Since all toddlers go through the process of potty training at some point, I wanted to share 10 tips for 3-day potty training from our experience of the process with our kids. I have a realistic take on this popular method that I am happy to share.
3-Day Potty Training
Let me start by saying that potty training in 3 days—at least getting to a mostly good routine by the end of the 3rd (or 4th day)— is definitely an intense process AND it’s by no means the end of the story. But it’s so remarkably effective that I recommend approaching it this way because it can get you off to a solid start.
It does require clearing the calendar and hanging out with your kid in close proximity so you can get a sense of their signals and patterns and doing little else for at least 48 hours. (Which I realize may not be doable for many families.)
In many ways, I actually enjoyed this process (despite it being exhausting!) because it’s so rare that we hang out with our kids in such a focused way. Or see them master a skill in real time.
I am a real person who’s had success with this method three times, so I wanted to share my big takeaways.
(You may also like my favorite Travel Potty.)
Table of Contents
- 3-Day Potty Training
- Tip 1. Mentally Prepare Yourself
- Tip 2. Get the Right Gear
- Tip 3. Ditch the Diapers
- Tip 4. Make the Potty Super Accessible
- Tip 5. Figure Out How to Relax
- Tip 6. Get Out of the House—with a Travel Potty
- Tip 7. Don't Sweat Pee on the Floor
- Tip 8. Get Care Providers On Board
- Tip 9. Know that You Can Pause and Reset
- Tip 10. Remember that 3 Days is Just the Start!
- What about naps and nighttime?
- Best Tips for Potty Training Toddlers
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Tip 1. Mentally Prepare Yourself
To me, 3-day potty training meant that I wanted to send my kid back to daycare without a diaper on the 4th day or that I felt confident enough leaving the house. That can be a challenge though, and I’ve learned that us parents really need to be in the right headspace as we start this process.
With my middle kiddo, we started right around her second birthday and while I think that she would have been ready around 22 months, I wasn’t! So we waited—and I prepared myself.
With my third child, we started soon after his second birthday and nothing clicked and it was so stressful. So we stopped after two days, waited two months, and then started again and it was much smoother.
My very best suggestion for this preparation is to get a copy of Oh Crap Potty Training. The author is super straight forward, goes through what to expect, what some common pitfalls might be, and basically helps you feel like you can do this—and that you really, really should. I read it twice before I felt ready.
Tip 2. Get the Right Gear
There’s actually not a lot you need to potty train, but little toddler-size potties are key. They keep their little legs in good position (which can help with pooping), they are comfy, the kid can get to it all by themselves, and there’s no fear of falling in.
We love our Baby Bjorn potties since we can move them around the house from room to room so there’s always one nearby. Because in those early days, you won’t have a lot of notice and will often need to put your child on the potty after they’ve started peeing to help them start to make the connection that pee goes in the potty.
Tip 3. Ditch the Diapers
I know that pull-ups exist, but let’s be honest: They’re just diapers with a different name. They don’t give kids any reason to use the potty so we never used them. Instead, we go pants-less for at least 3 days (in my experience, 4 was better) and we skip underwear for at least the first two months since the tightness can mimic the feel of a diaper…which can cause more accidents.
At home we don’t worry much about ditching pants. When out and about, my girl wore dresses, then after the first weekend, these loose Hanna Anderson pants. (With my son, we put on pants for short bursts when we went out to play in the backyard in the first few days.)
These are AWESOME pants since they are so easy for little kids to push down by themselves!
(I want to add that I understand that ditching the diapers sounds insane to many parents. I acknowledge that and fully respect if you hate this idea!)
Tip 4. Make the Potty Super Accessible
As I mentioned, your toddler will go through these stages of realization: I peed, I’m peeing, I have to pee. This progression is normal and can take time to move from one to the other. I was always excited about any of these phases since they are a sign of recognition of the process.
We kept the potty close by during the first 3 days—and honestly, we still keep a potty in the playroom or the kitchen—because they can’t often hold it for very long even once they start to realize that they have to pee. The faster and easier it is to get to a potty, the easier this will all likely be.
If you see your toddler starting to pee, pick them up and put them on the potty to finish (even if you have to bypass a small puddle to clean up in a moment). The more they are reminded that pee goes in the potty, the better.
I used the phrase: “When your body tells you that it’s time to go potty, it’s right here for you.” This helped me hand over power to the child and also help verbalize that I trusted them to be able to feel the signals in their own body.
Tip 5. Figure Out How to Relax
You’re probably worried that there will be pee and poop on the floor. (Spoiler alert: There probably will be at some point.) You’re worried about how you’ll ever be able to leave the house and keep a close enough eye on your toddler to be able to get them to a potty when they need to go.
There’s a lot to worry about.
