Two words that fill most moms with fear and dread. I am currently potty training my 4th child. NONE of my children have "potty trained themselves." I hear from friends that this really does happen. I also hear that Big Foot exists but I've never seen that elusive creature, either.
My biggest tip for potty training is to relax. Understand that it is a process that requires several skills to develop.
Kids have to learn:
- to hold the pee in;
- to recognize when they need to go to the bathroom;
- to get to the bathroom in time;
- to pull clothes off ;
- to sit on the potty so that everything goes IN the potty except them;
- to clean themselves;
- and to pull clothes back on.
My biggest struggle is remembering to take my potty training child to the bathroom! I finally learned to set a timer to remind myself when he would need to go. I usually start with 15 minutes and work up to an hour.
These days Sam (3.5 yrs) is completely trained during the day. He goes to the bathroom by himself and wakes up dry from naps, all without help from me.
If you are currently in (or will be soon) the stage of needing reminders, Pull-Ups has a Potty Breaks website you and your child might find fun. You can set up reminder phone calls so that your child receives calls from Cinderella or Mater.
Here's Sam receiving his call:
As you can tell, Sam wasn't all that impressed. He loves Mater and was excited about the call but it did not inspire him to use the bathroom. Your child might love a phone call from Mater or Cinderella!
After 4 children, I've learned that each one is motivated by different bribes when it comes to potty training. For Sam it was miniature chocolates. Your child it might be a phone call from Cinderella. The only way to know is to try.
Here's an infographic with more potty training tips and tricks:
Whatever you chose to use let me encourage you - your child will not start high school still in diapers. Even if it feels that way! Use what works and don't worry about naysayers!
What is your best potty training tip?
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pull-Ups. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
8 comments:
bahahaha about not ever having seen Bigfoot either. ;D
Carrie, I'm shocked you haven't seen Bigfoot since you live in the wilds of Oregon! :D
I've found the bare bottom method works best - it allows them to recognize when they are eliminating since they lose that bit of self-knowledge when they are diapered from infancy. Once they can tell when they're about to eliminate, it becomes much easier to get them to use the toilet. Using bribes never became necessary. Good luck!
I have friends who've used the bare bottom method. That never worked for me. Mainly because my boys did not care if they were wet or dirty. Puddles didn't bother them one bit. Neither did wet/dirty diapers. But earning a trip to Chuck E Cheese or earning chocolates - that worked. I'm all for using whatever works for each child!! No guilt for bribery here!!
I just blogged about this today too! Wondering if now is a good time to start! That info graphic is a great help. Thanks Stephanie!
That was cute! He seemed happy though for the phone call! He smiled and listened!
Good luck, Candice!! You both can do it!!
Mama Luvs Books, he was happy about the call. I think he's just so well trained for the day time that he didn't connect the call with going potty.
Perfect topic - right where I'm at with my third right now, who just turned 3. I'm extremely laid-back when it comes to "training." I throw it out there every now and then from 18mos-2 years but it's around 3 years that the kids just pick up and do it. By that point, I can go bare bottom or right into underwear, spend a day with them on the potty, and be done. My girl today was resisting the potty though I knew she was ready. I picked up a pack of Dora underwear, and told her she could pick one out to wear the next day if she stayed dry all day. Plus, she has a sticker sheet to do - small smileys for trying, Dora for peeing, and Princess stickers for pooping. Seemed to work well and we had a first successful day!
Good luck! The call sounds fun for resisters.
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