Potty Training... Do it sooner rather than later

There are plenty of reasons to put off potty training for as long as possible: you're traveling soon, he or she doesn't seem 'interested', life is just crazy right now, or you're waiting for them to tell you they're ready. All of those points may have some merit, but what you're really saying is that you don't want to. You're not ready. These days, parents are putting off potty training for as long as possible, waiting for their child to wake up and say, 'No more diapers, I pee in potty.' Unless you get really lucky, that's never going to happen. There's never going to be a good time to potty train, you just have to bite the bullet and do it. Back in the day, kids were potty trained at a much younger age. This was partly because more people cloth diapered and they were more eager to get rid of diapers. But they key is knowing that your kid is capable of potty training at around 2. They may be ready, even if you aren't.

Most of this knowledge comes from reading the book, Oh Crap! Potty Training. If you want more info, I recommend reading or or listening to it yourself. I got the audio version for free from my library's online lending service. I'll sum up what the book taught me and how I implemented it in a more practical way. I started potty training my daughter at 21 months. She's 25 months and still not fully potty training. I'm not pretending that I'm perfect, by any means, clearly I need to do things differently, since it still hasn't fully caught on, but I'm just advocating for starting earlier. Marissa may not be potty-trained, but at least she's getting there and using less diapers.

In short, the Oh Crap! Potty Training book breaks potty training into 4 blocks. This way, if you encounter a problem, you can just go backwards to see where you went wrong. I liked having a process to fall back on. The author, Jamie, recommends training between 20 and 30 months. She calls this the golden window. After that golden window, they'll resist potty training more and want to defy you. They get so set in their ways, that it becomes more of a challenge. She says that being able to sing the ABCs is a good sign they're capable of potty training. At this age, they're eager to please and easier to train. When your kids show an interest in using the potty, capitalize on that. This interest won't get bigger and bigger. It may just disappear entirely. The time when they show that interest is the easiest time to tackle potty training. She says that you don't have to train for nights and naps yet, but you can go all in if you want to. Jamie says to get rid of all diapers (besides nights/naps if you aren't doing that). Throw a party, bye, bye diapers. Consistency is key. Wearing diapers in public is more convenient for you, but it hinders kids. It's confusing when they're wearing a diaper, but not allowed to use it.

Block 1: Naked, at least from the waist down. The first day or two, you have to watch them like a hawk to spot when they have to go. You learn their cues and habits and make potty training your life. For 4-7 days, you'll stay at home (or make short outings) and devote the majority of your time and energy to potty training. When your kid has an accident, you pick them up and put them on the potty. After a few times, they should connect the feeling to pee (or poop). Kids start out clueless, then move to 'I peed.' Then, 'I'm peeing.' Finally, they get to where you want them to be and move to 'I have to pee.' You don't ask them to go to the potty, you tell them. She doesn't recommend bribing, but does say that 'If you pee, then we can go play.' is motivating. Block one usually only lasts a day or so, but you do it until you get a few pees/poops on the potty. If they aren't moving beyond the clueless stage after a few days or a week tops, they truly may not be ready and she says that a reset is okay. A reset is also warranted if: they get sick, something tragic happens, or you're too stressed out about it. When you can see they're making progress. Progress, not perfection. If you stay in block 1 too long, you end up with the 'can only pee naked kid'. I fell into this issue.

Block 2: loose shorts/pants. No underwear yet. Don't be discouraged if you have MORE accidents in this block. It's hard. They may not know how to push down their pants (and that's okay. It isn't a requirement.) In this stage, you can take short outings, i.e.: she's just peed, so we're going to run in the grocery store.

Block 3: still no underwear, but they pee/poop when you're out and about or in different situations. You can still prompt them, but sometimes they do it on their own as well.

Block 4: is when you add in the underwear. She recommends thinner ones (thicker ones with padding may resemble diapers too much). Also, she adds that if they have their favorite character, they may be afraid to get Minnie Mouse wet. You don't want to rush into underwear just because it seems fun. They may cause a huge backslide. It may take a month or more until they're really read for them.

Block 5: is when you can confidently say that they're Potty Trained. This happens when potty training is no longer at the forefront of your mind. They initiate most of the time.

Block 6: is when they are safely nap and night trained.

She insists that you shouldn't hover or over-prompt your child. Don't let them see you stress. If you think they'd prefer some privacy (and older children will), then 'accidentally' forget something while you leave them on the potty. If you aren't having success, check to make sure you aren't stressing them out with too much prompting.

Reason to  Potty Train Young:
#1. Young toddlers are eager to please. They want to make you happy. This bodes well for potty training. They'll do anything to please you, even if it means peeing on the potty. The look of happiness when my daughter pees on the potty makes all the craziness worth it.
#2. Your kids are smarter and more capable than you give them credit for. They can do this. If they're hiding to poop, they realize that this is something private and can make the connection to use the potty. If they can do something, you shouldn't keep them from doing it. You don't stop a kid from walking just because they're not perfect at it right away.
#3. Less pressured. Eventually, you will have to potty train your child. A pre-school or Kindergarten will mandate that they be potty trained and this isn't something that you want to do under the gun. Because this may get a lot harder, not easier.
#4. Diapers are bad for the environment. This wasn't a huge sell for me, but diapers take up tons of space in our landfills and have an effect on ozone depletion.

My mistakes and more tips:
My biggest mistake is that I put Marissa in diapers most of the time when we go out. It's easier and I'm not confident that she will tell me to pee when we're out. At home, she's pretty well potty trained, but she has never said she has to pee when we're in public and doesn't like using public restrooms. We have a little better luck bringing our little potty and getting her to use it in the car. Because she is so young, I'm not too stressed that it's taking a while. I know one day, maybe when she has a week off school at Thanksgiving, we'll buckle down and get it down.
Dustin is a big fan of giving Marissa choices. Do you want a bath or a shower? Apple sauce or fruit cup? It gives her the feeling of being in control. You can say they can use the little potty or the big potty (with an insert). It gives them some say in the process.
Something we've started lately is setting a timer with our Google home mini, but a timer on your phone works too. I set a timer every 45 minutes or so or when I think she'll have to go. Sometimes, I set it for a few minute in advance. That way, when it goes off it's because 'Google told you to.' not mean 'ol mommy. It's helped her go a lot more willingly.
Make having an accident inconvenient. Show that peeing their pants takes more time to clean up than it would be to pee in the potty. Get them to tell you sorry and help as much as they're able to.
This is my general toddler tip. Fill their cup up. Most of the time that Marissa is much more well-behaved after I spend some quality one-on-one time with her. I'll sit on the floor and do an activity that she wants and then she'll go off on her own and play by herself. It's about getting on their level and giving into them to get what you want in the end.

Best of luck to you. It's a beast of a task, but the sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can be done with diapers!