As your kids embark on their next big adventure, reflect and share all the exciting moments you’ve experienced together!
If you’ve been a reader of this blog for any length of time, you know that I have two children: a son and a daughter.
When I first became a mom in 2002 to my son, I thought I was ready for the ride that is motherhood.
Things went pretty smooth for some time. My son was a great sleeper (sleeping through the night for 12 hours at just a few months old), was a happy baby, and became the center of my world.
Fast forward to age three when we began potty training. Everything I thought I knew and my confidence as an “experienced” mom went out the window.
Then, when I had the opportunity to do it all again with my daughter, I thought for sure I knew exactly what to expect.
I think that girls are easier to potty train than boys because girls seem to care more about being wet and feeling clean. Boys tend to get hyper-focused on playing and lose the sense of everything else going on around them. My daughter actually started earlier than my son and the process was easier and shorter.
The experts have a lot to say about potty training girls, the difference in how girls’ training pants are designed.
Moms want to find reliable advice to help their kids stay clean and build confidence through successful potty training.
As your little one embarks on their next big adventure in learning to potty train, reflect and share all the exciting moments you’ve experienced as you train together! From walking the baby aisle together to the final flush, what are those uniquely special moments that make you and your little one proud?
We started working on potty training at about age 3. Some parents may start the process at home or a daycare center may get things going for you. It’s usually a requirement for age-based preschool classrooms. It’s definitely a must before entering Kindergarten.
Celebrate these 10 milestones in the potty training journey. Enjoying these events will make this process faster, smoother, and more enjoyable for you and your family.
1. Sleeping in Your Big Girl (or Big Boy) Bed
My daughter was so happy to get her big girl bed all set up. She started out with a white, princess-style bed. She picked out the Dora the Explorer comforter set and we began collecting Dora dolls, toys, and toy organizers.
2. Potty training
Once you decide to start potty training, it’s important to ditch the diapers. That’s a signal to your child that the thing they’re wearing isn’t meant to be the potty anymore. Making the switch tells them that you have the confidence that they can be a big girl or a big boy and go to the big potty just like mommy, daddy, big brother, and big sister.
Make the potty part of daily routines. When you get home, before/after meals, and definitely before bedtime. Once it naturally becomes part of the routine, it will become second nature.
3. First road trip free of accidents.
I remember very clearly the first time my son stayed dry in the early stages of potty training. We lived in North Carolina and were making a trip back to my hometown in Virginia. We stopped about 1/2 way into the three hour trip for a potty break. He was dry!!!
I probably freaked him out and ultimately convinced him that his mom was CRA-ZY based on the way I screamed and ran around the car. I hope there were no onlookers. At this point, I don’t remember ever checking.
4. Preschool.
My daughter started very soon after her third birthday. It was a difficult transition because my mother-in-law had cared for her every day since she was about six weeks old. It was an amazing blessing to know that she would be in great hands when I went back to work. They have formed an unbreakable bond.
After a couple of weeks, the drop offs got easier, since she had settled into the new routine and made friends. She made up for lost time every weekend with Grandma!
5. First bike
She had a Sesame Street bike that she enjoyed riding down our driveway and in circles on our carport.
6. Stay in own bed all night.
It’s tiring to keep putting a child back in his or her bed every night. It’s so wonderful when you can sleep through the night and your child is still where you left him or her!
7. Graduate preschool.
Both of my kids have “late birthdays” in that they were born in November. The cut off for entering school is a birthday before September 30. So, she spent almost three years in preschool before entering Kindergarten. She turned six just three months after Kindergarten started.
8. Kindergarten.
Boarding the school bus on the first day of school!
My daughter is sweet and outgoing. She’s was excited to be seeing all of her friends, riding the school bus, and entering an exciting, new phase in her life. Although she made a lot of friends in Pre-K, they attended different elementary schools.
Wow, the school year FLEW by! Who would believe this was her on the last day of school?
9. Losing first tooth (or both front teeth at the same time!).
So THIS happened the night before Kindergarten school pictures. Both teeth! she wrote out a list of things she wanted the tooth fairy to bring her along with her Halloween candy list and her Christmas list!!!
