Toilet training in one weekend

Toilet training your child can be incredibly frustrating. A well-known method is the '3-day method' which can ensure that your child is toilet trained during the day during a weekend.

The idea of being diaper-free within a few days sounds like music to many parents. Imagine, after just one long weekend: no more spending money on diapers and wipes! No diapers change at the most annoying moments. Never carry that huge diaper bag with you again. It sounds too good to be true, but proponents of the three-day method really make it that simple.

Preparation: Collect fun training pants, a pee potandpossibly one WC reducerand enough wipes. Make sure you are well rested and have a lot of patience for a weekend of motivating, cleaning up and perhaps a small party at the end of the weekend. What can you expect? Many accidents and some frustration are very likely.

Timeframe: if everything goes according to plan, your child is toilet trained for the day on Sunday evening. Think carefully if it is something for you. Rapidly frustrated and distracted toddlers may not last long on this method, but if your child is motivated to wear 'big kids' underwear, then this method is definitely worth trying.

When is your baby ready to toilet train

• According to most proponents of this three-day method, you have the most success with children between 18 and 30 months. According to some "experts", it only gets more difficult as they get older. 
• Your child can already clearly indicate what his wishes and needs are in gestures or words.
• Your child is already interested in the toilet and can stay dry for at least two hours at a time or does not urinate so much in a short period of time
• Your child shows that he / she is aware of pooping or peeing, in gestures or words

Keep your calendar empty all weekend

Keep your calendar empty for the weekend and book 3 days and don't plan trips. You should devote all your time and attention to toilet training. That also means no play dates or long-term shopping. A short 1-2 hour outing should be possible as part of the training, but keep in mind that things can go wrong along the way. Either way, you and your child should be able to focus solely on toilet training. The most convenient period is to plan this during the holiday period or over a long weekend, when you do not have to work. Think of things that can be distracting, such as cooking, doing the laundry, or taking an older child to a birthday party or swimming lesson. Try to plan this as much as possible or coordinate it with your partner at home. Prepare the meal as much as possible, get some groceries for the weekend and try to catch up on the laundry beforehand.

TIP: Talk to your child about going to the toilet or practice with a doll or cuddly toy on the potty and show your child when their sibling is using the toilet. 

Provide good motivation and a nice reward

All versions of the three-day method we reviewed advocate that children be rewarded every time they get the jar or use the jar on time. Stickers, candies and small toys are all options depending on what you think will motivate your child. You may want to store these in the bathroom or near the jar so that the association between reward and action is clear. Exaggerated enthusiasm when your child uses the pot is also strongly encouraged! 

You cannot do enough training pants to have

Some experts of the three-day methodology recommend leaving your child walking around naked, while others recommend wearing only underwear or exercise pants. The advantage of training pants is that they can collect a small puddle, without everything being immediately wet. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to have plenty of wipes and cleaning supplies on hand to clean up any mess. It is also recommended to a pee pot to buy and / or a WC reducer. The advantage of a water bottle is that you can place it anywhere. You can also buy an extra for the top floor. To get the urination process going, you can stock up on many of your child's favorite ice creams or drinks, as they will entice your little one to drink more (and thus urinate more, for maximum exercise opportunities).

Potty training for the night

At night it is difficult to force your child to go to the potty. In general, children also take longer to become toilet trained at night. Try to toilet train your child during the day, after which you can calmly try to toilet train your child at night. If your child is ready, you can also use training pants for the night. Keep in mind that training pants are made to absorb small accidents and not very big puddles! We therefore recommend one mattress protector in this last phase towards toilet training. Cleaning and turning the mattress after every accident is very frustrating for your night's sleep and not useful for the life of your mattress :-)

Place a pee next to the bed and possibly a small one night light, so that your child can sit independently on the potty at night.

Encourage your child to sit on the pee before bedtime. Wake your child up again in the meantime to urinate when you go to bed yourself.

Party Time - Get started with toilet training

Are you ready for a weekend potty training? Get up, get dressed and get ready before your toddler starts the day. Start the day by having your child choose a pair of training pants for himself. They find this very fun and exciting. Make it special for him / her. Introduce it as a 'potty party'. Set up one room in your house as a 'center of the pool', for example the living room. Dress it up with fun decorations, games and everything else to enhance the fun. Let your little one help you prepare the room for their big weekend. From this moment on, the 72 hours start by having your baby drink extra and regularly asking him / her if they should already go to the jar. The 3-day toilet training method recommends doing this at regular intervals, starting every five minutes and then every 10 minutes, up to 20 minutes on day three. By the end of day three, after much trial and error and talking about pee and poo for many hours, it is assumed that your child can now find their way to the potty itself.

Does the 3-day toilet training really work?

Many parents swear by the three-day method. It is certainly effective for some families, but you should carefully check whether your child is ready for this. If your child is not, then it is recommended to it program with a softer, more child-led approach. It's okay to try things out and see what you can do family works. So maintain a relaxed posture and don't be too hard on yourself and your toddler to abort toilet training if it demands too much from you or if it goes too fast.