Toddler Potty Training Tips & Tricks

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Tomorrow is a big day for us! My big boy is turning THREE years old. Honestly, I cannot believe how fast it has flown by. I know how cliché that sounds, but it’s so true.

He has been hitting some very important developmental milestones lately, including POTTY TRAINING! We had tried unsuccessfully a few months ago to start the potty. Many of my friends were helpful to share their potty training tips with me. Some recommended that we go to a special potty training class. Other friends recommended that we try certain potty training methods that had worked for their children. At the end of the day, though, Little J just wasn’t ready.

At the time, he would much prefer to turn toilet paper rolls into roads for his play cars and trucks, than to use it for it’s intended purpose! As a side note –  I have to compliment him on his creativity. I had never thought of using toilet paper as a road, but it apparently makes a good one.

As with most things in life, everyone develops at their own pace. What works for one child may not necessarily work for another. This also applied to how to potty train. My son just wanted to go at his own speed.

This time around, potty training has all happened according to Little J’s timing. I don’t want to jinx it, but so far potty training has been going well.

Here are a few potty training tips that helped my son gain confidence with his newly acquired skill.

Potty Training Tips

1. COMMUNICATE -This may seem totally obvious, but talking about potty training with your son or daughter is very helpful. Little J asks a lot of questions, and always wants to know the ins-and-outs of how and why things work. Being open with him, answering and addressing his concerns, and talking about potty training has helped him to be more confident about it. Reading children’s potty training books together is a great idea, too.

2. SET A TIMER – My son, like most toddlers, can be easily distracted. Setting a timer to remind you and your child that it may be time to use the potty is a very helpful tool. Simply asking, “Do you have to pee-pee?” when the timer goes off will do the trick! There’s even a cool potty training watch that you can get for your child to wear as a reminder that it’s time to go.

3. GET A BASIC POTTY SEAT – I’m not sure if it’s only my kid that this has happened to, but I went out and bought a cute little potty seat that had a race car design on it. It even had faux-wheels! I thought this would be an amazing idea since Little J is pretty much into anything having to do with cars, trucks, etc. Worst.idea.ever! He tried to drive the potty seat around my house. Yea…no. That seat was returned to the store and I bought the most basic, plain potty seat I could find. This was the only way I could get him to go! It’s also awesome because it’s super lightweight and portable, which means I can bring it in the car with us for him to use his own potty when we are out. (See my full P.T. Essentials Shopping List here)

4. USE A REWARD SYSTEM – How to potty train your child is completely up to you and your little one. Whether you decide to use a potty training chart, potty training treats, or a potty training reward card is all going to come down to what works for your kid. Our son does respond very well to rewards, so that is what worked for us. I’ve created a super cute Potty Club Rewards Card that you can print for only 99 cents –>> HERE.

 

This card is perfect to use to keep track of potty training progress and can be used together with a fun Potty Training Prize Jar. You can fill the jar with little treats and prizes (think dollar store stuff, stickers, etc.) to reward your child when they reach the goal on the Potty Club Punch Card!

5. USE REAL UNDERWEAR – In my opinion, nothing builds confidence faster than ditching the diapers and using “big boy” or “big girl” undies. During the daytime my son has been doing wonderfully with his boy boy undies. Thankfully, he hasn’t had many accidents.

At nighttime, however, he is still learning. On a recent trip to CVS I came across GoodNites TruFit underwear.

They looked really cool, so I bought some to take home for Little J to try out. (By the way, you can unlock a special coupon to take $4 off of your next purchase of a GoodNites TruFit Starter Pack by answering three simple questions here)

GoodNites TruFit underwear are NOT diapers. They’re a soft fabric underwear that work with disposable inserts. This way, my son feels confident and like he is wearing real underwear at night, but there is still an extra layer of bedwetting protection.

Using GoodNites TruFit underwear is super simple. In just a few easy steps they’re ready to be worn just like real underwear!

The GoodNites TruFit Starter Pack comes with 5 disposable inserts and 2 underwear. To use them, all you have to do is:

Step 1: Open the disposable insert.

Step 2: Place into the appropriate place inside of the undies.

Step 3: They’re ready to wear!

 My son is really loving these! He feels proud to be wearing big boy undies and is waking up dry more days than not. I am so proud of his confidence and progress!

Be sure to keep up with GoodNites on Twitter and Facebook, too!

What other tips for potty training do you use at your home to encourage self-esteem and confidence? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below to let me know 🙂

Don’t forget to adorable Potty Club printable here for only 99 cents! Also stop by my convenient shopping list of P.T. essentials.