Opening Conversations and Weekly Updates

Episode 70 of *Babies Down, Bottles Up* opens with the kind of candid updates listeners have come to expect from hosts **Terrin, Kisha, and Josselyn**. The three mothers ease into the topic by catching up on their week, blending humor with heartfelt honesty. Kisha beams with pride as she talks about her son’s recent reading progress. After taking a fluency test, he managed to read 113 words in a single minute, a significant improvement that left Kisha both stunned and delighted. She describes how he’s been coming home with chapter books, even diving into Percy Jackson and Wimpy Kid stories. For a family of readers, watching him grow into an avid book lover feels like watching a dream come true.

Meanwhile, Josselyn updates listeners on her busy fall season, which is packed with festivals and community events. She has also taken on a new project—forming a women’s goalball team in Dallas. She admits she feels a bit like an imposter since she has no official coach lined up, meaning she’ll have to lead practices herself until someone steps in. Even with nerves and imposter syndrome, she’s determined to give it a try, reminding herself that experience and willingness often matter more than credentials.

Terrin, on the other hand, has had an exhausting week. Her mother’s intuition told her something was off with her daughter Scarlett, who wasn’t acting quite right. What started as small concerns turned into oxygen treatments, IV fluids, and eventually a hospital visit. Terrin describes the toll of managing medical issues on top of work and parenting, but she also notes how resilience builds over time. She even had a moment at the hospital where staff wanted to watch her catheterize Scarlett through her umbilical vesicostomy—a procedure few had seen before. Being able to demonstrate her skill as a blind mother gave her a sense of empowerment. With these updates shared, the hosts transition to the main event: the long-awaited potty training episode.

Why Potty Training Matters to Parents

The hosts acknowledge right away that potty training is a rite of passage that stirs up strong emotions in parents. It is expensive, exhausting, and often frustrating, but it also marks a milestone in a child’s independence. The three moms laugh about the way people love to compare potty training timelines, bragging that their child was trained at 15 months or claiming they mastered it in three days. These comparisons, while sometimes funny, add unnecessary pressure. Each child develops differently, and as the hosts stress, success comes only when the child is ready. What works for one family may completely fail in another household. Potty training, then, becomes not just about teaching a child but also about managing parental expectations, frustrations, and patience.

Recognizing the Signs of Readiness

When it comes to readiness, each mom’s story is unique. Kisha admits she didn’t look for signs at all; her push to potty train was driven by the financial burden of diapers. With two kids in them at once, the expense was overwhelming, and her motivation was pure survival. However, she quickly realized that pushing a child before they are ready is an uphill battle. Her daughter Xania went through seven pairs of underwear in half an hour on the first day, proving that no amount of wishful thinking could replace true readiness.

Josselyn took a more structured approach with her oldest daughter, Ariana. She carefully tracked the signs: taking off diapers, asking to be changed, or staying dry for longer stretches. Even with these indicators, Ariana didn’t fully train until she was closer to three. Josselyn learned that children may show physical readiness but still lack the emotional maturity to follow through consistently.

Terrin offers a very different story. She admits she never potty trained her oldest daughter, Delainy. While Terrin was away at a Washington seminar, her husband Cory handled the process. In just a few days, Delainy went from pooping on the floor to confidently using the potty. By the time Terrin returned, Delainy was essentially trained. It was a surprise win, timed perfectly as Terrin discovered shortly after that she was pregnant with Scarlett. For her, potty training became a reminder that sometimes the process works itself out, even without a plan.

Training Boys Versus Girls

A particularly engaging part of the episode comes when Kisha describes the stark differences between potty training her son, Xane, and her daughter, Xania. She found boys more difficult, often requiring more time and creative tricks. Xane was given a Paw Patrol potty that sang the theme song when flushed, making the process a little more exciting. At first, she had him sit to pee, delaying the standing method until he was older and closer to entering school. Having his father as a model made the transition smoother. Even now, though, reminders about lifting the seat remain part of the parenting routine.

In contrast, training her daughter was more straightforward. Sitting her on the potty was enough, but it came with its own quirks. At one point, Xania would only use the toilet at school and refused at home until Kisha finally threatened to stop buying pull-ups. In both cases, Kisha emphasizes that persistence and creativity matter, but patience matters most.

