How to Potty Train Using the 3-Day Potty Training Method

This post contains affiliate links. I only recommend products I use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. If you purchase something, I may earn a small commission, which allows me to continue providing free content to my readers.

Let’s talk about the dirty details of potty training. I was simultaneously dreading this milestone, as well as looking forward to it. Even though saying goodbye to diapers made me sad that my little girl was growing up, I’ve always looked forward to my kids’ next adventure. I just wasn’t sure what to expect on this one.

We tried the 3-day potty training method the second time we trained our daughter. You can read more about our challenges the first time in my post “Reasons Why You Should Wait to Potty Train“. This time, we wanted to make sure that we were all ready (my daughter, husband, and me).

What’s the 3-day potty training method?

The 3-day potty training method is when you dedicate 3 whole days to spending time with your child and focus on one thing: potty training. It’s recommended that you stay home with your child for these 3 days and that you avoid any distractions like having people over. Some people recommend cooking meals ahead of time so you can dedicate even more time to your child.

The most significant part of the 3-day potty training method is that your child should be bottomless. This allows your child to feel when they are peeing. Underwear or training pants resemble diapers, meaning that they hold in pee or poop. Wearing these won’t feel much different to your child, and might not make them understand that they need to pee or poop in the toilet instead.

During these 3 days, you watch your child closely and look for any signals that they have to use the toilet. Using routine, consistency, and praise (lots of it), you work on instilling positive bathroom habits.

Lots of people chose to give their children incentives whenever they successfully make it to the toilet. These incentives can be things like stickers, toys, or food. Just remember that these are for when they pee or poop in the toilet and not when they have accidents.

Giving your child extra fluids helps them increase the number of times they use the toilet during these 3 days – meaning they have more time to practice this new skill.

Remember that accidents will happen – and that’s okay. It’s all part of the learning experience.

How to prepare

The first thing you will need is a toilet. I researched the best potty training toilets way more than I probably had to, but in the end, chose to go the simple and cheap route. I went to Walmart and picked up this gem: the Summer Learn-To-Go Potty. We also had this BabyBjörn Potty Chair that some friends of ours had given us. We kept one in our upstairs bathroom and one in our downstairs bathroom. Our daughter preferred the Summer Learn-To-Go Potty for some reason.

I’m still happy with the two toilets we have for her – they are comfortable for her to sit on and for now, we are using them as travel toilets, as well. Most importantly, she can use them independently.

Incentives. I didn’t love the idea of bribing our daughter to use the toilet, but in this case, it really helped her. We used stickers as incentives the first time we tried to potty train. Even though there were other reasons why it didn’t work the first time, I found that the stickers didn’t motivate her enough. Every child is motivated by different things, but I found that chocolate worked best for our daughter. We needed something good, and that was it. We used mini Reese’s (cut in half).

I put wipes in both bathrooms, as well as a plastic bag for any poopy wipes. I stayed away from using toilet paper because her skin is very sensitive and I didn’t want anything (like a rash) to get in the way of potty training.

We potty trained in May, so the weather wasn’t cold, but I still kept the heat up a little during the days she was bottomless. I wanted her to be comfortable so we could do as best as we could! I also put her in layers (a tank top, a t-shirt, and a light sweatshirt). I chose tops that weren’t super long so she had an easier time when using the toilet.

I offered my daughter juice the first day and a half but then weaned off of it. I also found that having her water bottle always close by, as well as milk, was helpful. I enticed my daughter to drink out of her water bottle more frequently by having her add ice to it.

What we used

What the 3 days looked like for us

After getting our daughter out of bed in the morning, we took off her diaper and told her that we were all done with diapers. This is something we had talked to her about for several days beforehand. We then showed her the new toilet and asked her to sit on it to try to pee.

Our daughter had seen this toilet when I brought it home from the store. She actually willingly sat on it by herself and seemed super excited to use it. This was not the case on the first morning of potty training.

There were tears because she didn’t want to sit on it. My husband and I believe this is because she was uncomfortable being bottomless. Had I known this was going to happen, I probably would have tried to have her go bottomless around the house a little more often so she wouldn’t be so nervous. However, the act of sitting on something new without any bottoms would probably still be scary for her. Your child may be different, but just something to keep in mind.

