A few days ago as I was working on my computer, I noticed that my toddler had suddenly gone quiet… hardly ever a good sign. I quickly looked up and around just in time to see him walking out of the bathroom. He had the biggest and cutest grin on his face. He was proud! In just seconds he had attempted to go potty on his own. Pants and "Pullups" still around his ankles, he came waddling towards me. What I didn’t immediately notice was the lump of poop attached to his foot, the one that he was dragging through the house. I stood up to go toward him and help him with his attempt, almost stepping in the “chocolate” footprints he was making on his way. The mess was epic. It was not the first “sh%&astrophe” (as my best friend jokingly refers to these accidents) that we encountered and it certainly won’t be the last.

I must admit, I was quite naive as we embarked on this potty training journey. I thought I would have it down in record time, because of course I’m an awesome Mama and my child is super smart. Those two facts are still true, but definitely weren’t enough to make potty training the simple task I thought it was going to be. Over the last 3 months I have learned the following truths that I want to share with moms who are potty training or getting ready to start:

• Your other mommy friends weren't exaggerating when they warned you that potty training is a roller coaster. Your toddler will poop in the potty 100% for a whole week! The next week you might wonder if you imagined it all because little one acts like has never seen or heard of this thing called a potty.
• You will start off believing that you can actually fully potty train this child in 3 days, maybe a week. You will soon wonder if you will have to follow him with a pack of wipes as he heads off to high school.
• You will hold on to the hope that you can do this while using pull-ups instead of making that daunting full switch to underwear. But it is inevitable that you will have to go through that transition period of wet, poopy underwear for at least a little while until they get it! Your floor, sofa and expensive living room carpet will all suffer along with you.
• You will foolishly trust your toddler when they tell you they don't have to go, only to poop their pants 5 seconds later. Mommies, I implore you, trust the poo face, not the toddler!
• You might rejoice when your kid's preschool agrees to help you with potty training as this will relieve you from the task at least half of the time. Until you realize that your sweetie pie refuses to go at school and is saving up all those "accidents" for home.

I will continue this ride, with love and as much patience as I can muster. I keep planning to make that switch to underwear, just like I’ve been planning to exercise, diet and make time for date night. But I promise to post a success story very, very soon! Wishing all you moms on the potty train with me, the patience of a sweet nun and poop free furniture!

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© Nicola Rios Nogales and ispeakmom.com, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicola Rios Nogales and ispeakmom.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.