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Potty training. Dun. Dun. Dun.
This is a daunting, but also exciting stage in your toddler’s development!
Potty training can be very tricky and all kiddos are very different, but I wanted to give you some ideas that are working well for us.
Keep in mind, these strategies may not work for everyone, and as with everything with kids, you have to keep things flexible.
This is not hard core potty training guide, just some ideas to get you started!
I started introducing the potty to my little around 1.5 years old with no expectations whatsoever.
She started showing interest by pretending to wipe with toilet paper just like mommy.
When she started doing this, I decided to buy a little potty for her so she could really be just like mommy and sit on her own potty!
That brings me to number one:
Get a Pint-Sized-Potty
To start out, I got her a mini potty that looks exactly like the real thing, flushing sounds included! Every time I would use the bathroom myself at home, I would bring her along so she could observe. I did not push her to sit on the potty or do anything at all, but after a while, she started doing it on her own.
When she decided to start sitting on her potty, I took her diaper off to see what would happen. Eventually, she peed! That weekend, she peed on the potty almost every time she needed to go. I was so proud! Then all of a sudden, she just stopped. She would say “no”, and pull up her pants. So, I laid off, feeling a little bit discouraged after all of the progress we had made. What’s the saying? “10 steps forward, 2 steps back”? Yep.
After conducting some research, I found this is extremely common with potty training! I did not try to sit her on the potty again until she showed interest. I did not want to push her into having a negative association with the potty. Patience is key!
Try Different Potty’s
Your tot may not take to one potty, but take to another! Kids, am I right? Yes, as we all know, toddlers are extremely picky, and this definitely doesn’t stop at potty training, no siree. Here’s a couple different strategies that may work for you:
Character Potty
Does your child have a favorite character such as Mickey/Minnie Mouse, Bluey, or Cocomelon? If so, this could be a great way to warm your child up to the potty!
Let Them Choose
I know this is something that works for many moms. You can bring your tot to the store with you (I know, we don’t do a ton of in-person shopping anymore either, but worth a try!) and let them choose their own potty! This is actually a great strategy because all toddlers want a sense of independence with their decision-making, instead of having you make every decision for them. If you are struggling, this may be the way to go.
Try an Over-The-Toilet Potty
After my little one got her feet wet with potty training (not literally – HA!) and then all of a sudden stopped, I got to thinking, maybe she would like to sit on the real potty just like me! I decided it would be a good investment because she would end up on the big potty eventually. With so many over-the-toilet potty’s to choose from, it was difficult to decide which one to get. In the end, I decided to get one with a ladder attached so she could climb up onto the potty on her own. The particular model I got also allows you to detach the ladder so when they are older you can just use the smaller potty insert – genius!
Side note : I have discovered that my toddler prefers the over-the-toilet potty over her mini potty. Now, with her being closer to 2, she doesn’t want to sit on her mini potty at all and she only wants to use the over-the-toilet potty. I still believe investing in a mini potty was worth it for us because it introduced the idea of sitting on the potty to her while she was watching me.
Offer the Potty Often
Or, at least whenever you go if your tot is just starting out. Eventually, as your toddler gets older, they will start to give you clues as to when they have to go. Whenever I change my littles diaper, I always say “Oh, you went pee pee!” or “Oh, you went poopy!” so she could start to distinguish the two. When she went poopy, I also make the sign for stinky and say something like “Stinky poopy!”. To start, my toddler would make the stinky sign whenever she had gone poopy. A little later, she then started saying poopy when she went/had to go.
Repetition with your toddler is crucial, especially with potty training.
Currently, she says poopy whether she has to go number 1 or number 2, but hey, at least she is signaling to me she has to use the potty before she goes in her diaper! So, whenever she says this (or sometimes she just pulls at her pants), I take her to the potty right away to see if she will go. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn’t, and that’s ok! We are just trying to give a positive introduction to the potty.
Make it a Big Deal When They Go
Your tot went on the potty! Whoopie! When this happens, you should be clapping and cheering! You have no idea how far positive reinforcement can go. Some potty’s play music when the child goes, and some parents give rewards, such as their toddler’s favorite snack. Whatever your way of positive reinforcement is, do it up! Make it a big deal, because, it is!
Ultimately, your toddler’s potty training journey may look a lot different than mine, and a lot different from your friends, but any little tidbits of information help!
Other people’s stories and ideas really have helped me along with this process.
And we are still learning!
My little is not completely potty trained (far from it) and I don’t expect her to be at this point.
The more and longer your toddler can get used to the idea, the better, in my opinion.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your child’s potty habits.
This is important for all of us to keep in mind on this journey!
And remember, you’ll get there, we all will, mama.
What potty training tips have worked for you?
XOXO,
Katie
