you can think of. This is a great tool if you already have a child you know is pretty much ready, but just needs a push. 

Also helpful if you don’t have months and months of time to get it done!

potty train in a weekend by becky mansfield

Reward Supplies: M&M’s or Choc Chips or Kale Chips, Etc.

Many moms use a reward system for potty training.

I didn’t do it with my first two, but am giving it a go in conjunction with other things with my third.

He had a great potty training window a few months ago when I was Nearly Dead from Pregnancy Fatigue and it just wasn’t a time I could train him. Now that I’m able and want to get it done before new baby comes… he’s got his undies in a wad about wanting to wear a diaper.

So since he loves chocolate chips and a few a day won’t hurt him, we’re offering him 3 mini chocolate chips every time he sits on the potty and tries to go.

Even if he doesn’t, that’s okay.

So far he hasn’t abused this by trying to sit on it all day long, but it’s helping with his willingness to go!

child on a blue potty with stickers on it

15 Minute Timer

Honestly, the timer is a mom’s best friend.

You can use it in a myriad of ways throughout your day with kids. You can help minimize power struggles, signal what’s next, and to countdown when they have to stop doing something they love.

I essentially potty trained my firstborn by using a timer set at 15 minute intervals. Every time it went off, I let her push the button (you know kids love pushing buttons) and then we sat on the potty.

If she went, good, if not, fine.

We just set it again for another 15 minutes and did this for a few exhausting days until she was pretty well trained. If she said she had to go during that period we would just stop the timer and reset it for another 15 minutes.

timer

The Trickiest Part of Potty Training And How to Overcome It

Inside: Tips on how to overcome the trickiest part of potty training for many little ones. 

Everyone was seated at the counter eating their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with fruit. The kids were crunching veggie sticks, laughing, and bouncing up and down like our normal mealtime circus.

It was my grandmother who noticed it first.

From across the room in her comfy chair she said, “Rachel, that boy won’t stop scratching his bottom!”

“What do you mean?” I said, distracted as I cleaned up a milk spill. There’s always a milk spill.

“He’s got his hand down his pants scratching and then using it to eat his sandwich.“

Read: Must Have Potty Training Supplies

toddlers sitting on their potty's outside

Oh, I thought… great. Very hygienic. I am really doing a good job at this mom business.

I had him wash his hands and we carried on our meal. But over time I noticed this habit repeating itself. Not all day long, but always when he was required to be still in one place. He would use a free hand to scratch his bottom, both inside his pants and out.

This carried on for months. 

I thought it was eczema. I thought it was sensitivity to his clothes. Then, I thought it was worms. I thought it was anything except what it actually turned out to be…

He didn’t know how to wipe his bottom well. 

#momfail

Read: How To Teach Your Child To Pee On The Potty

The Signs…

In retrospect it should have been obvious. I should have known that “itchy bum” was a clear sign of improper wiping, but I didn’t. Now I know all the signs to look for.

  • Itchy bottom
  • Wadding up toilet paper or wipes instead of using a full square (I just assumed it didn’t really matter how he used the paper)
  • Staining on underwear or clothing (I thought the occasional stain was from an accident, not from lack of wiping, there’s a difference!)

You see, after he learned to use the potty on his own, I just let him at it. Woohoo, I thought, one less bottom to wipe. Turns out, I should have kept wiping a bit longer. Or spent more time teaching him how.

One of the trickiest parts of potty training is actually teaching our kids how to wipe their bottoms well. If we abruptly stop wiping for them and assume they’ll figure it out on their own, we’ll end up with itchy bums.

Not to mention germs and possible sickness.

Related Reads:

How to teach kids to wipe their bottoms

It’s not complicated, but it does require dedication until our little ones have got it.

Read: Life Skills For Kids By Age (With Printables!)

