JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mastering potty training is a journey for everyone involved. Parents, no matter how hard you try, you might need some help.
For News4Jax reporter Ashley Harding and her son, Cal, Potty Training School is what worked.
Melissa Adam launched the Potty Training School six years ago and has successfully trained more than 2,500 students.
"We take each child through every phase,” Adam said. “So they learn to independently use the potty without the help from mom and dad."
Yes, every phase -- in a four-hour crash course.
The learning process starts at the very beginning, and no accident is off limits. And we mean no accident.
Not only are little ones learning how to ditch the diaper, parents are helping their kids break their habits by staying a step ahead -- that’s a must in today's fast-paced family life.
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“When our parents potty-trained us, it was normal to stay at home for two weeks to potty-train. We all had that time,” Adam said. “Now, today’s child … we have to take a look at an old-fashioned ritual and modernize it to accommodate today’s modern toddler.”
The four-hour group potty training costs moms and dads $250. If a box of diapers costs around $30 each on average, the class will pay for itself in just a matter of weeks.
Even when the class is over, moms and dads are sent home with instructions for the next 48 hours. While the class may feel like a boot camp you never thought possible, conquering potty training can happen a lot quicker than you might think.
This is a big plus for families who are constantly on the go.
"Families have two-income families. People work, and they don't have that. They work on potty training on the weekend,” Adam said. “They go back to school, they have an accident at preschool and then they're back in diapers. So it is a longer process for people nowadays to potty train."
Private potty-training classes are available as well, but they cost more. Jacksonville classes happen every Saturday and some Friday mornings.
Of the more than 2,500 students who have been successfully potty trained through the class, only 12 parents called to discontinue the program.
Adam said those were special needs children, and of those, five returned to the class at a later time.
Classes are held in South Florida and at Hope Haven on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville.
To sign up or learn more, go to pottytrainingschool.org.
A note from Ashley on how this worked for her family
Our son turned 3 last December. To say our child is stubborn is an understatement. To say our family is busy is an even bigger understatement.
WATCH: Ashley Harding's son at Potty Training School
Between my husband and I both working, plus other responsibilities, consistency with potty training our son truly fell by the wayside. Consistency is a must with trying to train a little one.
When we heard about the Potty Training School, we knew this was well worth a try. Cal and I took the class together and found that a breakthrough had been made that very day. He was able to take his new skills home, retain them and perfect them. We took the class on Friday, April 5, and that was the last time he has worn a pull-up.