*To read about the days following this post, click here: 3 Day Potty Training: Days 4 and On…*
This is one mom’s experience following the 3 Day Potty Training method by Lora Jensen. My husband and I did everything we could to follow the method to a “t”.
What I DIDN’T do is do her hair… at all. She looks like a little rag-a-muffin, and for that I’m sorry!
The slogan on the e-book is “Start Friday, done Sunday!” It better be that easy!
Lora also makes it clear that as long as the child is over 22 months old, he or she is ready to be potty-trained. Cora is 2 years and 1 month old. CHECK!
Day 1 is a play-by-play, and Days 2 and 3 are summaries.
DAY 1:
Holy hell.
That’s how I feel after today.
What have I done, Lord, that I should deserve this?
Why me?!
Visions of pee-fairies in my dreams.
Oy.
Here’s how the day went:
6:30am: Wake up
7am: Eat breakfast
8am: We discussed with Cora the fact that she is such a big girl that we can throw away ALL of her diapers and that she now gets to wear undies!!! She was very excited to put on her first pair of underwear. She has been enthralled with underwear for a while now, so I knew this would be a BIG moment for her! We told her that if she needs to go to pee-pee or poo-poo, that she needs to tell Mommy or Daddy so we can go to the bathroom together. We rolled up the floor rugs and congratulated ourselves on the fact that we chose hard floors for most of our main floor.
8:30am: I left for Stroller Strides class with our youngest, and my husband stayed at home with Cora.
11am: I returned home to find 2 wet pairs of underwear in the bathroom. OK, fine… I didn’t expect success already. Joel left for school, and there I was left with two kids, one who is sure to pee on me at any second. “No, you canNOT sit on my lap!”
11:30am: We ate lunch and then I took all liquid away from her so that she’d be ready for nap time by 1:30pm.
11:45am: I reminded Cora several times that if she needs to go potty, to tell me. She didn’t take me up on that offer. In fact, she waited until I was feeding Benson to stand right next to me and pee into a big puddle on the ground. Really? I abandoned my littlest in efforts to follow the e-book’s rules. I carried Cora to the bathroom (which was just a few steps away). I sat her on the toilet and praised her for going potty. I let her wipe for herself, I helped her with what she missed, and we found a new pair of undies to put on. I cleaned up the puddle…
12:30pm: Cora played in the kitchen as I cleaned up a little. I heard that dreaded hose-water-on-patio sound and knew I was in for another treat. I rushed her to the bathroom, which is the guidance in Jensen’s e-book. The idea is that the child finishes going potty on the toilet, which you can praise them for. That is NOT what actually happens, though. By the time you realize she is urinating on your precious kitchen floor, she is halfway done. During your trip to the bathroom, she empties the other half of her bladder in a nice scribble-scrabble pattern on your floor. Now, not only do you have to clean up a puddle of pee, but you have to clean up an entire line of pee linking the puddle to the bathroom while trying to keep her and your crawling 7-month-old out of it.
1:10pm: Cora peed on the floor again. Same process. Really… exhilarating!
1:30pm: We went up to Cora’s room (with a waterproof mattress cover) and I showed her where the potty was. I used a portable kid toilet upstairs and we use the regular toilet with a kid toilet seat adapter downstairs. There are no diapers allowed in this method — not even at sleep time. I discussed with her that we need to go potty before nap time. She sat on the toilet, but she didn’t go. We read a book and I put her to bed. She got really upset when I left and wanted to sleep in Benson’s crib, which she has done for the past several days just for nap time (why? I have no idea). I knew she wouldn’t nap without going in there, but I also knew she wouldn’t be able to get out to go to the bathroom if she needed to. I ended up switching their mattresses and allowing her to go in his room.
2:45pm: Despite being in Benson’s crib, Cora never went to sleep. Joel had come home by then, so he got her. She had peed. First change of the sheets. I praise the waterproof mattress cover inventor. To you I owe everything — or at least my mattresses.
This video is of her visit to the toilet after nap time. She was very cranky after this nap, and I assume it’s because she DIDN’T NAP!
[wpvideo ubzuI5YR]
3:30pm: Joel stayed upstairs with her. He put away some laundry while she threw toys in the bathtub within sight. The next thing he knew… she had her hand in the back of her underwear. It was almost slow motion as she pulled it out. She revealed that brown and chunky hand to the world with an amazing shamelessness. Joel rushed toward her in what seemed like slow motion as she simultaneously swung her arm around, smearing feces on the bathtub. This is the moment I knew that God had my back, because I was downstairs enjoying my 7-month-old, oblivious to the stinky battlefield upstairs.
