Our Potty Training Adventure: Summer Infant My Size Potty

Hello, friends. Liam hit a pretty big milestone recently, and that was turning 18 months old! (Whaaat?) Inspired by a friend of mine, whose daughter is exactly the same age (they are birthday buddies!), and is already wearing big girl panties and using the potty, I decided that maybe it was time to dip our toes in the waters of potty training. I wouldn’t say Liam is 100% ready for potty training, and I am not going to force it on him by any means, but I thought that now would be a good time to introduce him to his very own potty, so that when he is ready to use it, he’ll be comfortable with it.

We found this ADORABLE Summer Infant My Size Potty at Walmart several months ago (Target also sells it for a few dollars more), and swore that I would buy it when the time came. Seriously, for $28, how can you not love this little potty?

Well, a few days ago, we bought it. Liam played with the box, and the flushing handle, while the potty was in the cart, and excitedly watched daddy put it together in the living room. Unfortunately, once the potty was fully put together, he was terrified of it, and would not even be in the same room with it. I took off his diaper, and tried to sit him down, but that only resulted in screaming and clinging, so we left it alone. After that day, he wouldn’t even walk by it, he had to be carried, and he would cling to me for dear life. It was kind of heartbreaking.

For anyone interested in this potty, the potty itself is fantastic. It is adorable, and the perfect size for my ultra tall boy. It was simple enough to put together, but the plastic on the back is thin and flimsy, and warped slightly in the box, so the lid does not sit on it securely, and pops off a bit when you flush the handle. The handle itself is easy to push, and the flushing noise is realistic, and not too loud. However, the giggle at the end of the flush is kind of creepy (to me). The lid on the tank comes off, so you can store books, or puzzles, or stickers, to entertain your little one while they sit, and it also has a small compartment to store wipes. Unfortunately, the compartment for wipes is too small for even travel size wipe packs, and does not snap closed, so storing them loosely would just dry them out. We’ll probably put some wipes into a plastic baggy, so that they fit. There is also a detachable splash guard, so you can use the potty with any baby! Overall, the potty is very cute, and the sleek, white design matches any decor (including kitchen decor, which is where ours currently resides). I just hope he ends up loving it, too.

It has been four days since we bought the potty, and he is finally okay with being in the same room as it. He still won’t sit on it, but he likes to point to it, lift the lid up and down, and as of 15 minutes ago, has started flushing it himself. I sit his stuffed animals on it, and tell him that they are going potty. I also ask him every 30 minutes or so if he wants to use his potty. So far, nothing, but I’m okay with that. He’ll let me know when he is ready.

Do any of you have any tips for potty training, specifically for little boys? I have heard that potty training boys is quite the adventure.

Thanks for reading, friends!

Jan

** EDIT ** 
As of 8/19/16, Liam will now take off his own pants, and sit on the potty. He likes to flush it while sitting. He also puts his “babies” on the potty as well. However, he won’t let me take off his diaper so he can actually attempt to pee or poop. Haha.