Potty Training a Stubborn Toddler

I'll never forget when McKinlee was around 18 months, she started showing interest in the potty so we decided that we were going to potty train her!  The "three day method" was our first strategy, and we even took the day off from work on Friday so we could accomplish this. McKinlee stayed naked from the waist down so she could easily get to the potty.  My mom saved all of my Happy Meal toys from when I was little, so we had a tub full of toys we were going to give her as prizes.  We also bought 12,000,000 different kinds of juices to make sure she was well hydrated.

Giving Up Before Giving In

Needless to say we barely made it to nap time before giving up on day one.  The entire morning was spent staring at her crotch.  We'd put her on the potty every 10 minutes and she was getting so frustrated.  As soon as she'd get off the potty, she'd run to the front door and pee on the floor.   Mission, not accomplished.  We realized we were going to be potty training a stubborn toddler!

The cutest twirl dresses  / Potty Chair 

Potty Training a Stubborn Toddler

Fast forward to a year later, McKinlee is now 2.5.  She's enrolled in pre-school this September, and they require all kids to be potty trained.  Talk about pressure!  All of my close friends who's toddlers are right around McKinlee's age are all potty trained, so I was getting really frustrated that McKinlee still wasn't.  Bribing her with toys/candy and didn't work.  A trip to Target to let her pick out new underpants didn't work.  We tried the naked method again, and she peed on our couch, carpet, and floor SO MANY TIMES.  McKinlee would sti on the potty multiple times  a day and she wouldn't go.  So, I gave up and came to terms with the fact that she'll get it when she's ready.

And she got it.  All of a sudden, she started going on the potty (we loved the BEABA potty chair pictured above)!  It was like everything clicked and there has been no turning back.  McKinlee wore pull ups for a week, and they were consistently dry.  We decided to make the switch to underpants and she has only had a couple of accidents.  I'd love for her to make the switch to start going on the big potty, so we have been using the Beaba 2-in-1 Step Stool so she can get on the big potty easier. It can also stack below the small potty to raise it higher (a girl needs options!).

Step stool 

So, moral of the story is you can't force them to do something they don't want to or are not ready to do.  It will just cause stress on them and you.  They'll be able to feel your stress and shut down.  She will get up and go all on her own now and Ryan and I still can't believe our big girl is potty trained!  Potty training has probably been one of the most difficult parenting tasks to date, and I'm so glad we are done (well, with one of the girls at least!).

When was your toddler potty trained?  Was it easy or difficult?  Please let me know if you have questions or just want to commiserate!

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