After what can seem like endless diaper changes (and endless diaper changing battles) it only makes sense that you’re ready to get the potty train rolling. Your toddler, too, may be showing some signs of potty training readiness, like an eagerness to sit on the toilet.
If your tot seems like he’s on the cusp of hitting this important but sometimes elusive milestone, it’s hard to beat the appeal of the three-day potty training method — a process that, as the name suggests, can work in as little as three days.
Intense? Yes. Foolproof? Not always. Still, it may be worth a shot — even if your little one isn’t completely potty trained at the end of the last day, he may have a pretty good head start. Here’s how it works.
What is the three-day potty training method?
The three-day potty training method is a toilet training process that calls for your child to go diaper- and pants-free for three days in the house as he gets used to going to the potty regularly.
The idea is that, by keeping your toddler naked from the waist down, he’ll learn to be more in tune with his bodily cues. Yes, there will be accidents, but that’s the point — it’s not easy to ignore a stream of pee if he can see it puddling on the living room floor.
Ideally, you and your toddler will stay home as much as possible (and the hope is that you won’t need to leave the house with him in tow at all) during the three-day process, which will allow him to go pants-free for the entire time.
How to potty train your toddler in three days
Aim to spend the majority (or all) of the three days at home, if possible. Try to plan ahead and clear your schedule so that you can devote yourself to your little one’s efforts at mastering the three-day potty training process. It’s probably best to try this over a quiet (long) weekend where there will be limited distractions and interruptions, and no need to leave the house with your tot.
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It may be challenging (and messy) at first, but with any luck, your toddler will get the hang of it in the time set aside.
Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of how to make it work:
Day one
When your child first wakes up, take off his pants and diaper so he’s naked below the waist. Tell him he doesn’t need to wear diapers anymore, and he can pee in the toilet. Early morning is also a good time to take your child to the potty and encourage him to pee.
Monitor your child throughout the day, watching for signs that he has to use the potty, like squirming or squatting. When he starts to go, carry him to the potty and say, “We pee in the potty.” If he’s successful, you can give him a reward, like an extra trip to the playground, a small toy or a sticker.
If your child has an accident (which should be expected), don’t yell at or shame him for doing something “wrong.” Simply wipe it up — or recruit him to help you clean it up — and tell your tot that pee or poop goes in the potty.
Continue this process throughout the day. You can also offer your child more liquids throughout the day to encourage him to go to the bathroom more frequently.
Before naptime, take your child to the potty and encourage him to try and pee. You can choose to put your child in a diaper, training pants like Pull-Ups, or underwear for a nap, or stick to the bare-bottomed approach.
Encourage your child to use the toilet one last time before bedtime, and put him in diapers for the night. Nighttime potty training comes later — most toddlers can’t stay dry all night until they’re closer to the age of 5 or 6, and sometimes older, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).[1]
Day two
Repeat the process from day one, taking your child to the bathroom at regular intervals (before bathtime is always good) and reminding him to pee in the potty. If he’s successful, you can continue to offer rewards, but never shame him if he has an accident. Wipe it up as casually as you can.
Put your child in a diaper or disposable training pants overnight.
Day three
Repeat the process from days one and two.
If you have to go out, dress your toddler in loose-fitting clothing and remind him that if he has to pee, you will need to accompany him inside to use the toilet.
By now, your child may have started to pick up on his bodily cues, and even may have successfully peed in the potty a few times.
Supplies you’ll need for potty training in three days
Potty training doesn’t require a long list of supplies — really, all you need is access to a toilet — but some items can make the process easier.
A potty seat (or two). Set your tot up for success with a kid-sized potty — either a free-standing potty chair that you can take from room to room or a kid-sized seat that attaches to a big toilet. If possible, you can also buy a few potty seats and scatter them around the home; this way, one of them is more likely to be within reach once the urge to go strikes.
A potty training book. Reading a book to your toddler can help know what to expect from toilet training (although it’s not a necessity). The classic Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel features age-appropriate descriptions and illustrations.
Baby wipes. Accidents will happen, so keep a stash of baby wipes on hand to wipe up any spills or misses.
Loose-fitting clothing. During the three-day potty training method, your toddler will be bare-bottomed at home, but if you have to go out, dress him in easy-to-remove clothing (think: no buttons or zippers) that he can take off in a hurry. And speaking of accidents that happen away from home, you may want to pack a spare outfit or two if you do need to go out (which should be kept to a minimum or avoided altogether).
How will I know if my child is ready for three-day potty training?
Like every milestone, different children progress at different rates. While some children are potty-training prodigies and completely toilet-trained almost as soon as they turn 2, others aren’t ready until after the age of 3.
Many children show signs of potty training readiness (and therefore, readiness to be potty trained in three days) between the ages of 18 and 24 months, according to the Mayo Clinic,[2] but some may not be up to the task developmentally until they’re closer to 3 or 3½ years old.
Your best bet is to let your child set the pace. Rushing the process can backfire and make him even less likely to want to use the potty.
