{6 easy tips to make potty training more successful}

       We are far from perfect or finished with potty training. Now that I had a baby girl in April, I will eventually get the pleasure of knowing first hand if one gender is easier than the other at potty training. For now, my focus is on potty training my almost 3 year old son {birthday in late October}. He’s been using the potty off and on since he turned 2. However, it seems his interest and willingness to train has just started within the past month. I’m one of those mothers that will read and read about other people’s experiences, and then I will form it to make it work for me. Potty training is one of those topics where I’m constantly look for suggestions on how to make it easier. Here is what’s worked and not worked thus far for us:

1.)    Pull-ups…

       Essentially, they are a bigger version of a diaper. More than likely, your child will associate the pull-up as a diaper and will believe it’s ok to go. I’ve learned that they have their specific place in potty training… My suggestion, ONLY use for the following 3 things:

 -traveling {mainly if you are going to be in the car or out of the house for longer than 20   

                     mins.}

             -nap time {I always try to get him to potty just before nap time, but to be on the safe
                                 side, I will put a pull-up on just to make sure we’re covered if he does go
                                 during his nap.}
            -bed time {Same concept for nap time as is for bed time. I get him to potty just before
                                bed time, and then put a pull-up on just in case we have an accident.}

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2.)    Underwear…

       I have learned if we make something a big deal, my toddler will get super excited about it. So, we got him some super cool underwear. He loves wearing his undies. Plus, if he has an accident, he will know about it and want to change. A pull-up essentially just allows for accidents to keep happening. He doesn’t like to keep wearing wet undies. Keeping underwear on, actually keeps accidents to a minimum. He seems to recognize when he needs to potty quicker in actual underwear than in pull-ups.

Image from: www1.macys.com

3.) Get a great potty...

 

 When we were trying to decide on the best potty option for my little man, we chose to go with a potty that is somewhat realistic. The potty we chose has a handle that “flushes,” makes flushing sounds, lights up, and sings a potty song.  There were two main reasons we chose this particular potty for Braeden. 1) He loves to flush toilets, so we wanted one that he could “flush” and resembled a real toilet {Yes, we know real toilets do not usually sing to us. } 2) We wanted the potty to be “cool” enough to spark his interest and keep him coming back. Well, it was perfect… Little did I know, I would fall in love with the removable seat! It was not a factor I had considered at all. However, it has come in handy more than once. He now like to go between using both his potty and the “big” potty. We can remove the seat and place it on our toilet to ensure he won’t “fall” in. We can also take the seat with us when we visit people without a small potty at their house. I would even suggest you get a foldable seat cover, so they can go anywhere.

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4.)    Make a big deal about every success…

        It is so important to give them praise every time they even sit on the potty. Even if they do not end up going, tell them you are proud of them trying. This encouragement will keep them coming back. I’ve noticed now, when Braeden goes potty, he will announce it to everyone around to hear them tell him “Good Job.” We have even given him rewards when he remembers to go. {Example: 2 m&m’s for pee, and 3 or 4 for poo.} I even try to be encouraging when he had accidents. I will simply say, “It’s okay honey, just try to make it to the potty next time.”

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5.)   Be Patient!!

       I constantly have to remind myself of this. It’s easy for us to quickly potty, and be finished. Children are having to learn this. They are just figuring out how to understand what the urge to go feels like. So, they will have accidents. They may even sit on the potty for an excessively long time. Just remember, it’s ok. They are learning, and you are their first example. If you get frustrated, they will become frustrated and resent potty training. There are days where we are on our 5^th pair of underwear, and I have to catch myself before I get upset about having only one clean pair left. Which leads me to my next tip….

 

Image from: www.nasdaq.com

 

6.) Be Consistent!

 

This is probably the most important thing I have learned thus far. If I can keep reminding him to go potty, he’s less likely to forget. In turn, he is less likely to have accidents. I try to remind him every 10-15 minutes to go potty if he needs to. Approximately every 30 minutes, I will ask him to sit on the potty if he has not already gone. He is doing so much better now that I have become consistent in asking and reminding him about the potty.

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As I said earlier, we are far from being finished with this whole potty training adventure. By following these few tips, potty training has become so much more successful.