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Is toilet training best done quickly?

Robyn Senior struggled to toilet train little Tahlia, two-and-a-half, saying it took several months to eliminate nappies from her home.

I started early when it came to introducing Tahlia to toilet training. When she was around 17 months old, I brought the potty out and she would practise using it before her bath. I had visions of having Tahlia toilet trained by the age of two… but had no such luck.

When she was a little over two years I decided to give it a go in earnest. I put undies on her and explained what she needed to do. I thought it would be relatively easy because she seemed ready and we’d practised in the past.

On day one there were plenty of wet undies, despite the fact I kept asking her if she needed to sit on the potty every half-an-hour. Days two and three were a little better. I continued to prompt her and there were still a few slip-ups, but by the end of the first week she was doing really well. Then I had to go back to full-time work and my husband started looking after her. Over the course of my first four days back at work Anthony took her out a lot and he started putting nappies on her every now and then. It all fell apart after that.

Tahlia would stand there looking at me and just wet her undies. I persevered for around six weeks, but there was no improvement. Most days would end in me getting frustrated and Tahlia crying, so I put her back in nappies. She stayed in them for a few months before I decided to try toilet training again.

It was so much easier the second time around and now she’s almost fully trained. I really thought the first time would’ve been easier because we introduced her to the concept so early. I’m now pregnant with our second baby and we’ve found out it’s a boy. This time I’m going to wait until he’s truly ready before I start toilet training him.

Melina Gregoire toilet trained Anthony, now four-and-a-half, in three days, but took longer to get Ethan, three, out of nappies.

When Anthony was little, someone sent me an email about toilet training your child in just three days. I didn’t need any toilet training advice at the time, so I filed it away for future reference.

When Anthony turned two-and-a-half, I chose a long weekend to start the training. The technique said you should set aside three full days to be with your child and concentrate on the training. To prepare I bought lots of undies, treats and drinks to encourage wees.

I decided to skip the potty and instead bought a step and a toilet-seat insert for the regular loo. On the first day I took his nappy off and told him, “We’re going to wear big boy undies now”, then I got him to throw all his nappies in the bin himself. The technique requires the child to take responsibility for going to the toilet, so I explained he had to tell me or go to the toilet himself, rather than have me prompting him to do it.

I didn’t leave his side all day and we did have lots of accidents, but I kept up with the positive reinforcements and made a big deal when he went to the toilet – clapping, singing and even ringing family and friends to tell them the good news. By the third day it had clicked and he hasn’t worn a nappy since.

I wasn’t as successful with our second child, Ethan, because I didn’t have the same amount of time and I wasn’t as consistent. He’s been toilet trained for six months now and still has the occasional accident if he’s distracted.

Overall, I can’t believe how easy it’s been. The technique I used was intense but very worthwhile, and it only took three days!

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