Oh Crap! Potty Training

hope. The very first thing a mom with a kid over thirty months will
tell me is “I feel so guilty. I waited too long, and now the window of
opportunity is gone.”
First off: ditch the guilt right now. Leave it on the ground and
walk over it. Guilt serves no one. I’m sure you honestly thought you
were waiting for readiness or the right time. I’m really sure you didn’t
think, Wow. I’d really like to f**k up potty training. So leave the guilt.
You are where you are and that’s okay.
You are going to do the training just as I lay it out in chapter 5,
“Ditch the Diapers! The How-To.” The only thing you really need to
be aware of is the behavior stuff. The resistance that comes from a
kid over thirty months isn’t usually because of learning. It’s usually
just because you are saying one thing and they are automatically
going to say another. You are definitely going to dance between
prompting and the backing off. The older child needs much more
privacy, so pay close attention to that. They also need much more
independence. The “walk away” prompt is the best. That’s when you
remind them in a casual way, such as, “I can see you have to pee.
There’s your potty.” And physically and mentally walk away.
The older child is also most likely going to have poop troubles. Go
back and read all of chapter 10, “Poop,” paying close attention to the
“glaring spotlight.” These older kids are just that much more
attached to the security blanket of diapers. Privacy and independence
are your best bet. As I’ve said, thirty to thirty-six months is not a
danger zone . . . just sort of a no-man’s land of fuzziness. It’s time to
really do this now, with conviction and consistency.