How we accidently potty trained our toddler
Our toddler has fair skin and red hair. This complexion has also led to sensitive skin. See my post on how to help sensitive skin for more information on that! Because of her skin being sensitive she had a lot of diaper rashes. One sure way to help a diaper rash is diaper free time, coincidentally going diaper free is also part of a major potty training theory. Because our toddler has been given diaper free time every day since around 4 months old she has learned to recognize when she is having the sensation of going to / needing to use the bathroom from a young age. Accidently Potty Training our toddler was one of the only silver linings to her having super sensitive skin. Below is the process we followed and what worked for us!
- Diaper Free Time: After every diaper change we did diaper free time for about a hour. To make this work we put towels down where we would be hanging out, or set ourselves up on a hard floor surface, for easy cleanup in case of accidents. Our daughter quickly realized when she needed to go to the bathroom because she didn’t like the feeling of having an “accident”. So when she would say things like Uh Oh or Potty we knew to plop her on the closest toilet or grab a towel if a toilet was not in reach. This was successful… then we realized the next step was our most eco friendly option to avoid massive towel/laundry and paper towel use.
2. Diaper free time after bath: We would spend the time in our night time routine after bath diaper free until jammies time. This diaper free time was always in her room, so we were looking for solutions to not use towels or diapers… here is when we introduced the potty! We purchased a potty training toilet to have in her room during diaper free time and she quickly took to it. We started with as soon as she would say “Potty” or “Uh Oh” we would place her on the potty immediately. We would celebrate when she went to the bathroom on her potty to encourage her progression. This became a nightly occurrence and she was consistently using the potty in her room leading into stage three. *Pro Tip empty the Toilet immediately after use and if you toddler is not in a crib remove from room when you leave*
3. Using the toilet during bath time: Our toddler would start to recognize/vocalize that she was needing to use the potty during bath time. We would transfer her to the toilet in the bathroom at the first sign. This brought us to our final stage of at home potty training… at two years old!
4. Potty Training Underwear (not pull ups): We decided to jump straight to potty training underwear because we felt that pull ups feel like diapers so it could be confusing. We had our toddler wear potty training underwear whenever possible at home (aside from diaper free time). This was a speed bump because our toddler had more accidents than when she was diaper free. However, we approached this phase with no expectations due to our toddler being only two… no rush! This led us to our last step!
5. Using the potty at school: We had an opportunity for a conference with our toddlers teachers. So we signed up to, first and foremost to check in and see how she is in the classroom. Meeting milestones, polite and kind to others… the typical parent teacher conference material… but added bonus was to discuss her using the potty at school! We asked her teachers (with no pressure at all) if they would take our toddler to use the bathroom at her request. The said they would and it has been smooth sailing ever since! We remind our toddler she can use the potty at school often on the way to drop off, at pick up and just randomly when she is at home. She has been using the potty at school for roughly 4 weeks and doing great!
I recognize that every child is different and every situation is different… this is what worked for us. I highly recommend trying a no pressure, no timeline, no prizes version of potty training and starting it early. It was stress free and successful! Our toddler is now two and a half and typically uses pulls ups for naps/sleep or in her car seat. It saves us money and the planet some landfill! I also recommend having a travel potty for when you are in the car or anywhere you may not have quick access to a toilet. Our top 4 picks are linked below! Happy stress free training!
