toilet tips?

When I departed for college nine years ago, my mind was made up with what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” Over the course of four years, my mind (and major) changed about a dozen times. (At one point I was seeking a Women’s Studies minor, true story.)


My diploma will tell you that I paid a whole lot of money to become an expert in “Family Studies & Human Services.” What does that expertise get you in the real world? Not a whole lot. In my home, however, it has given me valuable insight into marriage, pregnancy, childbirth & raising children. I took courses labeled “Human Development”, “Intro to Human Sexuality”, “Choices in Childbirth”, “Early Childhood”, “Family Relationships & Gender Roles”, etc…

Now, my husband has a diploma that indicates he’s an expert in “Criminal Justice,” however, his real life job has put him into lots of trainings that correspond with what I learned as a college student…so, often we are on the same page when it comes to parenting topics. We are both always searching out additional resources to challenge us, make us question, give advice, etc when it comes to marriage and parenting

Bottom line, becoming a wife & mother has brought to my mind several things I learned during my time at college. The most recent topic of conversation in our home has centered on potty training. With our daughter nearing the age of 2…and subsequently developing a fascination with taking her diaper off, we have been talking through when/how/what when it comes to our approach to potty training.

Drawing from my time at college, I can remember developmental cues to look for…what DOESN’T work & when NOT to potty train (forcing a child before they are ready, training during a transition at home, etc…) I’ve refreshed my memory on some things from the Sears & Sears “The Baby Book.” And while we are in NO rush to even attempt the process, we are starting to see a few signs that encourage us that maybe potty training can begin in the next few months. (side note, in our opinion…when we actually start to train…we want to be very serious and intentional about it…as in, not potty training for months on end. If it doesn’t take quickly, we’ll be stopping and trying again a few months later)

We came home a few weeks ago with a stack of big girl panties passed on from an older cousin….the same cousin is donating her princess potty chair to the cause! We have started talking about the potty, where we go when we need to do those things & giving names to what she is doing. Lucy already has a LOT of naked time at our house…usually before and after baths when she runs off quickly…so we’re still doing that to help her recognize what’s happening to her body….even if it means sometimes getting a little pee on the floor….and we let her be naked in the backyard last week while we were playing with the pool. And we’re playing dress up with the big girl panties, even adorning her elephant with a pair.

I’m looking into other resources, but mostly…we’re just hoping to take a very laid back approach & not get too stressed out over the whole process. When she’s ready, she’ll train. I’m convinced of that. We’re just trying to start talking about things & get REALLY excited about the “big girl potty”


I know every family is different, but we’re always eager to hear what works for others. So, what helped you move your little one from diapers to underwear???