If you are researching potty training...congratulations, this is so exciting...AND...I am here for you because this is no easy task (at least it wasn't for me).
When I started out I had been hearing a lot about 3-day plans, child led potty training, timed bathroom trips, pull-ups, no undies, big potties, little potties... The information is endless and that's good and bad.
I took to the internet to not only research, but to also reach out to my tribe for personal experiences. I was curious to hear thoughts on the process, what worked, what did not work, etc. Let me pay it forward and share the 10 tips that were shared with me and/or that I experienced that have been most helpful when potty training my almost 2 1/2 year old boy.
- Prepare!
- This is a common recommendation for all potty training parents! PREPARE! Talk about potty training before you start. I talked about it with my little one for about a week before. Set out a flexible plan, talk about it, and keep talking about it. Your little one is so capable and understands so much. When you talk about it, you are familiarizing them with this new experience. I said say, "On Friday we are going to start potty training and going pee pee and poo poo in the toilet...not in a diaper. You will have no more diapers". In addition to verbally (and mentally) preparing yourself and your child, prepare yourself with the essentials:
- Potty training seat of choice (small toilet, little seat, etc....just determine what works best for your family and go with it)
- We tried both. I have a little potty and an Elmo seat for the regular toilet. My little guy initially STRONGLY preferred the little potty. He now can go back and forth. You know your kiddo...do what you think if best for your little one.
- Undies (and pull ups for night...that was my choice)
- Lots of cleaning solution! Period! I'm talking bleach, floor cleaner, stain remover, laundry detergent
- Movies and activities
- Treats (for your little one and for yourself)
- Drinks (for your little one and for yourself...coffee and wine sure helped!)
- A friend you can text/call
- Potty training seat of choice (small toilet, little seat, etc....just determine what works best for your family and go with it)
- This is a common recommendation for all potty training parents! PREPARE! Talk about potty training before you start. I talked about it with my little one for about a week before. Set out a flexible plan, talk about it, and keep talking about it. Your little one is so capable and understands so much. When you talk about it, you are familiarizing them with this new experience. I said say, "On Friday we are going to start potty training and going pee pee and poo poo in the toilet...not in a diaper. You will have no more diapers". In addition to verbally (and mentally) preparing yourself and your child, prepare yourself with the essentials:
- Schedule time
- Set your little one up for success and truly dedicate a solid 3 days (or more, if possible). I dedicated a solid 4 days at the house. We took a trip to the store in the evening on the 4th day and the same on the 5th day.
- I know! It is sooooo hard to give up 4 or 5 days to staying at home to potty train. I literally had one stretch of 5 days in the next few months so I made that our potty training weekend and just went for it.
- Make a plan, but be flexible
- I started out with the 3-day plan of following my child's lead and not asking or scheduling potty trips. After a messy first day with lots of tears, I changed my approach. I then took to setting a timer for potty trips. However, whenever the timer went off, my little guy broke down in tears. His fun and easy going personality turned to one that was extremely fearful and emotional. Then I switch to a bit of a mix. When he showed signs of needing to go to the bathroom, I said, "When you do that it shows me that you need to go to the bathroom". Then, I would take him. Or I would mentally clock the time and when it was time to use the bathroom, I would just say "Oh! It is time to go potty. We are going to go real quick and then we can come right back to play!".
- Jump in and try out what you think will work best and then trust your gut to make the appropriate adjustments.
- Also...mamas with multiple kiddos shared that potty training techniques that worked for one kid did not necessarily work for the other kids. You may need to get creative all over again...
- "Throw out" your diapers
- On the morning of our first day potty training we had a little "throwing out" ceremony! I gave my little guy diapers and had him throw them in the "trash". What's with all the " "?? Well, while I was totally committed to potty training, I was not sure my little guy was developmentally ready. I wanted to commit, but I'm no fool...I did not want to waste good diapers (good $). So we threw them in a clean trash bag and I placed them in the garage. My little guy thought they were gone, but I did not feel like they were a huge waste. Now that my guy is potty trained, I'll give them to a friend. :)
- Pull-ups at night!
- This is a huge preference thing.
- Look...I had an almost 2 month old when we started potty training. I was not about to mess with sleep by trying to potty train at night. That being said, I put the pull-ups on over undies so that he would still feel wet underwear, but I would not have to wash sheets every morning. No one has time for that!
- Be kind
- This is a transition...a BIG transition! Your little one is dealing with so much change and all sorts of feelings. It is a physical, mental, and emotional transition. Be extra kind and extra patient with your little one, but do not forget to be extra kind and extra patient with yourself. Tag out with your significant other or another caregiver and go for a walk, grab a coffee...just do something for you! In my case, I helped myself to the M&M potty rewards :)
- This is a transition...a BIG transition! Your little one is dealing with so much change and all sorts of feelings. It is a physical, mental, and emotional transition. Be extra kind and extra patient with your little one, but do not forget to be extra kind and extra patient with yourself. Tag out with your significant other or another caregiver and go for a walk, grab a coffee...just do something for you! In my case, I helped myself to the M&M potty rewards :)
- Praise!
- Praise!! Give lots of praise to your little one. Praise every step along the way that is even a littlest associated with potty training! Use a lot of positive talk. I would talk to my little one and say, "You went pee pee in the potty! So exciting! You can say, 'I did it!'". I then found he eventually said the same praise phrases to himself that I said to him!
- Strategic Activities
- The first 3-4 days of potty training, when that was all we did, I decided to be very strategic with the activities we did in the house to try to reduce clean up of accidents. Again, you do what works best for you, but that about your strategy for activities. I made a "nest" (aka, piles of comfy blankets on the ground). My little one sat in the nest to watch movies, we then played toys in his nest or on hard floors. I figured if he had an accident in the "nest", I can easily wash the blankets (and protect the carpets). If he had an accident on the hard floors, I could easily clean up!
- That being said, practice an outing. We made a plan to take my little one to ice cream to celebrate his hard work with potty training. I made a plan...take him to the bathroom before we left, show him the bathroom when we got to the ice cream place, and have him use it when we left.
- Call on your tribe!
- I'm sooo serious about this. My thumbs were on fire with how much I was texting my friends. I needed their advice, experience, suggestions...I also just needed to vent! These mamas were life savers!!! If you do not feel you have that support, I will be here for you! I'm serious...I think all potty training parents need a parent sounding board!
- One of my mama friends who had just been-there-done-that with potty training her little boy encouraged me to stick with potty training through the end of the third day as I was about to give up during the afternoon of the third day. She said to stick with it through the end of the third day and re-evaluate in the morning. That was such wonderful advice for me and my little guy. By the third night, potty training seemed to click.
- Trust your gut
- One of the most common suggestions for success with potty training was to trust your gut with determining if your child is ready. You may start potty training and dedicate a couple of days and find that you fully feel potty training is not working for you and your kid. It may be that your child is not ready. Stop. Talk about it with your child..."I'm so proud of your hard work. You have really worked hard on potty training. We are going to take a break from potty training and we will do it again in a few weeks!" Start again in a few weeks or a few months.
-Julianne