CaliMomTo3's Profile

Super old post, but I have a Malm dresser we bought used over 4 years ago, moved twice, been climbed on by little people, and still have 0 problems with. It's a pretty sturdy piece of furniture. Not to mention that Malm is one of the least expensive bedroom storage options at Ikea. We are probably going to buy another one, especially if we can find another on CL.

I would say: read, read, read a lot of different sources to find something that will work for your family. No matter what approach you choose, make sure you keep everything very positive, it's hard to keep your cool when they have accidents (especially if they do really well and then have an accident weeks/months later). It's good to know what you're going to say in advance. Our book advised us to say "Ooops, pee-pee goes in the potty, please try to use the potty next time", clean it up, don't make a fuss. If kids get more attention, even if it's negative, for their failures than their successes, which do you think will be repeated?
We also chose to do a focused day of training, where he got lots of praise for success (about 37 months old). We started with awake time only (I even had him in a diaper when we went out for the first week, I didn't want to worry about accidents away from home. He eventually decided he would be willing to potty at the store. It's wise to make sure they use the potty before leaving the house), and diapered for naps/bedtime. He still wears a diaper for bed, and he's been trained for 6 months, because he wets on occasion (usually only when we forget to have him go before bed), and I would rather not deal with a wet bed in the middle of the night.