It’s all Crap
Whoever claims that they potty train their kids in less than several days is straight up lying.
We decided to do the three day bootcamp, which was a great beginning to the start of potty training. The woman who wrote the book, “Potty Training in 3 Days,” says she has a 98% success rate. What she didn’t tell anyone was that kids get sick, diarrhea is something that happens, UTIs happen, and kids cannot unlearn a 3 year habit within 3 days. Also, girls do not learn faster than boys.
While the bootcamp was definitely a good first step, it was not the end all be all step that would miraculously stop kids from soiling themselves. It is literally impossible to have a child learn a new habit within 3 days after they have been doing something for a couple years. The bootcamp gives them the steps they need to learn, but it does not train them completely.
The 98% rate is bullshit. They definitely fubar-ed those numbers in order to make it look better (very similar to how my company always makes the quarterly “growth” look great). We did every single thing the book told us. We stayed home for 3 days without leaving, we didn’t look at our phones for longer than 30 seconds, we didn’t watch TV, we said every 30 seconds (or so it seemed) “let me know when you have to go potty please!” The book said if you think you are saying that too much, you are likely not saying it enough. Ian said I was saying it too much; I continued to say it even more after that.
We gave candy, we allowed constant juice drinking, and we used every sort of bribery we could think of. However, little did I know that sweets cause diarrhea. So guess what? Everything Noah learned, he quickly un-learned once he started pooping liquid...repeatedly. Whatever Belle learned was quickly un-learned when she started holding it for over 7-12 hours and worked herself into a UTI.
After cancelling all plans for a couple weeks, I worked myself into an anxious wreck; like I am not already anxious enough! I loathe the idea of leaving the house, I anxiously tell them to tell me when they have to potty repeatedly, I sit them on the toilet every 20 minutes, and I feel defeated and like a failure every accident and issue. I feel like I am doing everything wrong all the time. I sit here in anxiety that they are about to pee on the couch because they are watching a show and, God forbid, they watch TV (according to the book). I understand the reasoning behind this, but try doing it for over 4 weeks and see how far you get. Toddlers are insane and a few minutes in front of cartoons is essential for my well being.
So, what have I learned from this? Well, I know what my second book is going to be, that’s for sure. I am going to write how potty training actually goes, and how it is different for every child, every family, and every situation. I am not going to sugar coat it (like I do that anyway- ha!) 98% success rates are complete crap, like everything else during potty training. If you think it is going well, just give it a few more days and see how quickly things change. Those that are lucky enough for it to happen within a few days- great for you. But accidents will always happen. Everybody lies. And I am apparently a pessimist.
*Authors note: It has been a couple days without accidents! Every time we go out, I panic, but they are doing great!
