3-Day Potty-Training Method: Everything You Need to Prepare Your Kid to Ditch the Diapers
by Christine Coppa
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Author Lora Jensen’s method for toilet-training toddlers is intense, but you’ve got this!
Parents looking to potty-train their kid have clear reasons for turning to the three-day potty-training method: It’s fast and decisive. But before you try it at home, there’s one warning 3 Day Potty Training author Lora Jensen has for everyone.
“You will seriously be spending all waking hours with your child for three days,” Jensen says.
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How do you know when it’s time to potty train? Your kid may be showing signs they’re ready when they tug at dirty diapers, hide to poop, express interest in you using the toilet, and have enough verbal skills to let you know when they need to go. This time frame is different for every kid, but if you suspect your child is ready to take on potty training and you’re interested in the three-day potty training method, read on.
3-Day Potty-Training Supplies
- Potty-Training Book for Adults: 3 Day Potty Training
- Potty-Training Book for Kids: P Is for Potty!
- Potty-Training Seat: Summer Infant My-Size Potty
- Baby Wipes: Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes
- Sippy Cups: Munchkin Any Angle Click Lock Weighted Straw Trainer Cup
- Juice Boxes: Honest Kids Organic Juice Boxes in Assorted Flavors
- Underwear: Cat & Jack Toddler Boys' Dino Print Briefs or Girls' Mermaid Print Briefs
- Bath Mat: Nestwell Performance Bath Rug
- Stickers: The Ultimate Disney Sticker Book
- Waterproof Mattress Cover: Sealy Cozy Dreams Waterproof Fitted Crib Mattress
Prepare for Potty Training
“The parent(s) needs to know that it will take work and you have to dedicate a full three days to the child,” Jensen says. “This means giving up ‘me’ time. You won’t be cooking, cleaning or visiting with friends—or keeping up with the Kardashians.”
And when you’re figuring out how to potty train, she says, you must plan ahead: “Have your shopping done and meals prepared ahead of time. Do the laundry and clean the house prior to starting. Be ready to play games, color, watch cartoons and just enjoy some bonding time with your child.”
It’s not a bad idea to arrange playdates out of the home for older kids, too. Make this three-day potty-training mission about your soon-to-be potty pro.
Pick up a few T-shirts that will cover your kid’s private area. Why? Your child will be going commando for three days. The theory is that if they know the diaper isn’t there to catch the pee or poop, it should click that they need to get their bare butt to a potty.
“We do not put pants on the child during the training process because we want to be able to see when they have an accident,” she says.
Stock up on drinks, too, because you’re going to encourage your kid to drink more than usual. This will obviously cause your kid to have to pee, and that’s what you want when potty training as they learn to recognize that feeling.
Hit up the local dollar store for potty- training incentives—stickers, crayons, coloring books and action heroes. Stay strong and remember prizes are for peeing in the toilet, not on the rug or all over themselves.
Speaking of Accidents…
“Accidents will happen; that is part of training. Children learn from having those accidents,” says Jensen of potty training girls and boys. “The 3-Day Potty Training Method is against punishments during training. You will clean up the accident and simply encourage them to make it to the toilet next time. Praise goes a long way.”
Gentle Reminders Work
If your kid doesn’t go after sucking down a juice box, remind them to go. And when they say “no”—and they will!—tell them just to try. Remember, this is potty training, not game day. You’re the coach.
How to Potty-Train Your Child in Three Days:
- When your child wakes up in the morning, take off their soggy diaper and bid it farewell. Have your kid throw the diaper out and say “bye-bye.”
- Dress them in an oversized T-shirt and/or big kid underwear and explain there is no diaper to catch the pee-pee or poop, so they have to put it in the potty.
- Give your kid breakfast and an extra drink. Afterwards, lead your little one to the potty. It should be a successful trip after all those liquids.
- Go on with the day, but remember, no leaving the house during the three-day potty training. Play, read, color, and watch cartoons.
