These 3 Day Potty Training tips are part of a sponsored post written by me as a member of Collective Bias and Cottonelle. All opinions are 100% mine. I received monetary compensation for my time and work, but was happy to use Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes while potty training!
Last Thursday, I officially started potty training Jaye and decided to use the 3 Day Potty Training Method because I figured it would be best to just go for it, like ripping off a band-aid. So I read the book and made my plans. Right now, Jaye has Mother’s Day Out on Monday and Wednesday, so I decided to start on Thursday so we would have 4 full days before she headed back to school.
Honestly, the scariest part of the potty training was the thought of being stuck at home and not able to go out for 3 days. So I came up with several ways to make 3 day potty training fun for both Jaye and myself!
1. Make your 3 day potty training supplies stand out!
First, I wanted to make sure our supplies were as fun as possible! I picked up some Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes at Wal-Mart. But the container was so plain and white that I decided to use some washi tape to spice it up! Washi tape is great for this project because you can change it up easily if you get bored, and there are so many different designs and styles that anyone will find one they love. I love blue and orange, so I combined some stripes of striped tapes I had in those colors. You could also do polka dots using a hole punch or craft punch in a fun shape!
Jaye, of course, didn’t own any underwear before this, so that was definitely I supply I needed to stock up on. I picked out some really cute pairs. Her favorite ones have dogs on them. She also loves the flower pairs. Most packs of panties have a few boring white ones mixed in with the fun patterns. It would be fun to use fabric paint to make those unique. If you are potty training an older baby, they could even help!
2. Buy special juices or popsicle treats to encourage lots of liquids.
Jaye doesn’t usually get a lot of juice or popsicles, but since we were potty training and needed lots of chances to practice that new skill, I stocked up on some extra delicious juices and even frozen juice popsicles. Something special and out of the norm makes the 3 day potty training process fun and exciting for the little ones instead of stressful.
3. Raid the dollar store for new crafts and games to keep you entertained during 3 day potty training.
The part of the process that had me the most concerned was needing to stay at home for 3 days. Jaye is a very go-go-go kiddo and so am I. We usually have an outing planned for every morning, but since we were potty training we had to stay at home close to the potty. So I headed to the dollar store and bought some new fun craft supplies to help keep Jaye busy. In the picture above, she’s painting a little elephant piggy bank. We also tried glitter glue for the first time. I bought washable markers because coloring with markers is kind of an exciting treat for Jaye (usually we just have crayons).
Other inexpensive activities might include a new ball or puzzle. Or, if your little one is interested in movies or TV, potty training might be a good time to allow a little bit of extra screen time. Jaye definitely watched some extra “puppet shows” (aka Baby Einstein videos) this week!
The verdict: potty training has been going GREAT so far! We are so so proud of Jaye. You may have seen it on Facebook, but on Saturday (the 3rd day), Jaye wore one pair of panties and kept them dry and clean all day long! On Day 1, we had a lot of wet underwear and some puddles. But by the end of the day, we had some totally successful trips to the potty and even a #2 that ended up entirely in the toilet! Day 2: Jaye was telling me much earlier in the process that she needed to go potty. She seemed to notice she was peeing right away, shout “pee-pee!” to me, and then hold it in while we ran to the potty. We still had some wet undies, but not so many puddles. Day 3: Dry undies all day long! Overall, I’d say the 3 Day method was a raging success even though Day 4 has not been entirely accident free.
Another thing that has been helping us stay fresh and clean is the Cottonelle Care Routine. I went shopping before we started potty training and bought some Cottonelle toilet paper and Cottonelle flushable moist wipes. We’ve loved using the wipes to make sure a certain little butt is clean after using the potty (or more importantly, after almost using the potty). They’re also handy for wiping down the toilet seat after those almost situations. And it’s great that they’re flushable since that is one of Jaye’s favorite parts of the entire process.
To learn more about the Cottonelle Care Routine, you should check out a video segment on The Talk where Cottonelle was featured along with advice for couples living together and sharing a bathroom for the first time. You can also follow Cottonelle on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest deals, like the one running now where you can get a FREE Clean Care dispenser if you buy the 24 pack of Cottonelle Fresh Care toilet paper.
I love the use of washi tape!
This will be good info for me when I have a kid someday!! I’ve heard about the 3-day potty training before, and it’s so interesting! Totally sounds like something I would do.
I wish I had this when my daughter was potty training a few years ago. I’m sure all the moms will appreciate this article.
I love this, and I especially like that you decorated the dispenser for the Cottonelle wipes. That is really fun! I’m glad potty training is going so well for you. My daughter trained herself in about 3 days, and it’s such a relief to be DONE!
such a good idea! potty training can be so daunting, what a fun spin on it!
I’m resisting the fact it is time to potty train for all those same reasons you talked about. We are ready to go, but my patience and mess making has me scared. Thanks for reminding me you can make the most of three days and see success too!
GREAT job! I used the 3 day method with my 2 youngest. They each got potty trained the week they turned 2. It took my daughter until day 4 to really “get” it. My little boy was #1 potty trained within HOURS, but it took 2 weeks for #2 to click. He knew he had to go, he just didn’t want to sit down to do it. Silly boy. SO proud of you and Jaye! Keep up the good work, mama! Sounds like she’s on the road to potty trained perfection!
Awesome mommy solution! Pinning!