Make It Easy For Them

Toilet paper isn’t easy for a little one to use, but we know that regular baby wipes can’t be flushed. One way to help your children be able to wipe completely without having trash cans full of dirty wipes is to get flushable wipes during this transition. This sets your child up for independent success.

You don’t need to help your children wipe every time they potty if they’re given the proper tool to get themselves clean.

Read: How To Get Your Child To Sit On The Potty

Kandoo flushable wipes

An issue we ran into with my son was he tried to use toilet paper, but didn’t fully get himself clean. Since then we’ve transitioned into using Kandoo flushable wipes.

These help get him clean without having to be thrown into a trash can and pulled out and chewed on by a baby.

Because I have a curious baby. 

Go In The Right Direction

When my daughter was 13 months old she was hospitalized with a UTI. Even though I know I cleaned her properly, I wonder where I went wrong.

Since then I’ve been sure to repeatedly remind her of wiping best practices. Girls need to wipe from front to back, not back to front.

Demonstrate the Proper Technique

Since the beginning of my marriage, my husband and I have had the same discussion about the best technique to wipe.

He asserts you should use a square then wipe then fold the square and continue.

I said that wadding up a huge ball of toilet paper seems to work fine.

Well, turns out I’m wrong. 

My child who wadded up the toilet paper to wipe never got clean.

In fact, I realized I’d never actually taken the time to explain exactly how to use a wipe, much to my dismay.

  1. Take a wipe, wipe bottom, fold the square so the clean part is on top, wipe bottom, repeat until you’ve used the wipe and need to get a new one and repeat until fully clean. This should only take one or two wipes, max.
  2. Wipe bottom fully with one wipe, throw it away, get another wipe and repeat until fully clean. Again, if done properly this shouldn’t take more than 2 wipes.

Whatever works best with your child. My son who had trouble wiping is a rough and tumble boy who is not into details. Folding a wipe after each use is not going to work for him because he’d end up with dirty hands.

The goal is for your child to potty and wipe on their own so do whatever works!

child holding up kandoo flushable wipes

Help If Needed And Ask Questions

Even if they’ve been potty trained a while, but haven’t mastered the art of wiping, it’s a good idea to do keep an eye on the wiping situation for a while.

Do spot checks, nonchalantly watch your child wipe and see if they are doing a good enough job. Another question I ask if I see a hand scratching a bottom is…

“Do we need to go wipe our bottoms? If we haven’t wiped off all the poopoo it’ll be itchy.”

Being very matter of fact about the whole business takes away the tendency for the kids to be embarrassed. It’s a fact, not something that is being singled out.

As we’ve gotten 3 of our 5 kids potty trained, things are starting to look up. Less diapers, less bathroom help, and more independence.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t still involved and training. Even when children learn the skill of getting to the potty on time, they still need to master wiping.

They’ll get the hang of it soon enough, mama. 

::

How to Get Your Child to Pee on the Potty

Since you already know your potty training must haves… let’s moves on to how to get your child to actually pee on the potty.

Our entire house is caked in pee.

I would like to say I’m kidding, but I am an honest person. Okay technically it’s not caked in pee, but there is a fine layer of bodily fluids in nearly every room.

My kids are 5, 4, 3, 1 and 4 months. The oldest never has accidents. The 4-year-old only does in the evening realm. The 3-year-old and the 2-year-old, well, they are little.

toddler sitting on the potty

I am not too worried about accidents here and there, but moreso about their willingness to use the potty.

I’ve never actually written a post about how to potty train because I am not “good” at potty training. I simply decide to take off the diapers and then see what happens.

They get the hang of it. Really… they do.

I know it’s time when they are fighting diaper changes and it’s making us all nuts.

If you want to get it over with quickly (which is less messy) then I recommend you read How to Potty Train in a Weekend.

How to Make a Toddler Pee on the Potty

Now, before we can even begin to properly potty train we need to get the kids willing to sit on the potty. Here are some must have potty training items on hand to begin this process.

