We decided to start potty training my first son when he was about two years old. We started early because he was already showing signs of readiness (staying dry for long hours, using the potty before bath, knowing when he was about to go, etc.), but I also was due with baby #2 in a couple of months and the thought of changing two kid’s diapers was totally NOT appealing. I knew the direction I wanted to go, but still asked around for helpful tips. Like with anything that involves kids and babies, what works for one person may not work for another, but here are some tips that I found helpful on our journey. Maybe a few of them can help you too.
Be prepared…and by that, I mean get a training seat. Since my guy was still pretty small, he had trouble getting up onto the big potty himself and would sometimes forget to hold on. We didn’t want to scare him away from the toilet from falling in, so we first got him a stand alone training potty. We purchased this Summer Infant one from Amazon. It looked nice enough to have out in our bathroom, was easy to clean, and was fairly comfortable for if he needed to sit and wait for something to happen. We also got this Winnie the Pooh training seat that sits on the potty for when he was big enough to use his stool to climb up on his own. (We got this one free through Huggies Rewards, but there are similar ones on Amazon or at Walmart if you search for Disney Soft Potty Seat). There are so many options for training potties, even ones that are connected to the lid of the toilet which I find would be very convenient for when they are more independent in bathroom duties.
Come up with a reward system. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something to show them that what they are doing is leading up to something special for them. We started with allowing him to put a sticker on a days of the week chart every time he would use the big potty. He mainly just liked the idea of using stickers, and we stopped this pretty quickly since he trained so easily. But have them working towards a goal of their choice (within reason), and they will feel excitement as they see the progress.
Use a timer. In the beginning, some feel that setting a timer and going to the potty every time it goes off is a sure way to avoid the accidents. This can work, but you have to be willing to stick with it and take them every ‘x’ amount of minutes. I believe we started with a 20 minute timer, and eventually he would run to the bathroom by himself when he heard the timer go off. Even if he didn’t have to go, it was fine because he was getting used to the potty routine.
Books. Adults read books/newspapers on the toilet all the time, give your child a book if you know he is “working” on something. It keeps them occupied and on the potty long enough to do their business without getting up prematurely. Nothing like cleaning up a mess on the way OUT of the bathroom.
Skip the pull-ups. In my opinion (we all have those, right?), a pull up is basically a diaper. It works the same way, it just has “cooler” big boy/girl designs. I decided that since I was going to be home, I was going to throw some on underwear and see what happened. For us, he wet himself once and that was that, he didn’t wet again because he didn’t like being wet. For some of my friends though, it took a little longer, but patience is key. Do NOT yell or get upset if they have an accident, explain to them the feeling of having to go, and let them know that accidents happen while learning something new.
Go before leaving the house. Even if you just had your kid sitting on the potty, take him again if you are leaving the house. Tiny bladders don’t hold much, and if your kid drinks as much water as mine—you may find yourself searching for a clean potty to use almost as soon as you are out the door. Even now I will tell my son (now 3.5) to try just in case, he usually ends up going a little.
Change of clothes. Never, and I repeat, NEVER leave the house without a change of clothes. Quick trip out? Doesn’t matter, bring extra clothes. Sometimes accidents happen because there isn’t a restroom nearby, and you don’t want your child walking around feeling embarrassed or sad because they have wet pants. Keep a spare set of underwear and pants in the car, that way you will at least have a backup in case you forget to put some in the diaper bag.
The biggest factor by far is encouragement. Keep encouraging them as kids thrive off of positive reinforcement. Always praise them when they use the potty, even when they are just about trained. You want them to know that what they are doing is great and that they are still being noticed for their efforts and achievements.
What are some things that helped you potty train? Do you plan on using any of these strategies when it is time?
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