Ahh potty training. You know that daunting task when its time to ditch the diapers and pull ups and dive into teaching your little one how to use the potty, toilet, restroom or whatever you call it. Well we did it!! No it did not happen when Greyson was 18 months, it did not happen over night or in two weeks as many many articles state it should. But it happened! And that is a feat I am so happy to say we achieved. And this is how we did it.
Five Tips For Potty Training
One | Do Not Stop Trying
One of the number one tips I saw when researching ‘How to Potty Train’ was wait until your little one is ready. While I agree with this statement I also disagree. There is a perfect age to potty training too but it is different for everyone. For us it was around 2.5 to 3 years old.
We started early hoping it would catch on at 2 years old but it didn’t last long, playing was still way to distracting and accidents happened all the time. So we would wait a month and try again. This worked great for us, slowly Greyson became more aware of when he had “to go” and then it just became a thing.
So if you start and it is not working KEEP TRYING. Like learning anything new it takes time! The key is do NOT stop trying and just wait until they are “ready” because everyone is ready at different times!
Two | Try A Reward or Treat
I tried it all, chocolate chips, stickers, gummies, end of week suprise but nothing made a big impact on Greyson wanting to go. That was until it came time to learn how to do number 2 on the potty. But still no treats worked instead money or coins as Grey calls them were that magic touch! He was excited to earn them, put them in his piggy bank then he got to buy a treat or a little toy at the end of the week! This worked amazing and only took about 1 week to have him fully using the potty for number 1 and 2.
Three | Give Them Time
Remember when they sit down it will take time, sometimes a lot more than you think. So put some books beside the potty to read or sing, make up your own ‘potty song’ together. Make sure you make it apart of leaving the house too! Take an extra 10 minutes to use the bathroom before you leave the house and work up to doing outings without a pull up on. Keep them short and sweet and bring extra clothing. Accidents happen and that is OKAY!
Four | Watch And Learn
Toddlers learn with all their senses, watching, listening and doing so let them come into the bathroom with you. I know it seems a little weird at first but you will be surprised how fast they pick up the steps to using the potty when watching. Emberly is only 18 months but loves to sit on the potty, pretend to wipe and flush he toilet paper already!!
Five | Remember Hand Washing Needs To Be Learned Too
Teaching your little one to use the potty is one thing but teaching them they have to wash their hands after each time they use it is a whole nother ball park. So make it fun, get foaming soap, a special hand towel and explain how and why it is very important to wash their hands after each potty time.
I really hope that these 5 little tips that helped us help you, there is no right or wrong way to potty train. So Happy potty training! I hope it goes good for you and your kids catch on quickly but remember if it takes a while just keep trying. They will get it sooner or later but they won’t if you stop trying! Consistency is key!
xoxo, Taylor