Before we worry about all the rest of what comes, let’s just talk about how to get them on the potty in the first place because, in my experience, this is not as easy as it sounds.

Read: Must Have Potty Training Supplies

little kid's potty

Give them advance warning

One of the best ways to gain cooperation from your little ones is to give them advance warning. Tell them what’s going to happen. When it’s going to happen. How it’s going to happen.

Let them adjust to the idea. Let them understand and prepare. Firstborns, particularly, do not cope well with change.

Tell them, “In two weeks we’re going to start peepeeing in the potty.” Then on and on and over and over and over again until they’re basically asking you to just go ahead and do it. This is essentially why routine is so effective, it takes out guesswork.

Read: The Trickiest Part Of Potty Training And How To Overcome It

Family Practices & Contribution

0-5, 13-18, 6-12

Family Tidy Routines

This workshop will help you build a simple 15-minute daily routine that fits into real life—so the house stays (mostly) clean and the kids finally learn to help. Because a clean home is a team effort, not a one-mom show.
Start Now

Set a timer

One of my favorite ways to get kids to participate in the potty sitting is this: letting them press buttons on the timer. We may set the timer for 20 minutes.

They are allowed to press buttons (whether a real timer or an app) then press it when the timer goes off. As the timer goes off they go and sit on the potty for a bit and see if they can go.


I don’t require them to sit for too long or they’ll get “over” the whole process quicker than their progress can catch up. A minute or two will do and then let them set the timer again for another 15 or 20 minutes.

The reasoning behind this is that you’ll catch them quite a few times being able to pee. You all celebrate and this reinforces the process.

Put the potty somewhere interesting

Just as we can get creative with sleeping arrangements, we can get creative with potty locations. Put the potty in front of the TV during cartoon time or near you if you’re cooking.

Don’t just leave the potty in the bathroom (or get another one for elsewhere) so you can entertain your child and encourage them to stay on the potty longer.

Remember, the goal is to keep them on the potty often enough or long enough to actually pee on it. This will help them to get it then repeat it.

Keep a few potties around!

I actually have 3 or 4 potties at any given time in our home not including the actual toilets in each bathroom. We have one in each room of a potty training child.

We will often move them to general living areas as well during intense seasons of potty training. It’s what is suggested in Potty Train in a Weekend as well.


Wear clothes that are easy to move

One of the biggest struggles of gaining cooperation from your child is the annoying burden of taking the pants on and off. If it’s winter and they are in quite a few layers this is tedious.

Of course, you can pull the pants up and down for your child, but this means you aren’t actually training them to independently go to the bathroom.

This means ever single time they have to go they come to you. This adds time to the process (which you won’t have if they know they have to pee 3 Mississippis before the pee comes out) and makes life hard if you have quite a few kids close together in age.

Have them wear heavy shirts and thick socks and turn the heat up if it’s winter. If it’s summer let them go naked or in undies that are easy to pull up and down. Or even soft pants that pull straight down make things easier when they only have a few seconds to get on the potty itsef.

Motherhood & Wellbeing

Weary To Well

This 10-day reset will help you uncover what’s wearing you down (spoiler: it’s not just lack of sleep), set boundaries without guilt, and finally create space to breathe again. Because burnout isn’t your personality—it’s a signal things need to change.
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Be firm but lighten up

I made a big mistake with my firstborn. It was a stressful time for me and after a few accidents I reacted very negatively. Her progress immediately reversed and she would not have any part of potty training. We had to wait months to try again and then she got the hang of it.

If you ask the to sit on the potty, have them sit for a bit. You can say things like, “We want to pee on the potty, not the floor” in a firm voice, but do not overreact. Do not shame. Do not expect them to have the bladder of a 15 year old when they are 2.

And finally… some words of encouragement for the potty training mama…

“You can lead a toddler to the potty, but you can’t make him pee.” Anonymous

Just keep on keeping on…

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