On the second day of training my daughter, I waited for two hours for her to pee so we could go get groceries. She was frustrated that I kept prompting her and then proceeded to hold it on the way to the store, at the store, and back home again. She went 3 hours! I was a wreck the whole time and she was FINE.
Which is to say, there may come a point at which you need to get our of your kid’s way.
Trust them, incorporate going potty into your routine—before leaving the house, before and after meals, etc—but don’t get too laser focused on making them go…because some kids can hold it forever and some may hold it longer if they feel pressure. Sometimes they won’t go simply because they know you want them to.
And the goal is that after 3 or so days, you reduce the amount you’re prompting them (other than in your routine as I mentioned) and let them take the lead. I often have to literally remind myself that they can indeed do this and that I just have to let them actually do it.
TIP: My Constipation Smoothie can help if the kids are having a hard time going #2.
Tip 6. Get Out of the House—with a Travel Potty
This will depend on the time of year, but if at all possible, get out of the house during those first 3 days. Take a walk around the block. Run a quick errand. Get some fresh air. I always try to get a good pee in before we go, but again, if they won’t go, just go outside anyway!
Also, this potty training tip is really helpful: Try not to ask “Do you have to go potty?” because the answer is almost always no.
Instead say something like, “We’re going to pee, then go outside.” So it’s just in the course of normal business.
I take this Pottete Plus Travel Potty everywhere we go. It’s lightweight, foldable, and is comfy for the kids. They sell disposable liners too (though often I just use plastic grocery bags with folded up paper towel.)
product we love
Pottete Plus Travel Potty
This potty can be used as a toddler potty and as a potty seat on a full-size potty.
Tip 7. Don’t Sweat Pee on the Floor
I know this stresses people out…myself included. We had white carpet with my first kid and newish hard wood floors with the second! But honestly, it’s not really that big of a deal.
We put the area rug in our playroom into a closet for two weeks to simplify things a little and kept rags, wipes, and floor cleaner nearby. And when pee did wind up on the floor, we reminded that, “Pee goes in the potty, not on the floor,” and didn’t punish or make her feel badly.
Tip 8. Get Care Providers On Board
If possible, talk to any care providers (whether at daycare, in your home, or simply other relatives who spend time with your kid) ahead of time and share your plan. Make sure that your child has easy access to the bathroom and that they’ll be taken often.
And communicate whether or not they’ll need diapers during nap.
Tip 9. Know that You Can Pause and Reset
Here’s a potty training tip very few people ever mention: You can stop if it’s clearly not working.
I actually started potty training my daughter 2 months before I did it for real and had to stop. My husband had an emergency appendectomy and I was taking care of two kids and him. We were one day in so I didn’t want to stop…but when I realized I was yelling at the kids way more than normal, and that my toddler was peeing (and yes, pooping) on the floor deliberately, I pulled the plug and waited for another long weekend.
I initially felt a little like I’d failed but it was FINE. In fact, it went much better when we started again!
So remember that it’s okay if life happens. Or if you’re just not ready.
Tip 10. Remember that 3 Days is Just the Start!
Starting the 3-day potty training method is just the beginning. Some kids get it faster than others and there are so many factors that come up that might present challenges. My first daughter had way less accidents than the second, but the second also started a new daycare, went on two trips, and had a few other daily routine changes within the first month of going without diapers. My third never needed diapers during naps or nighttime since he randomly always woke up dry.
It might take a few days or months for a child to get to the point of being able to tell you ahead of when they need to go potty. Some may take longer to be able to pull their pants down and up. It’s honestly all good.
Kids are unique, which means this process will be.
This is a process, just like any other milestone, so give your child some time for the elements to click. (Whenever we have a regression or a series of accidents, we go back to being without pants in the house and that usually helps things get back on track.)
What about naps and nighttime?
With my girls, we did naps and nighttime training a few months after we had a good grasp of daytime. I wasn’t prepared to do it all at once and that worked better for us. I did always try to get them to go before sleeping, but I do want to say that much of how a child does with nighttime is developmental and some kids are just not able to hold it all night (or wake up on their own to go) until they are older.
There’s a more complete explanation of this in the Oh Crap book linked below.
Best Tips for Potty Training Toddlers
- Setting aside three days to start daytime potty training can be a great way to get off on a solid start.
- Having a small potty can help the kids access it easily.
- Taking the time to relax and remember that it’s okay if things don’t go perfectly, it’s okay if things take time, it’s okay if you need to pause and start again later can be helpful.
- When you ditch the diapers, the progress you’ll be looking for is “I peed, I’m peeing, I have to pee”. How fast kids progress from one to the next varies.
- Read Oh Crap Potty Training for the full nitty gritty on potty training toddlers using this method.
- If you need one-on-on help or just need to talk to an expert in real life, reach out to my friend Jen at Oh Crap Potty Training from Me To You.
- My Constipation Smoothie can help if the kids are having a hard time going #2.
