9 Moms and 1 Dad Share Their Biggest Potty-Training Mistakes

By Lauren Levy

Just because you're no longer changing diapers doesn't mean that you won't still be covered in urine — at least while you're still a potty-training parent. Although you've most likely been counting down the days until you can break out the pull-ups and mini potties, this time can also feel just as excruciatingly long because of all of the daytime accidents and pee-dance denials. And while many parents are oftentimes eager to speed up the progress and make the transition from diaper to toilet as smooth a possible, certain missteps can easily delay the process. From feeling like they had to wait until their little one was older to getting rid of the training potty too soon (and thinking the training part was already over!), these nine moms and one dad share their biggest potty-training regrets.

  1. "Thinking training for going number one and going number two would be complete at the same time. My son refused to poop on the potty but . . . my daughter would only poop on the potty and took a long time to figure out when she needed to pee. Every child is different!" — Katrina
  2. "Let people tell me that 16 months old was too early. He was holding it and then peeing on the floor when the diaper came off." — Jenna
  3. "Using a mini potty for our little boy. It took him what seemed like forever (almost a year) to transfer to the normal potty." — Brad-Marissa
  4. "Make boys stand to pee too fast. Just have them sit and then both ends can get used to peeing and pooing when it comes naturally." — Tanya
  5. "Trying to potty-train before she was ready. It was weeks of frustration before I gave up. She potty-trained on her own literally overnight a couple of months later." — Giulia
  6. "We got rid of the potty seat before he was ready to use the big toilet. It really set us back." — Jenai
  7. "Using pull-ups. I should've just let them have accidents and feel wet." — Angela
  8. "Thinking we were done with the training part, lmao." — Matthew
  9. "If they do accidents one or couple of times, never get angry at them. This will take them all the way back." — Aisha
  10. "Word of advice: check for toilet paper before they climb up on the toilet and always be in arms reach. When I was potty-training my oldest, she was on the toilet and I went to get a roll under the sink (two ft away). She fell off the toilet, hit her head on the tub, and knocked herself out." — Crystal