Potty Training the 4th Time Around & the Gadget That Made It Work!

Oh for the love. I’ve done this before. He is kid #4. Why, oh why, is this so difficult?

You’re with me, right? You wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t enduring the torture required to get your toddler to pee and poop in a toilet.

Ok, I know there are families out there who have no trouble getting this done. Their angel decides he/she doesn’t like being wet and – BOOM – potty training is done in a snap, wearing underwear and enjoying the park with no worries.

Well, that is not my story.

I’m the one who resorts to putting Little One in a Pull-Up at the playground because how embarrassing would it be for him to pee and coat the inside of the slide? I mean, eww, gross…and he’s MY Little One.

I’m the one who tried sticker charts and bribery with M&Ms.

I’m the one who bought a toy to serve as a reward for success, and that toy sat on the bathroom counter for WEEKS waiting to be earned.

I’m the one who tried to psychologically encourage Little One, talking to him about being a “big boy.”

I’m the one who…oh goodness, if someone said This might work I sure-the-heck tried it.

So, what worked?

The potty watch. Seriously. A glorified timer that he wore on his wrist all day long. It was slim, sort of looked like a FitBit. You set the time (30 min, 45 min, or 60 min) and it chimes to remind Little One that it’s time to try to potty. Push a button and it resets. All. Day. Long. The one we bought came with sketchy directions, so there were a couple nights the watch was in the garage because I couldn’t get it to stop chiming. That’s another story for another day …

Why do I think the watch worked? One word: Consistency.

We tried to be consistent, taking him to potty within specific time intervals. I would set timers to remind me, and we’d be good for part of the day. Then we would get distracted with other things and forget to tell Little One to go, and then there would be pee all over my kitchen floor. Once we got the watch, it was a dedicated timer, serving only one purpose. We practiced with the watch chiming for a couple days, and then he caught on to the pattern. (I mean, how difficult is the pattern? The watch chimes, you pee. Easy peasy…sort of.)

It became his “job” to go potty when the watch chimed, and he didn’t need me telling him to go. The watch would chime, he would push the button to reset, and he would take himself to the potty. I didn’t have to reset anything, say anything, do anything (except praise him for a job well done). Win-win in my world!

Eventually, as Little One gained more bladder control, we increased the time to 45 min and then to 60 min and then the watch was unneeded. We had conquered peeing in the potty.

It might not work for all, but this #20 plastic watch is being given all the credit for my Little One wearing underwear and peeing in a toilet. Two thumbs up from me!

Maricar Harris
Maricar (pronounced “Merrah Car”) is moved to Wichita in July 2014 from Virginia Beach. She married her college sweetheart, Chris, in 1996. Together, they have four kids: Will, Addison, Bekah, and Victor. Maricar and Chris are originally from Augusta, Georgia (the “Home of the Masters”, for any avid golfers out there) and have moved quite a bit while Chris completed residency/fellowship (and an eight year US Navy commitment). Here in Wichita, they are now planting some roots. Maricar is a chemistry teacher at Wichita Collegiate, who spends a lot of time cheering for her Spartans at sporting events. She enjoys a good inspirational book, a freshly brewed cup of coffee, scrapbooking, and dinner date nights. Eating out and going to movies tops the list of things the Harris family likes to do. Having a newborn at 42 has been life changing, but she recognizes the greatness of this blessing and is looking forward to this chapter of life.