Step 2: A few days before

A few days before we actually put her on the potty to try and go, we did more prep work:

• Let them get messy! - I read that some toddlers actually like the feeling of dirtying in their diapers, Madeleine included, which is why I was pretty sure that if I left it up to her she wouldn't be potty trained until Kindergarten. I also figured this could be a sticking point with Madeleine because I am not a messy person and don't like for her to get messy to begin with. So, every day for about 3 days before P-day I let her "finger paint" with chocolate pudding. Granted, more pudding ended up on her body than on the paper, but that was the idea. I think this really helped! Here is a picture of her in her finger painting glory.


• Practice sitting - I started getting her used to her new potty and to the idea of taking time out of her play to go potty by having her sit on it for a few minutes several times a day.

• Make the bathroom "fun" - I tried putting up posters of Little Einsteins all over the bathroom at her level. This actually didn't work for us but her doctor did recommend it, so maybe it works for some people.


• Introduce a potty trained friend - when Madeleine had a 3 year old friend come over to play and she saw him go potty by himself just one time it made a huge difference.