Well it is a month since I last shared our potty training experiences in                             Potty Training (part 1). Rose’s potty training has grown and developed in leaps and bounds during the last month. She is asking to go potty and is much more at ease with a variety of toilet options.

Warning: this post contains more poo and pee talk!

I did have friends ask some questions when potty training. These included:

“Did u just get a regular plastic potty? There’s loads of different ones which can be quite dear”

Yes we have a regular potty, bought for Daisy from Ikea.

We also have a potty and step stool in one which is great for leaving out in what ever room you are in. The handy lid covers up the fact it is a potty and it can be used as a step also. It is made by Safety first but I am not quite sure where we got it.

Neither is an expensive potty. The training conversation is what is important not the tools.

You can also get toilet training seats. For many children who are nervous using the big toilet these can be reassuring. The chances of falling into the toilet are diminished.

We have not tried these. Have you?

Do you use pull ups?

Yes, for afternoon naps. Rose is not trained when sleeping. I don’t believe you can train when children are sleeping. Accident free nights naturally follow daytime training, when the child is ready. We used a night diaper for a year after Daisy was trained. She was totally free of diapers by the age of 3. This seems to be unusually early but that is Daisy!

Rose is a totally different wee girl. She is able to tell us when she needs to pee and we have been celebrating more and more accident free days. Poops are another matter. She is not keen on pooping in the potty and training for # 2 is ongoing. Thank goodness for rubber gloves!

On a recent trip to Vancouver we did use pull ups for the plane and long car rides. Rose was out of her schedule and a combination of late nights and missed naps meant she was tired and struggled to remember to ask for the potty. The temporary use of pull-ups meant less stress for both of us but it was only for the 4 day trip and she seemed proud to get back into ‘knickers’ as we call them.

Do you play with the potty?

Absolutely not. We do play with dolls and teddies and have them go to the potty. We also have a mini potty from … somewhere and the dolls use it. It is important that Rose understands the potty is for poop and pee not playing with. We have had enough incidents of poop being played with in our house to last a lifetime!

Rose is enjoying her independence with potty training and her ability to tell us ahead of time is increasing everyday.

Remember Diapers Are Not Forever and neither is potty training thank goodness!

The most important thing to remember when potty training is Patience and understanding.

These little angels that have been entrusted to us, do their best and we need to accept this and help them on their journey.

Have you any potty training questions Rose and I can attempt to answer?