10. Learning to read.
I really enjoyed helping her with her homework this year. Kindergarten is amazing! It is breathtaking to watch them go from recognizing letters to forming short words and then reading.
We went to our local Walmart Neighborhood Market to buy GoodNites®. Look how cute these designs are for girls and boys.
About Walmart Neighborhood Market:
Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets are smaller than the company’s supercenters, which are typically about 182,000 square feet. The neighborhood markets also focus strictly on grocery items.
A Wal-Mart spokeswoman said they look for areas where they can offer customers a greater selection of merchandise, convenience, and affordability than they had before.
According to my local newspaper, each of the three Wal-Mart Neighborhood Markets in my area is about 42,000 square feet with a full bakery and deli. All of them also have a pharmacy and gas station.
You can get all your baby and child care needs at Walmart Neighborhood Market at Walmart Supercenter prices.
The selection was just as substantial as my local Supercenter. The “Baby” aisle featured baby food, diapers training pants, wipes, and more.
About Goodnites
GoodNites® is the leading brand in nighttime protection for children. No one understands bedwetting better. With zoned protection and fun designs, GoodNites® take away the embarrassment around bedwetting and offers solutions that make it easier for you and your little one.
Girl’s Bedtime Pants: The all-new underwear-like fit of GoodNites® Bedtime Pants helps protect your girl against overnight accidents, while the absorbent insert and leak guards provide additional wetness protection.
- Five Layer Protection – Disposable GoodNites® Bedtime Pants set the stage for a peaceful night’s sleep with five layer protection.
- Help Keep Her Dry – More absorbent than the leading training pant to help protect your daughter against nighttime wetting.
- Zoned Protection – Helps provide protection in areas where girls need it the most.
- Super Stretchy – Super stretchy sides helps to fit many body shapes and sizes.
- EXCLUSIVE Disney Designs – Your daughter will love the new, cool Disney designs featuring Cinderella.
- Save $1.00 now on GoodNites®.
You can’t successfully potty train without having Huggies wipes to make clean up fast and convenient. You can save $1.00 on Huggies wipes.
I still keep packages of Huggies wipes in my car for older kids. With eating on the go, spills, and other messes, it’s always a good idea to have some wipes on hand.
Huggies wipes makes getting clean fun with their princess designs for girls. These are Cucumber & Green Tea scented.
We purchased a case of 552 wipes, which is conveniently split into three packages. We can keep one in my daughter’s room, one in the bathroom, and one in the car. We can also use these refill packages to restock our Huggies wipes cases.
My little helper insisted on helping me open the case. 
Then, she wanted to check out the wipes.
You can see how easy they are to use. Even these cute little fingers could separate them.
With Huggies® One & Done® Refreshing Wipes, you get a thicker, more refreshing wipe with TripleClean layers to provide you with an outstanding clean.
You can get a feel for the thickness when you look at one on her hand.
GoodNites® and Huggies make a great team.
- A reliable, versatile clean – With TripleClean* layers, Simply Clean® Fragrance Free Wipes are great for wiping your baby’s hands and face, as well as surfaces! Because Kids Outgrow Diapers, Not Messes.
- Adorable Disney Designs – Whether placed around your house, in your car or backpack, or even brought on the go, these wipes add the magic of Disney to all your families’ adventures!
- Simply free of fragrance – Simply Clean® Fragrance Free Wipes are hypoallergenic and unscented for sensitive skin.
- Available in a variety of sizes and designs – Whether at home or on the go, Huggies has the perfect wipes. They’re stylish, portable and adorable!
Thank you to GoodNites for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me and my little one to share memories from our potty training days and beyond!
Great post! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Merry Monday!
Your daughter is too cute! Potty training is crazy! LOL. My 3 year old is potty trained but on a recent road trip I forgot to pack any extra undies or pants. She had an accident and it was a mess! Wish I would have had some training diapers in my purse! Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty Hope to see you back!