21st Century Mummy

I actually first started putting my daughter on a potty before she was one, I mistook the signs, I patiently sat by her reading books to her and although at the beginning she seemed quite happy, after a while she used to scream if I took her anywhere near the potty – so we stopped not wanting to give her nightmares! It was only after I read a bit about it I realised it was probably way too early, although apparently 20 years ago the average age for potty training was 18 months and now it’s 3 years.

A month before Isabella’s 2nd birthday we went to Spain for a week’s holiday. This seemed an ideal time to start potty training. It was hot, so she could run around in minimal clothing and we were outside most of the time, so accidents were of no real consequence. She seemed properly ready this time, telling me if she was about to wee etc. I had come armed with 7 pairs of underwear (£2 from M&S) and was very relaxed about the whole thing. I hadn’t even bought any books on the subject (very unusual for me).

From the first day her nappy was off from the time she got up until she went to bed. That first week was spent mostly encouraging to sit on the potty, asking her regularly if she wanted to use it and making a huge fuss if she did actually use it! By the end of the holiday, she was doing pretty well.