Top Ten Reasons Not To Potty Train and Five For

My hubby is trying to potty train our 4th LOL

Potty training is one of the biggest time-consuming stresses for a mom. With my first son, I fell into the potty training mom trap, where you put them on the potty every few hours, every day, and even if they don't go, you cheer and praise them for just sitting there. Then you reward them with a treat. M&M's was the special treat I bribed my son with. 

How did it go? Well...I started potty training him when he was 2 1/2 years old. That's the age my mom said my sisters and I were potty trained. (the pressure was on!) Months went by. Frustration and failure set in. But I never gave up. 

Every day, I would put him on the potty, cheer and get him excited. And every day, I would be mentally exhausted and frustrated, feeling like a failure as a mom.  Then one day, right around my son's 3rd birthday, he looked at me and with the biggest excited smile said he wanted to go potty. I put him on and from that day on he was potty trained.

I will never forget that look he had on his face. It was the look of "I'm ready!" And it was that look that made me only potty train one out of four of my kids. 

Top Ten Reasons Not to Potty Train!

1. More time for mommy. It takes a lot of time and patience to potty train. I used that extra time to write and do other mommy projects.

2. Shopping is quicker. It took me twice as long to shop once my kids were potty trained. Every time I walked into a store, they would have to go to the bathroom, which would take a good 20 minutes out of my shopping time. They would sit on the potty and talk and giggle and talk. With diapers, they can urinate in it in the shopping cart and I could continue shopping.

3. Less laundry due to accidents. My boys would always wait to the last minute to go to the bathroom, causing bathroom accidents and resulting in more laundry and clean-up for me.

4. You don't have to worry about putting your toddler on a disgusting port-a-potty. 

5. Less toddler tears and tantrums, trying to get your toddler to sit on the potty.

6. Mommy stress reduction. Potty training is beyond stressful. It's your will against your child's will. And somehow the child always wins. 

7. Long car trips without having to stop for a potty break. Our vacation drive time increased almost an hour due to having to constantly stop for potty breaks.

8.  Mom's have more confidence. 

9. Sleep through the night. Diapers help take care of those nightly bed wetting moments.

10.  One day it will just click and your toddler will want to be potty trained. Here is a potty training readiness checklist I found at babycenter.com that may help you in the process.

Top Five Reasons to Potty Train:

1. Cost savings. There was a time, where I was using 30 diapers a day. With potty training, comes more money in your pocket.

2. No more stinky diapers. Huge benefit!

3. No more baby got a big butt. Seriously, there are some pants that my toddler doesn't fit in because we can't get them over her diaper.

4. No more diaper rash.

5. To feed your mommy ego. I swear its a competition for some mom's that their child was potty trained so much faster and earlier than another. If you feel peer pressure from your mom or friends, then go for it.

It is totally up to each mom on if they want to spend hours upon hours a week trying to get their little toddler potty trained. If you do, check out the 20 Best Every Real Mom Potty Training Tips from Parents Magazine. 

My recommendation for potty training is to not push it. Ask your toddler if they'd like to try going to the bathroom. If they do, then go for it. If they don't, why force (or bribe) them to do something they aren't ready for. Keep asking every couple of weeks, but don't get stressed out if it doesn't happen immediately.

Please feel free to share how potty training your toddler went for you!