I want to share some potty training tips that helped me when I was potty training my kids. There are so many great resources out there and just reading those can be a lot of work before you even get to start potty training. I have 3 tips that work tremendously when you start potty training.
Potty Training Tips
These tips are for daytime potty training. Nighttime potty training is a little different and can be done together or separately. I always did it separately because my children were hard sleepers. Most children will show signs they are ready to potty train. They will tell you when they need their diaper changed or show more interest in wanting to use the toilet. You know your child best, so don’t feel like you need to potty train when your child doesn’t seem ready.
Tip 1: 3-Day Commitment
You have heard about this 3-day potty training commitment and I am telling you if you are not going to fully commit for those 3 days-don’t do it! Your toddler still might have accidents after the 3 days HOWEVER they will know how and when to go to the bathroom. Accidents still will happen but they have the idea of potty training and will be able to communicate when they have to go.
I tell everyone I know. Just do 3 days uninterrupted and your toddler will get it. If one day your toddler wants to sit on the potty and goes potty, that’s great! It is time to find a 3-day window that you can start training so you aren’t sometimes having them use the potty and then sometimes having them wear a diaper because talk about confusing for a toddler. Commit, commit, commit!
Tip 2: NO Pull-Ups!
Some potty training books will say to have your toddler put all their diapers in a garbage bag to throw away. While you can do this you might want to consider if you are going on to night train, as well. Saying no to diapers during the day but then pulling one out at night can be a little confusing to a toddler who thought they just threw them all away. I liked to talk about how when were are awake we won’t be using diapers. This means that when they nap and sleep they will wear a diaper because their body might not wake them up in time to go potty when they are sleeping.
With that being said, we don’t “throw away” the diapers and then have them wear Pull-Ups. Pull-Ups are made from the same material as diapers, so if your child has an accident the moisture will be wicked away as if they were wearing a diaper. If you choose to have them just wear undies or nothing at all they will feel the accident and start to learn that feeling of having to go and then what to do. Accidents happen and can be so frustrating but this goes back to the 3-day commitment. Commit to the messes that come with it and do not use a Pull-Up.
Tip 3: Use a Timer
We have 3 days of uninterrupted days and we aren’t going to use Pull-Ups, so how do we do it? Simple-set a timer and go about your day. I would have your potty chair close by the first day (if you’re using one otherwise make it easy to get to the bathroom) and then set a timer for 20 minutes.
Once that timer goes off-you are excited! You are saying, “Our special timer just went off, we get to go sit on the potty chair!!” The excitement you show will make your toddler more willing to sit. They will sit until they go or just have them sit for a few minutes. Then, set that timer for 20 more minutes. Once it goes off-EXCITEMENT! Keep doing that all day.
You can increase the time if you feel like it is too short on the first day but as we get into days 2-3 I increased it to 30-30 minutes on day two and then every hour on day 3.
What if they sit and don’t go but then have an accident while you’re waiting for the timer to go off?
I would have them go to the potty to sit while you clean it up. Then, when that timer goes off again, have them sit again. They are learning that the feeling they had before the accident was the time to go to the potty. Constantly going to the potty is helping them learn where to go potty and when the right time to go is.
Once we hit day 4 you will be getting back into your everyday routine. The best way to navigate this so you aren’t carrying a timer around is to go potty before a meal, before you leave the house, as soon as you get home from somewhere when you wake up in the morning, and before bed. These are easy ways to time out when to use the potty. You can also put these in your schedule during days 1-3 so they become automatic for your kiddos.
Extra Optional Potty Training Tips
- Giving extra liquids throughout the day increases the chances they will go so they can practice correlating the urge to go with going potty.
- No pants for 3 days is always a suggestion because sometimes the feeling of underwear mimics a diaper which makes them have more accidents. I potty trained in the winter so we needed more layers so I did pants with no underwear or shirts/dresses with thicker training underwear
- Training underwear can be helpful since they are thicker and can soak up a little more if they have an accident.
- Sticker charts or a special treat can be used as motivation when your toddler either sits on the potty or after they go potty. *I didn’t do this because my kids wouldn’t have stayed motivated by it/they would have sat on the potty every 5 minutes to get a treat.
- Find potty training books with their favorite characters and read the book to them before and during the potty training process. This is a great way to start off potty training because they can see their favorite characters using the potty.
