Potty Training Is The New Year’s Resolution You’ll Actually Want To Keep
This past year has been particularly tough, and I have some pretty big goals in mind for a fresh start. Every New Year’s comes with promises of resolutions and new beginnings, so now is a great time to consult prepare.
The bar isn’t set very high, in all fairness, but some of my resolutions are still more realistic than others: “Lose 30 lbs in two months”? Not likely. “Don’t binge-watch TV shows at all hours of the night”? Yeah, no, not gonna happen. “Stop raiding your fridge in the middle of the night”? HAHAHA! But, “Potty training my toddler”?
Well, now that you mention it, I have been meaning to do that for a while.
Our toddler is only a couple years away from kindergarten now, and I guess I should probably start sooner rather than later. I’m not sure what the rules are about diapers and elementary school, but I’m guessing it’s frowned upon.
We started potty training our first child when she was 18 months old and showing signs of readiness, but she wasn’t fully potty trained until almost 3 years later. It was a very long and traumatic process and, to be honest, I’ve been deliberately putting off potty training our second child for a long time.
Here are just some of the reasons I’ve been avoiding potty training.
Second Child Syndrome
Since he’s our second child, we don’t have a lot of time or energy. I can’t remember to take a kid to the potty every 20 minutes. I barely remember to take a shower every few days. I’m not even sure if I brushed my teeth this morning. I’m a mess. Send coffee.
Too Many Wakeups
Between both kids, we’re already woken up several times a night. And the thought of losing any more sleep to help a kid remember to use the potty makes me want to cry. And see above note about the coffee.
Waiting For The Magic To Happen
We were half-hoping he’d learn to do it on his own. Maybe he’d learn at preschool, or from Daniel Tiger? Maybe during the summer he’d start going in the yard? I don’t know. We didn’t think it through entirely. Like I said, we’re really tired.
The Real Work Begins
The real challenge with potty training is dealing with that transition period when your child is mostly trained but not quite there yet. That’s why in the New Year, we’re officially ditching the diapers and starting to train. Thank goodness for Pull-Ups, because they help make potty training doable. So if you don’t make it to the bathroom in exactly 20 minutes? No big deal. Long road trip? Not to worry. You by some miracle get to sleep for 8 hours straight? Totally fine.
Pull-Ups are perfect for kids who are still learning, because they make accidents easier to clean up. If your carpet and couch could thank you, they probably would. Because potty training takes time and it takes work, but parents also need flexibility, because life happens.
So why Pull-Ups? Because they are the experts. They get how genuinely daunting and overwhelming it can be to do the potty training thing, and they make it so much easier. Look, kids are different — some bounce off the walls, some are wildly independent, and some hate change and are resistant. Pull-Ups has helped potty train literally 50 million Big Kids, and they have tips that will help you. Really. Pull-Ups are your potty training bestie, for real. They’ve got your back.
New Year’s resolutions aren’t always realistic and they don’t always last. (Good luck with that whole “going to the gym every single day” thing.) But with Pull-Ups, you can at least rest assured that lasting potty training success is a realistic and achievable goal.
And you’ll all be much happier leaving the diapers behind, both literally and figuratively.
This post was sponsored by Pull-Ups® Training Pants. We know potty training can sound daunting to parents, but why not make it fun? Visit Pull-Ups.com for tips and tricks to make the journey fun and exciting for both parents and children.