4-7pm: Cora had 2 more accidents on the ground on the main level. We sure were good at cleaning up by this point, and we had gone through a LOT of paper towels. I will use a towel to clean it up on carpet, but I just can’t seem to bring myself to make all of our towels pee-soaked. We stopped water/milk intake by 5:30pm for her bedtime at 7:30pm.
7:30pm: Cora went to sleep in her bed. I was pretty positive she would pee in her bed overnight, but I was ok with that. I also wasn’t too down about the day. Jensen mentioned in the book that her son didn’t get the hang of it until the end of Day 3. I have 2 more days. That’s all.
Day 2:
6:30am: Cora woke up and HAD peed in her bed. I reminded her, on this fresh new day, to tell Mommy and Daddy if she has to go potty. She said, “I go potty.” We ran to the portable toilet upstairs. She sat down and AH-HA! This was the first time she actually urinated in the proper place!!! I was ecstatic and wanted to shout it from the rooftops. THIS would be our day of success. I just knew it!
Morning: I left the house from 8:30-11am to teach Stroller Strides. During that time she had one accident.
11-12: I was alone with both kids, and Cora had 2 successes! Both were as a result of me reminding her to tell me when she had to go. When I reminded her to “Tell Mommy when you have to go potty,” she said, “I go potty.” The second time, she actually had damp underwear. I assumed she had gone on the floor. I said, “Cora, remember to tell Mommy when you have to go potty.” I took her to the bathroom to let her “finish”, even though I didn’t think there was anything left in her. To my surprise, she went quite a bit in the toilet! I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she did her best to hold it until she figured out what to do with it. I didn’t find a puddle, which supports my theory.
Nap time: Cora slept in Benson’s crib, again. We stopped liquid intake 2 hours before nap time, and she actually didn’t go potty during nap time! Yahoo!
Afternoon: Have you read Parenthood: The High Highs and the Low Lows? The transition from nap time to the afternoon is an example of what the article talks about! Talk about being at your wits-end! Joel was gone all afternoon at Jiu Jitsu and then helping a friend move, and I was DONE! Cora peed 4 times on the floor. Despite our preparation of rolling up the floor rugs, she still managed to pee on the side of two of them. REALLY?! I’m not sure if she was confused, if she was playing with me, or if she had been taken over by Satan. All three have equal likelihood.
Evening: Joel came home and we ate dinner. We stopped liquids 2 hours before bedtime. Cora peed twice on the ground. It was almost like she enjoyed it. She certainly would giggle hysterically while we carried her to the bathroom with her urine trailing behind us. It was then that I contemplated why Lora Jensen hated my family so much. Why would she put us through this frustration and anguish? Is she even real, or is she simply a name made up by a potbellied, dirty, middle-aged man sitting behind a computer who takes silent joy in causing hell in the lives of young families?
At the end of the day, I still wasn’t convinced that Cora knew when she had to go. I couldn’t tell if she knew when she had to go, but just didn’t have the reaction time; if she knew when she had to go, but didn’t care about going where she was supposed to; if she didn’t know she had to go until it started coming out; or if she just hated Joel and me.
Day 3:
I swear, every sound makes me think she is going pee — the crinkling of a plastic bag, running water in the bathroom, the shower, her rubber puzzle pieces sliding on the floor… I feel like I’m going insane.
5:45am: Cora woke up and came in to our room. She was playing around a bit, but once she saw that I was awake, she said, “I go potty.” I figured that meant that she had already gone to the bathroom somewhere, and I was right. Joel got up with her. Although her sheets were DRY (YAY!), there was a pee puddle on the outside of our bedroom door. So, she tried to come tell us in time, but didn’t make it. She could have stopped at her little toilet on the way, but I guess I have to celebrate one teeny-tiny triumph at a time.
Morning: All morning, she exclaimed, “I potty on ground! I potty on ground!” I said, “No, we potty in the toilet!” She was mocking me, that little bugger, and I wasn’t laughing! All morning I quizzed her. I said, “Cora, if you have to go potty, where do you go?” Every time, she pointed to the bathroom. Yay! When I asked this on Day 2, she just looked confused. Another small triumph.
She sat on my lap and watched ABC videos on YouTube, and I’m sure she could feel my tension. ‘Don’t pee, don’t pee,’ I thought. Every once in a while I reminded her to tell me when she had to go potty. She seemed confident. After a little while, she jumped off my lap and walked into the kitchen. I had a bad feeling about this. I followed her and reminded her, again, to tell me if she has to go potty. She said, “I go potty!” So, we went into the bathroom and Voila! She tinkled in the toilet, and I was thrilled!!
