Potty training is such a bitter sweet milestone in our kids lives.
On one hand, we want independence for everyone involved; on the other hand, we want them to stay our sweet babies forever.
In years ahead you’ll look at pictures of your sweet, diapered baby and wish they were still that little, but right now all you want is to not have to change another dirty diaper.
I’ve potty trained four kids and through each child my philosophy changed- from that mom who devoured every article and blog post I could find on the subject and thought I should be potty training in a weekend (which I found our super fast was not EVER going to happen), to the mom who didn’t care if #4 was potty trained when he was three.
Good news, he potty trained the summer he was two. He was super easy.
Basically, the #1 tip I have for you is easy.
Relax, chill out. They won’t be in diapers forever.
Potty Training Tips for Toddlers
Like I stated above, calm down and quit comparing.
Make this easy for your kid. Don’t compare yourself and your toddler to your girlfriends or sisters kids. (or your other kids.)
Just because your nephew (or whoever) ditched the diapers when they were 18 months old in a single weekend, doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you as a parent or your child when he or she doesn’t.
All kids hit milestones at different ages.
Choose your potty chair wisely
With my 1st child I had the potty seat of course.
It was pointless.
He hated it. I ended up just using the big potty with me holding him so he literally didn’t fall in.
It wasn’t just him. My daughter hated it too. The 2nd baby.
So I invested in a potty seat. Like this one.
Worked like a charm for all my other kids. They were able to sit on the big potty with no fear of falling in.
Let Them Run Naked
This is my real secret.
If you have the luxury of letting your toddler run around naked in the house and outside, let them.
They learn what it means to need to pee and what happens when they have that feeling.
Yes, there will be accidents- on the floor; on the furniture, and anywhere else. But, it streamlines the process.
Don’t Use Training Pants
I never used Pull Ups until my last.
I wanted to see what the hype was about.
It only took a couple for me to realize it was like a diaper to him.
The only difference was that they pulled down. But, he didn’t know that. To him, it was a diaper.
I did use them in the pool though. Saved a couple of accidents and saved that big, full pool diaper.
Here is what I used.
They’re a little on the expensive side, but well worth the investment. They last forever and soak up wetness better than regular underwear.
Last tip- Potty Training is a Marathon, Not a Race
Try not to get frustrated when your child won’t poop in the potty, only in their underwear. It will come.
Be patient when they are coming along quickly and then, BOOM, they’re wetting their underwear again. Setbacks happen.
You know your baby better than anyone. If you feel like they aren’t ready, don’t push it. No matter how pushy everyone around you is.
Hope this helps.
Have more questions? Drop a line below in the comments and I will try to help the best I can.
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