- Here are great foods to help constipation too.
Related Recipes
I hope all of this info helps you on your potty training journey. Feel free to comment below with any questions or feedback!
Just starting to read Oh Crap Potty Training and will be starting training soon. I was wondering if you got anything to protect the car seat from accidents? Do you have any recommendations?
We just put a towel down for short trips and tried to time trips in the car to after they’d just gone potty. Good luck with the process!
Hi Amy! In your experience, is a child who won’t poop on the potty too young to be potty trained? I have a 2.5 boy and we’re a few days in. He is pooping on the floor and in the tub and hasn’t pooped in the potty yet. Would you consider waiting or give it more time?
Thank you for this informative post!
Hi- I think that it can be scary for kids to go #2 on the potty and it may take a few days for them to get over that fear. We experienced that this time around and it took at least a week to have more comfort with it. We sat with books and I used a lot of verbal reassurance. It’s a process for sure and I hope it improves!
For night time , do u wake them up once in the middle of night to pee? Do u recommend keeping a travel potty in the room itself for that?
We kept the little potty in their room and took them when we went to bed (so about two hours after they went to bed), and then one other time during the night if needed. We started with two wake ups (the kids don’t usually wake fully) and then went to one. It is not the easiest process and I think I probably should have waited a little longer to start it with both of my girls.
Dear Amy
Following your posts on potty training as this is next on my list 🙂
My little girl is 2 months younger than your little boy. She still asks for lots of milk/ redbush tea right before bed which eventually would be a problem as it makes her pee a lot at night.
Did you stop giving any drink before bedtime? I feel bad refusing her a drink especially in summer /hot weather.
Kind regards
If you are actively trying to night time train, the advice is to taper liquids with more earlier in the day and less as the day goes on. In the warmer weather, I agree that is hard. If you are going to keep diapers at night for a while, I wouldn’t worry about the liquids then right now.
Did/do you use the same diapers as before for naps and bed or switch to pull ups to have it be something different? Wondering if it will be confusing or if they understand that diapers are just for sleeping now.
We’ve used the same diapers and just say “diapers are for sleeping, we’ll take this off when you wake up” and then immediately take it off and go potty when they wake. So many of the pull ups have characters, which makes them more appealing, so anytime we’ve had those around they cause more issues than they are worth!
I have a 3.5 yr old daughter. She still wears diaper at nap and bedtime. I have noticed her diaper dry only few times after nap but not consistent. Should I wait until I see dry diapers or should I take out diaper and see how it goes? Thanks
You could try to be consistent about having her try to go before nap and if you can get that piece in (or know that she went soon before) you could totally try it.
Hi, we have the elmo and potette travel potty but it’s hard to keep his bottom contained withing the potty opening. Do you have any recommendations for a potty that has a bigger splash/spill guard. Or any tips on how to position him? Thanks.
I don’t know of a larger one but let me ask a friend who might and I’ll report back!
Love this post, thank you for sharing! I also did this method with my 23mo old which was a huge success. (Also keeping in diaper tho for nap/bed)
It’s been 2 months and she still mainly uses the little potty which is in the living room. I’m just curious what’s a common timeframe to ditch the little potty? I probably should at least move it to the bathroom at some point but I just haven’t yet!
I think it depends on the size of the child and how comfortable they are sitting on a bigger potty. If you have a little stool and a potty seat that can go on the big potty, you can switch earlier, but using the regular potty without anything to help can take until 3-4 depending. We usually use the little potty for a solid year.
We’re a bit over a month into potty training and kiddo is afraid to sit on the big potty. He loves helping dump the contents of the little potty into the big potty, flushing, ext., but won’t sit on it. It’s fine at home, but makes it impossible to use public toilets. Any advice on getting kiddo comfortable on the big potty?
I would try to get a portable seat cover that you could take with you or use a travel potty temporarily until they’re a little older. Public potties are hard because there is often a LOT of noise, but a travel seat cover would at the very least help them feel more secure on the seat. (They make some that fold up so they’re easy to stash in a bag or we fold our Potette Plus and use it as a seat cover.)
I started potty training about 2 months ago. She’s very interested in the potty and wearing big girl panties but she still has at least one accident or so a day. I tried a pants-free weekend to get her back on track. But she’s still having accidents.
I’m thinking of going back to diapers for a few weeks since we’re moving. When I told her this and put her in a diaper, she pulled it down and used the potty. Should I allow her to still use the potty during this time? And any advice on getting her to actually poop in the potty and not her nighttime/naptime diaper???
