Well, I’m in the thick of it. At least I’m supposed to be in the thick of potty training with our 2 year old daughter. And you know what? I’m just not that pressed about it. Yes, I know what everyone says….daycare says she has to be potty trained to go to the 3 year old class! She’s so smart and talks so well, she needs to be potty trained! If she can take her clothes off by herself, she can go to the potty!

Let me tell you, out of ALL the things I worry about as a Mom and pediatrician (and it’s a long list that includes global warming, police brutality, childhood cancer, accidental poisonings, sex trafficking, loss of edges from pulling ponytails to tight among others), potty training is very, very low on the list. Most kids are going to get the hang of potty training eventually; the vast majority will get it well before they go to kindergarten. Many of them will NOT meet this magical “potty trained by age 3” cut off that daycares set. And that is okay.

Our daughter really started showing interest in going to the potty when she was 21 months old. I was not ready. So I did nothing. For her 2nd birthday, I bought her a potty (it flushes!) and switched out the diapers for Pull-Ups in my Amazon subscribe and save order. She was no longer interested. Since then, we’ve been loosely potty training: if she asks to go, I’ll happily help her to the bathroom, watch her sit on the potty, giggle and do nothing: no peepee, no poop. But once I get myself together, I’ll start potty training for real.

So here’s my pediatrician advice for potty training, that I will start following soon:

• Consistency is key. Either pull ups or underwear, no going back and forth to diapers. Set potty times and stick with it, every 3 hours or after every meal and snack (which works out to 3 hours for us) and before/after naps and bedtime.
• Give praise for doing all the routine, even if she doesn’t put anything in the potty. Good job flushing! Awesome washing your hands! Yay you pulled your pants up!
• When she does use the potty, celebrate! Clapping, hugs, kisses, dancing, the works! You can consider offering a small prize or treat. Stickers work great for this.
• Most importantly, all caregivers need to stick with the routine. This includes daycare, babysitters, grandparents – during the week and on the weekends.

She has gone a couple of times at daycare and once when the babysitter was here, so I know she can do it. And one day, she will.