Tools, Rewards, and Incentives

Each host describes different ways they motivated their children. Terrin used tiny M&Ms, which Delainy affectionately called “crumbs,” giving her one each time she succeeded. Josselyn preferred a marble jar, where every successful potty trip earned a marble, and once the jar was full, Ariana could trade it for a bigger reward like a toy or a fast-food outing. She even adapted ideas from her guide dog training, letting her kids ring a bell after each successful attempt to make it into a fun, celebratory production.

Kisha took a more survival-driven approach. With two kids so close in age, rewards were too overwhelming to manage, so she relied on persistence and consistency rather than structured incentives. The discussion highlights how rewards don’t have to be big or complicated—sometimes the real motivation is the excitement and celebration around the milestone itself.

Potty Training in Public and the Blind Parenting Lens

The moms dive into the complications of potty training in public spaces. For blind parents, locating and navigating restrooms takes extra time, so “emotional support pull-ups” often remain part of outings. Josselyn explains how foldable travel potty seats helped her daughter feel comfortable in larger public toilets, while Terrin recalls a funny but stressful moment when Delainy announced in the middle of a grocery store that she was “about to pee in her panties.” These moments capture both the humor and the pressure parents face in public.

The conversation also touches on hygiene. Boys’ bathrooms, as the moms joke, are often smelly battle zones, but Terrin shares a hack—using shaving cream around the toilet to neutralize odors without scrubbing. Teaching wiping, especially for young girls, is another ongoing challenge. The moms stress the importance of teaching from front to back to avoid infections, though they admit it’s an area kids don’t always master quickly.

Special Needs and Dignity in Potty Training

The episode takes a thoughtful turn as the hosts address children whose potty training journeys are different due to medical or developmental needs. Terrin shares that her daughter Scarlett still wears briefs due to her condition, emphasizing the importance of using respectful language to preserve dignity. Calling them “briefs” rather than “diapers” and framing it as “using the restroom” rather than “changing a diaper” helps older children feel respected.

Josselyn opens up about her four-year-old daughter with autism, who withholds bathroom use until she’s home in her safe space. Although she understands the process, she resists at school, leaving Josselyn worried about UTIs. Reassurances from other parents remind her that readiness may come later, and patience is essential. Both stories underscore that potty training isn’t one-size-fits-all and that grace is crucial, both for the parent and the child.

School Policies and the Potty Training Catch-22

The hosts also discuss the complicated reality of potty training in schools. Many districts have strict rules prohibiting teachers or aides from assisting children in bathrooms. While these rules are meant to protect staff and students, they create difficult situations for children who need help. Terrin recalls Scarlett being injured after falling in a school restroom when her nurse was not allowed to accompany her inside. Kisha shares a traumatic story of her daughter being touched by another child due to lack of supervision, reinforcing how complex the balance of protection and independence can be. These stories highlight the systemic barriers that make potty training and bathroom independence harder for families with unique needs.

Final Words of Advice for Parents

As the episode closes, the moms leave listeners with grounded advice. Kisha stresses patience, urging parents not to let their frustration show, since negative reactions can create lasting anxieties for children. Josselyn adds that consistency is key, sharing how she even used Alexa reminders to keep her children on track every two hours. She emphasizes celebrating every success, even if it means letting kids “potty train” their stuffed animals for practice. Terrin offers a reminder that this phase, while overwhelming now, will one day be a small blip in the bigger parenting journey. She encourages parents not to compare, not to stress, and to trust that their children will eventually learn.

Closing Reflections

Episode 70 of *Babies Down, Bottles Up* manages to turn the messy, stressful, and often comical world of potty training into an honest conversation full of encouragement. By weaving in their different experiences—whether rushing because of diaper costs, methodically watching for readiness signs, or stumbling into success like with Delainy—the moms illustrate that there’s no single path to success. Add to that their perspectives as blind mothers, their stories about navigating public restrooms, and their reflections on special needs parenting, and you get an episode that is both deeply relatable and refreshingly unique.

In the end, the big message is clear: potty training isn’t about perfection, it’s about patience, grace, and finding the method that works for your family. Accidents, setbacks, and even funny public mishaps are all part of the journey, and every parent will eventually get through it.