I guess I wouldn’t necessarily consider 1 accident a day as a sign that she needs to go back into diapers, but I can see how it would be more convenient during this transition. For the poop question, I would look here: https://www.ohcrappottytrainingmetoyou.com/ for the diaper question
We have been potty training our 3 1/2 year old for about a year. Between house renovating and lockdowns looking back we should of waited. He now will go on the potty sometimes but still has lots of accidents. He does poos on the potty. We’ve started letting him watch his favourite program after he does a poo or a wee on the potty. He gets really involved in playing and just doesn’t go to the potty. And then isn’t bothered about having wet trousers or pants. We’ve tried no pants and pants, sticker charts, sweets.
Have you got any advice? Thanks
I’d recommend reading the Oh Crap Potty training advice as she’s very thorough with her advice.
I left underwear and pants on both my boys while training.
Pee didn’t really end up on the floor becuse it soaked into the clothes. I think the feel of normal clothes was good when dry. But then when they got wet, were a real encouragement to go potty. No big deal quick hose off in the tub. Both children learned Very quickly! Just did a lot of laundry and that was it. I don’t think I even pushed the “gotta go potty” question very much. Didn’t put them on potty all the time either. Maybe every hour? That was for during the day … Still used pull ups at night but I think after just a couple weeks they were mostly dry…a waterproof mattress pad is beneficial after that, but better to have them in underwear than stuck in a diaper forever. Plus saves $$$. A few washes are nothing to worry about 🙂 also just a cute note…I originally heard this 3 day training called “$75 and a weekend”. 1 weekend of potty training and $75 to clean the carpet!! Funny but true!!
Do your kids use nappies at night then? What if they’re dry during the day but are still bed wetting. What then? Please help.
The approach to night training that we did involved taking them to the potty during regular intervals during the night (so yes, waking them up) until they learned to wake on their own to go. The ability to hold it all night can take a lot longer than being dry during the day, so you don’t have to do them at the same time. I would look up info on night training from Oh Crap Potty Training as she spells it out clearly!
Thank you so much for your tips! Tried to start today with my 2.5 year old. Got him to try sitting on the potty and had him pants-less. He peed 3x on the floor, and after the last time he started getting teary and was saying he wanted his pants and diaper back. I never once yelled or made a face or was at all upset at him – just told him it’s ok, pee goes in the potty, try again next time, etc. I don’t know if he just doesn’t like not wearing pants or if it’s the diaper he really wants or what. But I felt so bad, I gave him a bath (because by then his lower body had a good amount of hastily wiped off pee on it), and put on his diaper and cozy sweatpants…and felt like a failure. I appreciate your insight. I bought the book and a ton of gear from your friends’s website. Will try again in a few weeks!
These are really good tips! detach the dipper is informative tips. I’m also written an article on The 3 Day Potty Training.
Goodbye diapers!
I am on day 4 and my daughter starts to pee, goes ‘oh dear’ holds it and then rushes to the potty and does the rest in the potty. She has gone longer between wees over the last few days but I am not sure how to encourage her to get to the potty before she starts to wee. Should I just carry on and she will get it or should I be doing somethjng else? She wont let me put her on the potty at regular intervals as she says no, I dont like it. But knows thats where poo and wee goes and runs to it when somethkng starts to come out.
Her recognizing that she’s peeing is a great sign and that comes before she will recognize that she has to be. The progression usually goes recognition of “I peed” then “I’m peeing” then “I have to pee”. So it sounds to me like she’s doing great and with time the signals from her body will start to click and she’ll realize that she has to pee ahead of time. She’s doing great!!
My son starts to pee on the floor but as soon as I grab him to put him on the potty. He won’t pee again till he gets off the potty to pee on the floor. Should I wait a few months to go again?
Maybe try seeing if you can get him to relax and exhale while he sits? You could try letting him look at a few books. If it keeps happening and it’s making you crazy, then yes, I think it would be reasonable to take break and try again in a bit.
I’m on day 3 with my 18 month old. He recognizes he is peeing, tells me he is peeing, shows me, but we are not even close to him going towards the potty to pee. He just seems to pee whenever and I’m trying to track w a timer too ??♀️ do I continue, not quite ready? Thank you in advance
I think keep taking him at regular intervals and looking for his signals and give it more time. It often takes a few more days for everything to click and that’s totally fine!
Do you have any tips for resistant potty trainers? My so. Refuses to sit on the potty and even with me asking if he has to go will tell me no! I respect his wishes and don’t force the issue but I’ve never seen the resistant potty issues. My daughter who is 1 1/2 will sit on the potty and entertain the idea.
The advice I’ve heard is not to ask them, but instead to make going part of your routine. So say “we’re going potty and then to the park” or “we’re going potty and then it’s lunchtime”. The book Oh Crap Potty Training or ohcrapfrommetoyou.com will have more specific info but sometimes giving them the option to say yes or no primes them to say no in this case. Good luck!
Wow! I never even thought of using a travel potty! That’s a really good idea! I was too afraid to ‘ditch the diapers’ right away because I could not mentally handle pee and poo getting everywhere. Ha! These are really good tips!
The travel potty is seriously amazing!