We chose not to force her to sit on the toilet at that moment. We had her eat a quick breakfast (crossing our fingers that she wouldn’t have an accident right away) and then told her it was time to sit on the toilet. She surprisingly agreed and we had our first successful pee!

We all celebrated when she peed in the toilet and immediately gave her a mini Reese’s.

We spent the day playing together while keeping a close eye on the time and on her. We chose not to remind her to go to the bathroom very often, or to force her to sit on the toilet too often. We did this the first time and it didn’t work for our daughter. She would get annoyed at the constant trips back and forth to the bathroom. Again, do what is best for your child.

Instead, we quickly found that our daughter was able to tell us when she had to go. Choosing the right time to potty train is important! Having the ability to communicate this was very helpful.

Related: “Reasons Why You Should Wait to Potty Train“

We soon taught her the difference between “soon” and “now” (she kept saying “I’m peeing”, which made us freak out every time). After that, she started saying “I’m peeing soon” or “I’m peeing now“. “Now” just meant that she had to go to the bathroom at that moment. Anytime she had an accident, she would just say “I’m peeing”.

Tips that worked for us

I found that distracting my daughter on the way to the bathroom as well as when she was sitting on the toilet was helpful. This way, she was the one willingly walking to the toilet (instead of me carrying her), and her mind was kept busy (instead of realizing that she didn’t want to sit on the toilet).

After the initial 3 days, we put underwear on my daughter. On day five, we put her in underwear and shorts. We found it helpful to keep extra pairs of underwear, shorts, and socks downstairs in case she had an accident.

My husband and I went back and forth on whether to put our daughter in underwear or training pants during the day. We didn’t want her to take steps backward when wearing training pants since they closely resemble and feel like diapers. We chose to only use training pants during naps.

However, we still use overnight diapers during nighttime. Our daughter is not ready to be nighttime potty trained (and won’t be for a while). There are mornings when her diaper is very full, so overnights are what she needs for now.

I mentioned that my husband and I would freak out when my daughter told us she had to go to the bathroom. We freaked out internally but tried not to show it. Instead, we would answer with a calm (but quick) “Are you peeing now or soon”? Seeing that you are calm will allow your child to stay calm and comfortable.

Lastly, we tried to make these 3 days as fun as possible. We brought out new toys, games, and activities that would keep her engaged while we spent time at home.

Remember

Every child is different. You know your child the best so do what you think will help them succeed.

One thing we chose not to do is wake her up to go to the toilet during the night. It’s recommended that you set an alarm for halfway through the night to wake them up and take them to the bathroom. My husband and I thought this was unnecessary since our daughter isn’t developmentally ready for nighttime potty training. We also do not think interrupting our daughter’s sleep is necessary – especially when she is working so hard on a new skill during the day. Do what you think is best for your child! If your child wakes up often during the night and needs you – then go for it!

Don’t forget that it’s okay if they have an accident! Our daughter had very few accidents during those first 3 days. However, as we challenged her by taking her out or to friends’ houses, there were occasional accidents. Our daughter also went through a little sleep regression and we noticed more accidents during those days, as well.

Whenever our daughter has an accident, instead of saying “It’s okay”, we just remind her that the pee (or poop) goes in the toilet.

The bottom line

Potty training can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.

The most important thing is to wait until your child is developmentally ready. Read my post (“Reasons Why You Should Wait to Potty Train“) to find out why this is so important before diving into potty training.

Maybe the 3-day method sounds like a good fit for your child, or maybe it doesn’t. Do what you think is best for your own child and try not to compare them with others.

If whatever method you try doesn’t work – don’t be ashamed. This happened to us. There can be many reasons why potty training doesn’t work out. Maybe your child isn’t ready, maybe there wasn’t enough routine in the process, or maybe there were setbacks when they went to daycare… the reasons are endless. If you find that you have to table it for the time being, so be it. You will learn from your experiences and you will be able to try again.

Your child is learning a new and challenging skill and they need your grace and patience throughout the process. No matter how many children you have, you are also still learning because every child is different. With so much learning taking place, try to be positive throughout the process (not just the 3 days, but the several months that follow them), and problem-solve when things get tough. You can do it! 💪

Related: “Reasons Why You Should Wait to Potty Train“