Hellobee Boards Topic: Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?

Hellobee Boards Topic: Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 24 May 2026 07:04:59 +0000 chopsuey on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1088209 Sun, 15 Sep 2013 13:00:43 +0000 chopsuey 1088209@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It was SO much easier than I expected! We trained a couple weeks before her 2nd birthday. She was trained in a day! Cole on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1088174 Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:58:23 +0000 Cole 1088174@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I have been through the potty training/learning process with five kids now and two have been way easier and one was super tricky and two were about spot on. Two did potty learning, one loved it the other one took a looking time but it was fine. Two did three day boot camp style, again piece of cake with one and a bit of a process with the other. The fifth child we started with potty learning then switched to three day style and then kind of went back... We had a school deadline that we were bumping up against and it is still a lot of work to keep this particular child dry. So... I suppose that isn't terribly helpful but that was how it broke down! I was surprised at the kids who were easy vs tricky though. Mrs. Twine on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1088169 Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:47:04 +0000 Mrs. Twine 1088169@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We had a very similar approach to @Mrs. Jacks. Ellie was in underwear full time right at age two. I taught preschool for several years before she was born, and had the opportunity to participate in many kids' toilet learning processes, and it reinforced for me how smoothly things can go when they are child-driven. Lorelei will be fast once she decides that the potty isn't "horrible" (her words). A close friend of Ellie's was much later on the spectrum (close to age five) and her mom despaired of her ever being in underwear. But children are very driven to meet societal norms, and one day she got there on her own. It'll happen. And looking for cues and interest and making the "tools" available (and not shying away from talking about "potty stuff") are helpful, too. Maysprout on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1088160 Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:25:45 +0000 Maysprout 1088160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We took a slow approach and so it was both easier and harder. She had an obvious preference for pooping on the potty since she was 8 months, but there was plenty of times where that went away since we weren't really pushing it, just sitting her on if she looked like she had to go or asked to go. So I think the slow approach adds some confusion of picking and choosing when to use the potty. She was out of diapers through during some teething and while she weaned, which made things challenging because we had a LO who really hated diapers but also has some accidents during those times. Luckily she's kept her act together in public but at home we've had plenty of accidents, which I expected at first but didn't expect later on. Since some of her friends aren't trained yet and she'll see them in diapers, or she's seen some of them go outside and pee (more parents do this than I thought), we've had to deal with her wanting to be like them. So I was surprised at how quickly she showed a preference for the potty but also surprised at what all causes accidents. T-Mom on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087764 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:20:52 +0000 T-Mom 1087764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It was easier than I thought for DD but she was 2.5. I have a feeling it's gonna be harder with DS. HLK208 on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087757 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:17:08 +0000 HLK208 1087757@https://boards.hellobee.com/ It wasn't hard but wasn't easy either. I started trying to get him potty trained at 20 months but he really wasn't ready. Instead, I just kept trying to get him familiar with it. By 2, he started going but still wouldn't hold it before he got to the bathroom. By 27 months, he was potty trained but not at night until 3. There were probably a dozen accidents during the whole process. autumnlove on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087756 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:16:03 +0000 autumnlove 1087756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Jacks: :-) mrs.cookie on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087747 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:06:15 +0000 mrs.cookie 1087747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Jacks: ah, excellent! Thank you! Mrs. Jacks on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087733 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:50:49 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1087733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @mrs.cookie: I wrote a blog post about it. Just search toilet learning on the blog. mrs.cookie on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087717 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:35:19 +0000 mrs.cookie 1087717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Jacks: I'm about to google toilet learning now! I haven't heard that before. mrs.cookie on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087716 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:34:44 +0000 mrs.cookie 1087716@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Both! We had a false start which was disastrous. We backed off, waited a few months, and it basically happened overnight. He was 3 y 2 m. Everyone kept reassuring me that boys are often much later! I think P will train herself like my nieces, who both decided at 18 months that they were done with nappies!! Very strong willed girlies :) Mrs. Jacks on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087696 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:23:53 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 1087696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We did toilet learning, so it was never really hard, but there were several accidents... Baby Boy Mom on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087695 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:23:28 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 1087695@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Easier. He was 22 months and got the hang of it super fast. Night training was a little more up and down because of travel but really I can't complain. Mrs. Bee on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087689 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:16:57 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1087689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ much easier. i think charlie only had 3 accidents total. i think he was just ready at 2 1/2. Koolbreeze on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087685 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:12:35 +0000 Koolbreeze 1087685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @autumnlove: I was quite happy with it. :P I had a few people try to scare me into doing it earlier, telling me he'd never do it on his own. But I wasn't in any rush. I was pregnant and lazy (and worries he'd regress after DS2 was born if we pushed too hard). autumnlove on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087681 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:09:48 +0000 autumnlove 1087681@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Koolbreeze: That is awesome! :-) Koolbreeze on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087680 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:09:11 +0000 Koolbreeze 1087680@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We never tried potty training DS1. We left it at "he'll do it when he's ready" and at 2 years 8-9 months he did it. So, very easy for us! Haha. autumnlove on "Was potty training easier or more difficult than you expected?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-potty-training-easier-or-more-difficult-than-you-expected#post-1087676 Sat, 14 Sep 2013 21:04:42 +0000 autumnlove 1087676@https://boards.hellobee.com/ We are going to try after Christmas when I have a week off! She will be 2.