- Have a sippy cup of water in your kid’s reach at all times. Just like crate-training a puppy, walk your child to the potty every 15 minutes, all day long, for three days.
- Cut off all liquids and snacks after dinner while potty training.
- Complete one final potty mission before bed.
- Wake your kid up halfway through the night to pee. (Yes, set an alarm.)
- Repeat for the next two days.
- Don’t get upset about potty-training accidents. They’re not a big deal. Don’t react.
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1 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
POTTY TRAINING BOOK FOR ADULTS
3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen
If you need more info after reading this article, we highly recommend downloading Jensen's book to your phone or tablet. This method is not for everyone, nor is it guaranteed to work for every child. But many parents shared the experience of this reader on Amazon: "My husband and I followed this approach exactly, and it worked really well for our 2.5yo son. The first day was really intense. He started it having no idea when he had to pee, and hating the potty, but by the end of the day, he was telling us when he had to go, and he was so proud of himself for using the potty."
2 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Potty Training Book For Kids
P is for Potty! Sesame Street Book
This Sesame Street potty training book written by Naomi Kleinberg is Amazon’s #1 Best Seller in Children’s Toilet Training Books. You’ll be spending tons of time with your kiddo over the next three days, and reading this book to them is a great way to pass the time and introduce them to the idea of their favorite Sesame Street characters using the potty.
3 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Potty Chair
Summer Infant My-Size Potty
You’ll need a child-size potty to make things comfortable for your child. This best-selling potty chair looks like an adult-sized toilet, so they should quickly catch on to what it’s meant for. Fun details like a moving handle that makes flushing noises add to the “big kid” feeling your kid will get from using this.
4 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Baby Wipes
Huggies Natural Care Baby Wipes
The diapers may be done for, but baby wipes are still the best thing for cleaning your little one’s bottom. It’s fine to encourage and let them use toilet paper, but cleaning up number 2 messes from baby butts is still done quicker and more comfortably with baby wipes.
5 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Sippy Cups
Munchkin Any Angle Click Lock Weighted Straw Trainer Cup
Keep a couple of sippy cups on hand. Making sure they're well-hydrated is the key to efficiently teaching your kid to “go." Little kids are notorious for abandoning cups in random places, so keep a backup or two filled with water in the fridge to give them when you see them empty handed.
6 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Juice Boxes
Honest Kids Organic Juice Boxes in Assorted Flavors
An easy way to make potty training feel like a special treat is to let your kiddo have some juice boxes to add to that “gotta go right now” feeling. Honest Kids juice boxes are a good choice because they’re sweetened with natural fruit juice, so you don’t have to worry about pumping your kid full of added sugar and sweeteners.
7 of 10 Image Credits: Target
Underwear
Cat & Jack Toddler Boys' Dino Print Briefs (7-Pack)
In general, parents who do the three-day potty-training method let their kids go naked, or at least diaper-less. If the idea of your kid’s bare butt touching everything you own kind of stresses you out, Jensen says using undies with no pants is OK.
8 of 10 Image Credits: Bed, Bath & Beyond
Bath Mat
Nestwell Performance Bath Rug
A bath rug? This surprising potty training hack helps avoid stains and lingering smells. Bath mats have rubber bottoms and can serve as a barrier between an accident and your couch or rug when teaching your child how to use the toilet.
9 of 10 Image Credits: Amazon
Stickers
The Ultimate Disney Sticker Book
Motivational stickers are a great tool to use to encourage good potty training behavior. Give your little one a sticker, or let them put a sticker on a DIY “potty chart” every time they use the potty. Make sure your child knows the stickers are for using the toilet only.
10 of 10 Image Credits: Target
Waterproof Mattress Cover
Sealy Cozy Dreams Waterproof Fitted Crib Mattress
“You will be training for both day and night. Training for both at the same time keeps the child from getting confused…If you train for both day and night, you eliminate the crutch or feeling they can just go in their diaper or pull-up,” Jensen says of potty training. Basically, go big or go home! Cover those mattresses and get ready.
