Potty Training - 6 Tips to Make Potty Training Easier
I feel so fortunate that Katie and I got to have our boys so close together (7 weeks to be exact). Watching them grow up together is the best thing in the world, but also having a friend who is going through all of the crazy phases of life that I am going through is such a relief. Katie, another friend of ours, and I have a running text thread talking about life and motherhood, using it as a sounding board for parenting advice, potty training, a place to vent at the end of a long hectic day and to share encouragement. It helps get me through most days.
As our boys make the transition from little to big boys we have gotten to watch them transform from round-faced babies to little men. Watching their brains grow as they learn something new almost every day is the coolest thing about parenting, but with that comes some of the more stressful transitions.
The most recent big transition for both of us has been potty training. Katie and I have been so lucky to find an amazing home daycare provider who was brave enough to take both of our boys lol and she helped us with the transition from diapers to potty training. Any parent knows that this journey is unique for every child, and only you know what technique and timing will work best for your child, but these 6 potty training tips have helped both of our kiddos navigate potty training without TOO much fuss.
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Help Them Be Prepared Before You Potty Train
Whenever there is going to be a big transition in our lives, I try and make sure I prepare E as best as I can. In our house, that means talking about the changes that are going to happen early and often and picking up books that can help us have these conversations. We have had two very big changes in our household this year; bringing baby Rea into our family and potty training. While potty training might not seem like as big of a transition as bringing a sibling home, if you think about it, it is a huge disruption that changes their day-to-day lives.
We handled the potty training transition the same way! We started talking about potty training well before we began implementing it. We discussed pooping and peeing on the potty, we discussed wearing underwear and throwing out our diapers, and we let him be curious about the bathroom and toilet. While these conversations are helpful, sometimes it’s hard to hold a toddler’s attention and it seems like the words are going in one ear and out the other. The best thing I have found to spark conversations and help my toddler to understand big changes is taking E to the library and directing him to the section on the topic ie. potty training tips and letting him pick out books to read. Some of our favorite books to help prepare for potty training books are:
Give Them Options
Toddlers like to feel in control. That’s why I let my son “choose” his outfits in the morning, even though it’s choosing between two outfits that I have picked out or letting him choose which veggie I make with dinner. Potty training is such a huge transition that I wanted to make sure that E had choices. This meant choices of where and how he wanted to use the bathroom. We bought both a traditional "toddler potty" that sits on the ground and a “potty seat” that sits on top of the regular toilet. I think most children will show a preference for one vs. the other (E tends to lean towards using the toddler potty) but he likes being given the choice. Sometimes when he throws a fit about using the toilet, instead of demanding “you have to use the potty before leaving the house” it helps to offer a choice. “We need to use the toilet before leaving the house. Would you like to sit on the little potty or on the big potty?” This small change in wording can quickly turn a potential meltdown situation around.
Extra Potty Training Tip: If you use the Munchkin Potty Seat I would recommend buying the potty hook that allows you to easily store the seat on the side of the toilet.
Make Them Comfortable
As an adult could you imagine trying to sit down to poop with your feet dangling in the air?! Not only is this uncomfortable but it also puts kids at a physical disadvantage. Pooping requires the use of core muscles and without the support of something solid under your toddler’s feet, it is very difficult to use their developing muscles. Just like many adults like to use a squatty potty to place them in a comfortable position to poop, it’s important to make sure toddlers are as comfortable as possible. This 2 step stool is the perfect height to give support to little legs. Plus, it’s nonslip so you don’t have to worry about it slipping around on tile floors.
Give Them Some Motivation
One of the things that we struggled with most as Moms who were potty training boys, is the concept of aim! I’m sure this comes into play slightly with little girls, but trying to teach a little boy to pee on the potty without ending up with pee all over the bathroom has been a challenge in and of itself! I saw a link for these potty training stickers from Amazon while I was scrolling Instagram and decided to try them.
All you have to do is place the sticker in the bottom of the potty, it starts out black, and when your child pees onto the sticker the picture will be revealed. The coolest thing about these is that they are reusable! All you have to do is dump the potty and rinse with cold water and the sticker will return to black. This helped my son focus on where he was aiming and has him excited to use the potty to see what picture will be revealed.
Let Them Play
Using the potty can be stressful! Everything is new and tricky, so there may be some pushback from your little ones when you ask them to use the restroom. To ease some of this stress we created a “potty basket”. This is a basket of books and small toys that stays in the bathroom and can only be played with while E is using the potty. This is has been a great motivator to get him on the toilet, and helps provide some entertainment during longer sessions when he needs to sit for a few minutes to poop.
Extra Potty Training Tip: Just like with other toys, these can get boring. Try keeping 2 or 3 alternate books on hand that you can switch out after a few weeks. It will help to keep potty training exciting, just like with other toy rotations!
Be Prepared On the Go During Potty Training (& After!)
We made an effort to stick “close to home” for the first few weeks of our potty training journey. Short trips to the grocery store or running errands can feel like a gamble in the first few weeks, but sooner rather than later, you have to stray further away from home. We spend quite a bit of time in the car, typically taking a 5-hour road trip from Kalamazoo to Cincinnati once a month or so, and Katie gave me some of the best potty training advice yet.
Public bathrooms can be filthy, not to mention scary for little ones - the seats are too big, the toilet can flush mid-potty, and the hand dryers can make very loud noises. Skip the public bathroom and travel with your own toddler! If you’re like Katie and I and have a “Mom Mobile” or SUV I suggest having the potty set up in the trunk as your own makeshift bathroom. If you have a car, I see no shame in pulling the potty out in a rest stop parking lot and letting your little one use it (place it between open car doors for some added privacy). This made our lives so much easier and saved us so much heartache on road trips. It’s also ideal to have for when your child realizes they need to use the bathroom and you are miles between exits with any.
Katie loves having this in her car for summer park visits too! If there aren't any bathrooms available, or there is a long line, R just hops in the back of the car and uses this one.
Extra Potty Training Tip #1: Line your potty with a plastic liner, like these from FridaBaby, or even a grocery bag on road trips so you can easily dispose of any waste without having to worry about cleaning the potty on the go.
Extra Potty Training Tip #2: Get a foldable travel toilet seat to keep in your diaper/supply bag. When you are out at a restaurant or store, this will help make your child more comfortable on the large seats. Katie has and loves this one. Bonus - the opening and closing of the drawstring carry bag has entertained R during numerous pees.
