Potty training made easier! Here are 5 hints for those parents who would love for their kids to have an easier transition from diapers to the potty (or toilet, for that matter) but have no idea where to start. These simple ideas have helped a lot in the so-called potty training in our home and I hope to make it easier for you too.
Just into his second year of life he only used diapers during night (and even that one stayed dry most of the nights) and by the time he was three we had long forgotten about them. I feel like he was potty-trained practically BY HIMSELF. Possible? Nah, I don’t know. What I do know is that I have been spared the hundreds of soiled pants moms talk about. OK, there were some tens of wet pants, but this is no issue at all, is it? (No cleaning, you just change the pants and you’re done, right?)
I know we were just lucky. Apart from an occasional accident when the bathroom was too far or the game played too interesting for the toddler to notice he had to go, life was and is ..normal. ๐
Potty training made easier!
What I can do is give a few hints to those who would like to have an easy transition from diapers to the potty (or toilet, for that matter) but have no idea where to start. I had no idea either. But these basic ideas I believe have helped a lot in the so-called potty training in our home:
1) Timing – is the child ready?ย
2) Timing – time of the year
3) Comfortable clothes …and good toilet equipment
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Oh, and it doesn’t hurt if your kid likes his potty – be it in his favorite color, having a favorite cartoon hero on it (Bonus hint: you can simply get a sticker to add to a totally regular potty, it works just as well as those potties that are expensive just because they have a Disney cartoon character on. And you can exchange it regularly, it will be even more interesting for the toddler!). But choose the potty model wisely: from what I’ve seen in the market, some potties are really small, some look quite uncomfortable, so choose one you think will fit. In fact, I’ve come across one that is quite affordable and it looks just lovely (affiliate link)! You can check it out if interested.
4) Accidents are no big deal.
AJ @ Aspen Jay says
I really appreciate your 4th point of making accidents no big deal. I have tried a few times to potty train my toddler only to stop because both of us became to frustrated, I blame mainly myself. I am going to make another go of and if I can have that mindset, I know we will succeed this time! Fingers crossed! Thanks for the tip!
Cheers,
AJ
Damjana at AppleGreen Cottage says
AJ,
thank you for higlighting this aspect of potty training. Though I think you did your best (we parents beat ourselves up too often for things we THINK we're done wrong!), this little trick about ignoring accidents might help you and your child. Thumbs up to your perserverance – and fingers crossed for the next round!
Jas says
Great tips. My daughter might use them for her second little one. You never know how kids respond to it. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Thursday Favorite Things blog hop.
Lisa Healy says
My 2-yr-old pretty much trained herself this summer while we were camping – we'd just had the potty available and let her do whatever she wanted on it, when suddenly she just started using it all on her own! I feel lucky, but at the same time, feel like our approach let her do it on her terms, which is a positive thing.
Damjana at AppleGreen Cottage says
Thank you
for the invitation, I've just visited your blog and love the crafts you do with your kids! Hope your three-year old will change his mind regarding potty soon ๐ Have a great day,
Sheena Anderson says
One of my goals for this summer is to potty train my three year old. You would think it would be a no brainer for me (he is my 4th child) but he has been hard. He is interested in the potty but will only sit on it for a few second and has not done anything in it at all.
Damjana at AppleGreen Cottage says
Sheena,
thanks for your comment! I believe it must be frustrating when you do everything right but the child doesn't seem to be ready yet. I see you've got tons of potty-training experience, and like to see you've postponed it till summer – I agree that it's the best time of the year to potty-train – since it is hot, I hope your toddler will be happy to sit on the potty for a few additional minutes, to be allowed to run around diaper-free ๐ Keeping fingers crossed, Damjana