3 Day Potty Training

Going with the theme of potty training, the 3 Day Potty Training pamphlet that I spoke of has reached tens of thousands of parents.  It has been seen in various parenting magazines, and I hope to bring you a glimpse of it through this post.

Before I got my hand on it I had heard about it from a bunch of my mom friends and also on various message boards that I frequent.  I was able to track down a copy via email and quickly read it.  After reading it I definitely agree with many of the principles that are discussed but I just don't see how it is that different from the other books that are out there on potty training.

The premise behind the 3 Day Potty Training is that you basically must commit yourself to not leaving your home for three days.  When I read that, the first thing I thought was, you've got to be kidding me.  Anyone that knows me personally knows that this is just not something that I could do.  I gave birth to my son and went out to dinner two nights later.  I get a little stir crazy by being inside too long.  This aside, I figure there are still tons of families that have tried this technique and ventured outside their house in the process.  It just so happens, though, that when we started potty training, we got stuck in our house by default.  Another blizzard in the Northeast.  So my little boy didn't actually have to be dragged that far with his mother.

The author of this book emphasizes that her process involves dedication, consistency, love, patience, positive reinforcement, and focus.  I can't say that I disagree with this approach one bit.  What better way to teach our children a new way of doing anything without our utmost respect and love.  I honestly feel this is how we must do all things with our children.  After all, this is how we should be teaching them to deal with others around them and themselves.

The part of the book that I wasn't so sure about was completely getting rid of all the diapers and pull ups in the house.  I like a slower process and I believe that a lot of children deserve the time to adjust to this new way of living. Sure, it might take a little longer if you are going to be only potty training during the day and leaving diapers on at night, but I think that this is a huge change for your little one and something that might not come that easily.  For now, we are just putting little guy in undies during the day and keeping him in diapers for nap and nighttime.  When he gets increasingly better and has less frequent accidents then we will transition to naps and nighttime.

I also don't agree with loading your child up on liquids.  This could lead to more accidents, and yes, this will help them realize how to use the potty, but it could also lead to a lower self esteem.  With the increased liquids you are most likely increasing the incidents of accidents.  I know with my son, he gets very stressed and down when he has an accident, so I don't exactly think this is for us.

Overall, I think it is a great read, and I will definitely use some of the principles, but I will use a hodgepodge of various methods to find what works best for us.  I definitely recommend the e-book though, if you can get a hand on it!