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Potty training can be a quick and easy stage in your child’s life if you know what to do and when to do it. Here are Becca’s top 10 tips to help you get started!

Tip 1: Your child should be at least 2 years old. There is some debate about this. I know that my pediatrician has explained that the bladder muscles are not ready before this point.

Tip 2: Do not start training too early. Toilet training should start once you notice that you child is staying dry for long periods of time. Children who go to a specific area to void in their diapers are also showing signs of readiness.

Tip 3: Start small. Begin by buying a small potty and letting your child sit on it with clothing on until they become comfortable with it. Also stick with the small potty in the beginning. Many children have a fear of falling into the big potty which can make potty training stressful.

Tip 4: Once your child seems ready, remove their diaper and sit them on the potty. Bring a book to the potty and read it with your child. This will help your child stay on the potty and hopefully go.

Tip 5: Do not become discouraged. Potty training can take from a few weeks to a few months depending on the child. NEVER yell or scold your child for having an accident. This will make the process stressful.

Tip 6: When your little one uses the toilet make a HUGE deal out of it. Our family has a “poopy on the potty” song that we sing when we have success. A few high fives and a “good job” here and there are also a great way to make your child feel that they have done well.

Tip 7: Reward with a treat. I was against this with my first daughter but half way through potty training realized that it was a great thing. One M&M or other little treat with each success is a life saver. As much as I hate to say it, it worked!

Tip 8: With Emma, my middle child, we developed a chart. We drew a road with a start and a finish. Each time she went potty we placed a Dora sticker on the road. Once she crossed the finish line she was able to pick a toy out of the prize box.

Tip 9: Let your little on in the bathroom when you have to go. I know that, as a mother of three, this can get annoying but it is helpful. After a while I would sit them on the potty every time I was in the bathroom. We would sit and chat until I was done then show off our successes.

Tip 10: Set the timer so they know when to go. The biggest challenge in the beginning is that your child has not yet realized that it is time to go until it is too late. What we do is to set the kitchen timer. In the beginning we set it for 15 minutes. Every time it went off we marched to the potty and tried. After a week we then increased the time to 30 minutes. This helps children remember to go potty and makes the potty training experience less stressful because there are less accidents and more successes!

I hope all of this helps! I would love to hear about your success stories!… Rebecca

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