Tips to Potty Train Your Toddler
Being potty trained is a huge milestone for your toddler and instills a great sense of accomplishment and independence. There isn’t any one age when your child will master potty training – it differs for every child. However, there are steps you can take to help your child prepare and ease into potty training. It certainly isn’t easy, but these tips can help everyone feel less frustrated and when your child is ready, it will happen naturally. Here are some tips you can follow to prepare your toddler for potty training:
Get a training potty or seat
Getting your child his own special kid-sized potty that’s just for him will help make him feel special and excited for this big step. Some kids are afraid of using the regular toilet as it feels too big so a potty seat will help calm those fears. A portable training potty can also be kept in the playroom if the bathroom is too far so your child can make it to the toilet in time.
Practice makes perfect
Practicing doesn’t have to happen only when your child feels the need to use the bathroom. You can practice at different times of the day and even with her clothes still on just until she feels comfortable sitting on the toilet and getting up when she’s ready.
When my son was being potty trained he would run around naked at home and just sat himself down on the potty whenever he needed to – gotta do what you have to do! On the other hand, my daughter wasn’t potty trained until she went to daycare at age 2 and a half when they took her to the bathroom every hour whether she had to go or not. Every child learns differently!
Give her praise
Children respond well to positivity and words of encouragement. Praise your child even for taking small steps like when she tells you that she needs to go to the bathroom even if she does not make it to the toilet on time.
Dress him in easy to remove clothes
If your child is wearing clothes with zippers and buttons that are hard to undo, he won’t be able to take his clothes off in time to use the toilet. During the potty training period it’s important to always dress kids in easy to remove clothing so they can take it off on their own when they need to and be able to put the clothes back on by themselves.
Use a doll
Some kids learn better when they actually see you demonstrate with a doll how to undress, sit on the toilet properly, wipe, and flush. Your child can then take on the task of helping the doll “go potty” so then she will feel more comfortable doing the same actions when it’s her turn to use the bathroom.
Switch to big kid underwear
Once your child has successfully used the toilet a few days, you can make the switch out of diapers to “big kid” underwear. This is another big milestone for your child and he/she will be so excited to get to wear their brand new underwear. Make sure your child is ready for this change and it can also help make potty training more successful.
Products We Recommend:
Tottigo Pack ‘n Potty
Pack 'n Potty is an award-winning travel potty seat that provides a child with a stable, soft potty seat and clean sitting area, gives parents a way for super-fast setup to help give a child confidence when potty training on-the-go. This stylish, lightweight tote is compact and complete with a wet/dry pocket; Pack 'n Potty is a next stage diaper bag. Store a changes of clothes, wipes or items or use to store wet items.
Pee-kaboo Potty Training Sticker
Welcome to a fun and unique way to potty train your child. No more cajoling, no more candy treats. Simply stick the pee-kaboo reusable potty training sticker™ into a portable potty and watch what happens. Each time your toddler has a potty success "pee-kaboo" a magical image appears in their potty, visually rewarding them for their efforts and encouraging them to use the potty again and again all by themselves. "I want to see the butterfly" your little one will squeal. "Sure" you reply, just pee in the potty and "pee-kaboo".
Green Sprouts Training Pants
Reusable Absorbent Training Underwear provide functionality, comfort, and convenience through the many stages of toilet training. A soft cotton layer allows toddlers to feel wetness, and an absorbent inner liner, combined with a waterproof layer offers protection against accidents. Your toddler will feel like a big kid with the easy pull up and down design, just like standard underwear, and will love the fun, bright colors!