Potty training…all parents have to do it. For some kids, they pick up their potty skills relatively early and quickly but for others…it can take quite some time to master. No matter when you start potty training your child, it is important to come up with a game plan, gather up some tips from experienced parents and instill a lot of patience in yourself and your child.
Today, I am going to share with all of you some of the potty training tips that I used when potty training my daughter and when I helped potty train my grand daughter.
1. Look for signs that your child is ready to begin with potty training. If they are asking you questions about using a toilet, watching older siblings use the toilet and so forth, it may be time to start the training. You will know when the time is right…so watch for those “readiness” signs and then begin.
2. Draft up a “potty check” schedule and stick to it! For us, this meant getting on the potty first thing in the morning, every 1 1/2 to 2 hours throughout the day and it was the last thing that our child did before going to bed. I found it very helpful to set my kitchen timer so that it would ring to notify me and our daughter that it was time to go sit on the potty!
Get into a routine…even before bedtime!
3. Get a “potty routine” established! I made up a tote bag that contained several books inside it and it hung on the back of the bathroom door. Every time she went in to sit on the potty, she got to sit with a book. This was part of our routine and it occupied her while she sat on the toilet. This is a great way to get kids to love books at an early age too!
4. Dress you child appropriately when potty training! Their bottoms should be easily dropped down. Don’t layer on tights, skirts, belts, leggings and other things that take several minutes to undo. If a child has to stand there for several minutes undoing everything then accidents can & will happen. Easy dressing is the name of the game when training your child to use the potty.
Keep things simple & fun!
5. Realize that every child learns their toiletry habits at a different age and some catch onto it quickly while others lag behind. Just because Jane’s child was fully trained by age 2 doesn’t mean your child will master it at the same age. Just because Sue’s child only took 2 weeks to be trained doesn’t mean your child will master it that quickly too.
6. Accidents will happen! Don’t scold your child, humiliate them or punish them when they have accidents. It is completely NORMAL for all children to have accidents. In addition, even months after they have been trained don’t be surprise if they go through mini-phases when accidents occur again. It is all part of the learning process.
7. Invest in Pampers Easy Ups for your potty training needs. Pampers Easy Ups can help the diaper-to-underwear transition by allowing potty-training toddlers to set aside their diapers and wear something with more of an underwear-like design that still helps keep accidental messes off clothing, bedding and other surfaces.
Pampers Easy Ups have fewer leaks than the other leading training pant to help simplify and improve the overall potty training experience. Pampers Easy Ups have an absorbent core that holds 25% more than the other leading training pant to help ensure little ones remain dry. Plus, with up to 12 hours of protection, it works during the day AND night, enabling toddlers and moms to confidently and completely transition from diapers towards underwear.
8. Celebrate, Praise and/or Reward! Every time your child has success on the toilet make sure you celebrate, praise and/or reward their success. We used to do the “happy dance” after each time she successfully used the potty and I would give her a little reward. This can be something as simple as a piece of small candy, some grapes (her favorite snack as a child), a cracker or two…whatever! Let your child feel your excitement and how proud you are of their accomplishments…even if it’s one step at a time!
9. Pick up some great books on the subject like Dr. Laura Jana’s (who co-authored) the book “Its You and Me Against the Pee..and the Poop, Too! These types of books are always loaded with great potty training advice and tips.
10. Involve Others! If you drop your child off at daycare or at grandma’s house make sure you ask them to help continue your potty training efforts while your child is in their care. This helps to keep a consistent routine for your child.
Right now we are getting ready to start training my little god son and as you all know, my daughter is pregnant with baby #2. I have to admit…I love potty training children. Do you? Got any great tips to share?
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Disclaimer: “This review and giveaway was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Pampers. I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.”
My #1 tip is to not start to early — wait until they are ready and it will be much easier. Training during the day was pretty easy but night takes time.
My number one tip is to have a reward system in place for their good deeds!
My #1 tip is to use bribery. Worked for me.
Be gentle and patient.
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Patience is key. Let them train at their own pace, each child is different.
Have patience. They will let you know when they are ready!
The number one tip I have is patience and praise with positive encouragement 🙂 My great nephew is going thru potty training and my great niece is pretty much through with it. We ask him every couple of hours if he needs to use the potty. He’s good about trying, just not production, lol 🙂
My tip is to be very patient and not get upset when they have an accident.
I’ve always heard the biggest thing is to wait until the child is 100% ready.
You really must have a potty chair. The clamp on’s are only good when you have time to RUN every time your child has the need to go.
Wait until they’re ready… it’s SO much easier.
My tip is to go at their pace there’s no rush.
Not done it yet but we’ve started.
Obstacle is my daughter is moody lol.
Don’t worry if you child isn’t ready as soon as other children to potty train. Breathe.
be patient and consistent. thats what we struggle with
I’ve potty trained one child and will be training another in the near future. My best advice is be patient. It probably won’t happen overnight.If it does, good for you; but if it doesn’t, keep trying. Also, I love the idea of a potty book bag to give the child something to do while sitting there.
Needs lots of patience & make sure to wait until they’re ready
The best tip I have is start when your child is ready, some are early and some are later to be ready.
I was always worryied about public accidents but I always came prepared.
I think rewarding the use of the potty is a good tip that I’ll use when the time comes.
dont rush it every child is different and they will let you know when they are ready!! they dont like the feeling and they will train easier!!
Be patient and don’t compare your little one to others their age. Everyone is ready at a different time.
