Mom Honesty

Kristen Bell's Daughter Was In Diapers Until She Was 5

The honest mom got real about the struggles of parenting.

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Kristen Bell in a pink blazer and black shirt at a red carpet event
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Kristen Bell is known for speaking her mind in any situation and being brutally honest about how hard parenting can be. That’s why it’s no surprise that, in a May of 2020 episode of Mansplaining with Kristen Bell, she candidly explained that her-then 5-1/2-year-old daughter, Delta, (who is as of October 2022, 7 years old) was still in diapers.

Say what?! No, it’s totally normal. All kids are different and while some get the hang of using the toilet ASAP, others struggle to figure it out. Bell explained: “My oldest daughter, [when she was] at 21 months, we merely suggested that she use the toilet in the other room and [she] never wore another diaper beyond that… My husband and I, like, ‘Why does everyone make a big deal out of this potty training? It’s so easy. Just tell the kid to use the toilet.”

Bell got her due like all parents do when she revealed that Delta was still using diapers at the time.

But that’s totally normal — every kid is different, and that’s especially true of siblings, leaving parents with no idea what to expect from one baby to the next, and it’s also totally okay. Potty training is one of the hardest phases of parenting young kids, and it’s also one of the messiest. Luckily, Bell doesn’t seem too fazed about it, probably understanding that her youngest daughter will get the hang of the whole potty-training thing at some point.

There are a million different strategies for potty training — and all of them are valid. Whatever works for you is what works!

And for what it’s worth, by July 2020, just a few short months later, Bell shared an update that Delta had ditched diapers for good — all thanks to an easy trick Bell and her husband Dax Shepard put into place to help Delta get through the night without needing diapers. “We wake her up at about 11 p.m. when she’s like a zombie and put her on the toilet,” Bell explained in July of 2020.

As for all the mom shaming? "I think it’s really normal and no one should feel ashamed if their kid has an irregular pattern for potty training. And if you want to try this 11 o’clock make-them-pee trick, great, there’s no shame in any of it. Sometimes it takes kids until they’re even older than five! But I’ve never met a high-schooler who pees their pants all day. It’s going to stop at some point."

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