A little while later, I heard her grunting. As every parent does, I knew exactly what was coming next. Although I wanted to ask, “Are you going poo-poo?” I decided to be a good student to Ms. Jensen and remind Cora to tell me when she has to go potty. I was on pins-and-needles, because I had no idea when the load would blow. I was in no mood to clean up a muddy explosion, but no matter how many times I reminded her to tell me she had to go, Cora did NOT want to go to the bathroom. She had a little skid-mark in her underwear, so I took the opportunity to carry her into the bathroom. She was NOT happy, and said, “It hurt!” I followed by the method for such an occasion and gave her a toy that I presented as a toy that makes it not hurt. I then proceeded to make up songs about how we need to push out the poo-poo so it can go home to its family (oh, come on people — I was desperate!) The best part is that she started learning the song and sang it out loud!
No luck on the poo-poo front. Undies went back on and our attention went to something else.
Noon: After just reminding her to tell us if she has to go potty, Cora peed on the ground. Joel rushed her to the bathroom and put her on the toilet. While he cleaned up the mess, I asked her if she went potty in the toilet. She said, “Yes!” I praised her as if she had, but it was hard. I’m so depleted by this point! Being from a military background, I equate potty training to a week in the field. Although, in the field, we go to the bathroom around trees… on the ground. I’m thinking I should send her to the woods of Quantico, VA where the Marines train. She’d fit in well there.
Nap time: Cora came out of her room with a dry bed, but slightly damp underwear. She stood in front of her portable kid’s potty and began pulling her underwear down by herself, but she didn’t go. Progress? I think so. This is the first time she’s initiated going!
Afternoon: Again, we had several reminders for her regarding telling us when she has to go. She eventually did, all by herself! She usually waits until we remind her to tell us and then she says she has to. It’s another step! She sat on the toilet for quite a while and when I asked, she would say she wasn’t done. I gave her a book and I walked away. Not too long later, I heard grunts. Yay! I know… weird to say “yay,” right? It was a triumph, though! She told me she had to go, she actually DID have to go, and now she was actually going!
We had one step forward, AND one step back. Cora peed on the floor AGAIN, right in front of me. I carried her into the bathroom and she “finished” there. We celebrated her “accomplishment”. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!
Evening: Even worse, She stood on our rolled up rug (too large to prop up) and PEED! She then said, “I go potty!” WHY???? WHY????? WHY????? I feel like I’m going to cry! Day 3 was supposed to be the day of triumph and exhilaration, but it absolutely wasn’t.
My over exaggerated and sarcastic rant:
LORA JENSEN LIED, and I wasted three days.
In her e-book, she says, “Don’t be discouraged if it hasn’t clicked by the end of day 1. It will happen by day 3.”
NOPE. Not right.
Now what?! Do I continue on for a couple more days? Do I quit and try again later (that would be hell!)? I can’t tell you how frustrated we are. We are SICK of cleaning up pee. We are SICK of reminding her to tell us she has to go. We are SICK of washing underwear and sheets every night. I HATE POTTY TRAINING!
Remember the slogan on the e-book: “Start Friday, done Sunday!”? FALSE ADVERTISING. OK, so I’m being a little funny. I don’t have anything against Lora. She’s doing great work! I’m just frustrated as to why it didn’t work as planned with us. I’m sure I can nitpick everything we did and suppose as to why things aren’t going as quickly as they should.
As I write this, I hear Cora upstairs. She said, “I go potty!” to Joel, who is putting her to bed. She pulled down her underwear, sat on her little toilet and PEED! AH-HA! AH-HA! Phew… will this be the end? Hmm… I’ll keep you updated.