Set a timer in the kitchen or some place to remind you. It comes up fast when they have to go again and have rewards, stickers, m&m’s, etc
potty training in summer is much easier. lots less clothes to peel off in a hurry
My tip would be to not stress yourself out over it. It will happen.
Don’t try too soon. If it is just not working wait a few months & try again.
Dont’ punish, use positive reinforcement and understand even when you think they’ve got it accidents wills till happen.
My number one tip is to be patient! Each kid potty trains at their own pace.
Potty training was difficult for #2 for my little one. I’d suggest extra underwear.
Using a potty chart. Be positive.
My #1 tip is to relax and not buy into the comparison thing with other parents.
I think sticker charts work great for kids
Number one tip is do not rush it yet keep trying. The hardest part is not rushing it… everyone wants a potty trained child.
Always make the activity fun to enjoy so that they don’t get stressed
My tip is don’t force it.
I would say, don’t turn it into a fight. Let them set the pace!
My son is 10 months, so we haven’t had a chance to potty train yet, but my guess at a tip would be patience and let them learn at their own pace with you supporting them.
My tip is to involve them in the progress, pick out the potty, pick out the underwear
I think the most important tip is to be patient.
My number one tip is not to force it. It could make then revert.
WE use a a reward chart.
My tip is to be patirnt and don’t try to young.
My #1 tip is to make sure to heap on the praise.
The #1 tip I would give is to be patient. Children will potty train when they’re ready! The biggest problem we had was getting my daughter to go #2 in the potty. She learned to pee in the toilet fairly quickly, but it took many months before she would do that with poo.
My tip would be to give rewards.
Make it into a game so its fun for the kid.
My number 1 tip is to be patient and start/restart when your child is ready. This worked with my son.
Be patient and look for signs of readiness…also lots of positive encouragement.
My tip would be to give rewards!
My tip is to not start potty training around a holiday or vacation when there is a different routine.
Offering rewards and praise.
I’ve never potty trained, so I would guess that being patient and using positive reinforcement would be good.
The number one issue I had with my son was he was fine with learning to pee in the toilet. He had trouble with pooping in the toilet. He refused to potty in the training toilet and wanted to use the big toilet. What I found out was that when he sat to poop he was afraid of falling in. So I researched it and found an idea to get a little stool that I placed in front of the toilet so that he could put his feet on it . When he could put his feet on the stool then he felt safe and started pooping in the toilet.
I’m just about ready to start tackling this with my daughter, I’m just as new to it as she is! I like the tip of bringing a bag into the bathroom with some books.
Try to be patient, let your kids see you go pee, poop (mom for girls, dad for boys) so they see how it should be done!
track the progress with a reward chart- and never ever discourage your kid.
My number one potty training tip is don’t rush into it, go slow.
My best potty training tip is make is fun by rewarding them when they do a good job.
No water or juice after 6 pm
Try to wait till they are ready and use a reward program
We aren’t to that stage yet, but I’ve heard that you shouldn’t push it. Wait until he’s ready.
Try to plan a road trip with frequent stops just in case.
#1 issue you had when it came to potty training a little one? Leave comment below.
i dont have kids i cant remember when i learned it..or maybe i forgot.
Be patient and the rule always was go to the bathroom before leaving the house. If you don’t need to try anyway. I would often give my kids books for when on potty to get them to stay and entice going.
Had a lot of luck in the past by playing down the importance.
My tip is to be patient with them.
Thanks for the chance to win this
My tip would be to not start potty training too early. It’s really frustrating for the child and the parent if the child is not ready.
The #1 problem I had was my son refusing to use the potty, the dr said to ignore the behavior and take a break, it worked by not forcing him he took control and was potty trained a few months later
My best advice is to praise the successes and ignore the others.
thank you
The best tip that helped me is to have your toddler learn by example from older siblings.
One of our biggest challenges when it came to potty training our son was staying on schedule when we went out or traveled. It was difficult keeping a routine 🙂
I think hold your cool and try to get your child to go soon after meals.
#1 is REWARDS 🙂
Some kids take longer than others so be patient with your little one.
I say wait until your little one shows signs of being ready, also rewards help so much as well as clapping and cheering.
I would use a potty chair that sits on the floor to help child potty train easier! It is hard for a child to get on the big toilet and learn potty training right away.
Its a little thing but training in the warmer months is easier for the child because of less clothing.
I would recommend using stickers as rewards.
use a potty that the child likes and is comfortable using to motivate them
Find out what reward really works for your child and just don’t worry about it until he is ready and wants to do it
Consistency and patience are good to practice.
Thanks for the contest.
Be very encouraging and try not to get frustrated.
My #1 tip is to be consistent.
My best friend had the best tip for potty training her boys she used a cheerio in the toilet for them to aim at and it worked!
Our biggest issue was conquering the fear of falling in. My child had a really hard time with this.
Praise and positive reinforcement worked with my kids.
Being patient and making it a positive experience
I would say to start when the child is ready. not when you are ready. We never had any potty problems, thank goodness. Wish we had had the pull ups back then instead of the cloth training pants.
our main issue was getting him to the potty in time
I find using a reward system works well and definitely be patient. If you try and find they are not quite ready you can wait and try again later.
My tip is your child will be ready when they are ready, don’t push it! My issue was my son staying dry at night.
I think it is important to have a schedule and stick to it.
I think it is important for parents to remain calm and not put to much pressure on themselves.
Wait until your little one and you are ready to avoid stress.
My #1 tip is to wait until the child is ready!
My #1tip is to be consistent and patient. All your tips were great.
Be patient!