Potty Training 101

Our talented baby attempting the splits while holding onto her toy stroller

I bought a potty last week, mostly on a whim. I had read a little on the topic of potty training, and while most experts say that there is no perfect age to start the training (if at all), they agree that the majority of toddlers are not ready to consistently use a potty or a toilet until the age of 3.

Our baby likes everything new, and the potty was no exception. She played with it for a good half hour when she first set eyes on it, and would have no doubt continued longer had we not dragged her away to begin her bedtime routine.

We started our training almost immediately. We took off her diaper, and asked her to sit on the potty. We urged her to urinate an defecate. She willingly sat on the potty, but did not pick up on the latter suggestion. However, she did seem amused. Since the purchase, we have encouraged her to sit often, which she thoroughly enjoys. She has even started reading a few of her books whilst on her potty. I assumed that the timing was just not right for the expected results.

Then yesterday, something very unexpected happened. We had just returned from the park, and my pregnant bladder could not wait very long. However, I did have a chance to quickly remove her sandy pants and diaper. I was surprised that her diaper, changed a few hours earlier, was very dry. As I sat down to relieve my bladder, my lovely baby simultaneously sat on her potty. She made a brief pushing sound, and lo and behold, her potty now held urine. I was so excited, and she seemed equally proud of herself.

Was it really that easy? Or was it just a matter of her being in the right place at the right time? Now if only her language skills would improve, and she could indicate her need for a potty with a few simple sounds...