To read about the days following this post, click here: 3 Day Potty Training: Days 4 and On…
Related articles
- Potty Training Failure: A Mom’s Disgusting Attempt (fitfoodiemom.com)
- Toilet Training Aid: Kid’s Potty Songs (fitfoodiemom.com)
- Potty Trained at 9 months old? – Elimination (mis)communication with my daughter (babble.com)
- The Dangers of Potty Training Too Early – A doctor’s case for training later in childhood (babble.com)
- Toilet Story (artsyfartsymum.wordpress.com)
- Potty Training Before Potty Independence (onefitmom.ca)
- 3 Day Potty Training: Days 4 and on… (fitfoodiemom.com)
I don’t mean to laugh at your misery but this was too funny and I couldn’t stop reading it! 🙂
I’m also really glad you shared this as we despise potty training and will be doing it again before we know it. Thanks for the info and entertainment 🙂
I totally get it, Jenny. I love when my peers are in anguish, too. JK. 😉
You would have really laughed at Day 4 — I’ll add that to the end with Day 5 soon. 🙂
Three days cooped up with our EXTREMELY stubborn three-year-old, and this method failed miserably! In fact, we now have a lot of damage to undo before we can try training again. We also followed it to a “T,” and, NO, it never “clicked”! The method focuses on encouraging the child to keep their underwear dry and tell the parents when they have to go. Well, my son mastered the staying dry part! He held it longer and longer each day, 12 hours on day 3 (yep, even with a bladder full of Kool-aid, popsicles, and all the other crap Lora Jensen told me to feed him), and he ended curled up in a ball on the floor crying, “No, Mommy, it hurts! I don’t want to potty, it hurts!” We are now working on disassociating pee from pain. Thanks, Lora.
The fact that all of my girlfriends used this method and bragged that their kids were accident-free by lunch on Day 2 makes me want to throw up in my mouth. I’ve heard people suggest that it didn’t work because I wasn’t fully committed. I was committed. I was positive. I read that damn book twice, highlighted it, made cheat sheets, I was desperate to have something work for my son. I BELEIVED that this would work. I threw out $50 worth of diapers, only to make the “Drive of Shame” to Wal-Mart in tears to purchase diapers at the end of Day 3 when nothing clicked. I wasn’t upset about the money, I was upset that once again, we failed, and the language in Lora’s book is all too clear that if we failed, it’s not HER fault, it’s OURS. There must be something wrong with us or our child because the self-proclaimed Potty Queen is never wrong. I felt like the worst mother in the world. I HATE, HATE, HATE this method!
Oh no! I’m sorry you had such a negative experience, Megan. I actually ended up sticking with the program for a few more days, and now my daughter is diaper-free, even at night. You can see my post on that pasted below. It was nothing close to a pleasant experience, but it did work for us after enough days! When do you think you’ll attempt again? Which method will you use?
Oh, the joys. Can’t wait to hear the rest of this adventure.
Was Cora occasionally using the potty before you started this? The reason I ask is because we haven’t even begun to start the potty training process, but I know Alex needs to be potty trained before he can start preschool in Aug/Sept. Just curious what your starting point was…
No, she wasn’t. I had put her on the toilet a little, but Lora’s method says that if you used another method that you have to wait a while to start again, so we didn’t really try much beforehand besides starting to mention that it was icky to have potty in her diaper.
I don’t know if you’ve seen my other post, but it became successful for us after about 8 days. She isn’t without accidents altogether, but she is great 98% of the time!
Moms use so many different methods, and all are eventually successful. I liked this one, because we have a tight schedule (finding 3 days where at least one of us would be home was very difficult). There is a 1-day method I’ve heard some people use, but I can bet that wouldn’t have worked for Cora, because she went over the 3 days! 🙂
Good luck. I want to hear the result!
Ok, thanks for the info. 🙂
At this point, I am not in a hurry to potty train…but in 6 months, I might be singing a different tune. I will definitely let you know how it goes when we start being serious about this.
Are you going to try again? I’m going to try this method with O! See what happens!
oops realized this was a post from 2 years ago! I thought I saw your facebook post not too long ago!
Well, it’s actually time to try this on Benson now! We did try it on him in July, but soon discovered that because his intestines are blocked with waste, we needed to give him a remedy of Miralax and probiotics before trying again. I’m not sure if he’s cured yet, but we’ll have him checked by the doc and then try this again with him! I think we’ll use this method. I can’t wait to hear how Owen does!
You didn’t do it to a “t”. The book clearly states that you need to devote three full days to potty training. Which you didn’t. You and your husband were in and out of the house tag teaming it, cleaning, working, caring for another child. This program works if you actually invest three full days in the child without distractions. Stay literally next to their side all day for three days. I slip on pull-ups at night after they sleep because everyone does better rested. Other than that exactly what the book said. All three children.
Not trying to be negative but it really does work. And I will agree that it’s excruciating. I knew it worked and I still dreaded it with my third 🙂
Great job, Jamie! I’m glad you could do it exact (except for the nighttime part). My hunch is that every family and every kid is different, and that most people can’t or won’t do it perfectly. We all do our best, and every child will be potty trained regardless of how bad we as parents mess it up! The follow-up post I did (linked to the top of this post) shares the rest of our experience.
P.S. A lot of this post is satire based on all reality to let other moms know that it’s ok if they see failure – it’ll all workout. ?