Here are a few signs that your child is ready to tackle three-day potty training:
You’re going longer between diaper changes. Ideally, your child will be able to keep a diaper dry for at least two hours at a time. (If he can’t, he’ll probably have to run to the bathroom so frequently that using the toilet will seem like more of a nuisance than an accomplishment.)
Your toddler is peeing and/or pooping on a schedule. If your child pees and poops around the same times each day, you may have more success getting him to use the toilet.
He uses “potty talk.” Meaning, he can communicate whether he is peeing or pooping, either by using the words or through non-verbal cues — by pointing to his diaper, making certain facial expressions, or going somewhere private, for example.
He shows an interest in using the potty. If your child can sit on a potty for long enough to pee or poop, he may be ready for toilet training. It also helps if he’s able to take off his pants by himself (or close).
Tips for three-day potty training success
Ultimately, potty training success rests with one person — your child. But there are ways to move the process along more smoothly.
Pick a good potty. Some toddlers prefer to use a child-size potty, while others would rather sit on a potty seat that fits onto the toilet. Whichever one you choose, make sure it’s stable and your child feels secure sitting on it. The child should be comfortable and be able to sit on the seat with feet flat on the floor. Teach little boys to pee sitting down first, and when they’ve gotten the hang of that, they can try standing up. You can keep the potty in the bathroom or in another room — whichever one your child seems to like better.
Identify the signs. If you see your tot squirming, holding his genitals or giving other non-verbal signs that he’s getting ready to pee or poop, point them out and encourage him to hurry to the toilet. This way, he’ll learn to recognize when he has to go to the bathroom.
Time it right. Don’t start potty training if there are any major life changes going on in your child’s life, like a move, a new sibling or a recent illness.
Be a good role model. If you feel comfortable, take your tot to the toilet with you and show him how to use it. Or point out that an older sibling (if your child has one) uses the potty too. “Some kids are really motivated by their peers or siblings who are potty trained,” says Katie Lockwood, M.D., a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a board-certified pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Show him that poop goes in the toilet. If your child has a BM on the floor (hey, accidents happen!), dispose of it in the potty and explain that poop goes in the toilet. Remember, too, that pooping on the potty can be a harder skill for tots to master than peeing on the potty, says Dr. Lockwood.
Go on a schedule. Take your child to the toilet at regular intervals and encourage him to try to pee. You can also take him in the morning, before naptime, after dinner and before bedtime. Don’t ask if he wants to sit on the potty (besides, you know what the answer will be!) — just tell him, “We’re going to sit on the potty for a minute now.”
Offer him more fluids. The more liquids he drinks, the more opportunities he’ll have to practice going to the potty. You can offer up milk and water, as well as foods that contain fluids, like watermelon (that’s free of seeds and cut into age-appropriate pieces to avoid choking). To encourage him to drink more, you can also give him salty foods to eat.
Offer incentives if praise doesn’t work. Dole out plenty of praise every time he successfully pees or poops on the potty. Are the compliments getting old? Try offering him a small reward, like a sticker or hand stamp. You can also encourage him to take a lovey or favorite blanket with him when he uses the toilet, but stay closeby and hang onto it when he’s actually using the toilet so he doesn't accidentally go to the bathroom on it or get it dirty or wet in the potty.
Don’t scold him. Never make your child feel bad for having an accident or going to the bathroom in the wrong place. Try, too, to avoid using words like “bad,” “dirty” or “stinky.”
Be patient. The potty training process is, well, a process, so be patient and don’t expect results right away. Remember, too, not to scold your child or make him feel ashamed for having an accident. “Even if you’re frustrated, try not to let it show,” says Gina Posner, M.D., F.A.A.P., a board-certified pediatrician practicing at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California, and a member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board.
If three-day potty training doesn’t work, should I call my child’s doctor?
There’s no need to panic if your child isn’t potty trained by the end of a long weekend. “It works for some kids, but others may not be ready,” says Dr. Posner.
If, at the end of the three days, your toddler is still putting up signs of resistance, pack up the potty seat and try again a few weeks, using either the three-day potty training method or a different technique altogether. It may seem hard to believe now, but he’ll come around eventually. (Really!)
If you’re still having trouble potty training your child after he turns 3 ½ or is close to 4, bring it up with your pediatrician, who can help you troubleshoot the problem. There may be something else going on. Children who are constipated, for example, will likely need to be treated before they’re able to be potty trained.
For some children, potty training is a long process, and some may have more success with a slow-and-steady approach. For other children, three days simply isn’t long enough to pick up the potty training process — so you may want to dial back your expectations.
“If you go into the three-day method with the expectation that your child will be fully potty trained at the end of that weekend, you may be disappointed, and that’s going to lead to more frustration,” says Dr. Lockwood. “But if you go into it thinking you may get a good head start, and recognize that there will be ups and downs in the process like accidents and regressions, then I think it can be a good start.”
Speaking of potty training setbacks — try to remember that those are common among the toddler set. Even a child who is regularly peeing in the potty will have the occasional accident, so it’s always a good idea to have extra underwear on hand.
Just remember, what’s most important is that he's making progress on the potty — not that he’s suddenly using the toilet perfectly.
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