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photo credit: taomancer

Potty Training Tips

I had very different experiences with both my children when Potty Training them.   But, there were certain things that were helpful with both of them!  Below are my top tips for Potty Training your child.

1. Make a BIG deal out of each potty achievement!!
2. Pick a fun Potty chair
3. Help them learn how to take down their own pants ( pulling up takes more time to learn, but is good to encourage)
4. Many kids like to take their pants and underwear totally off when learning to use the potty, I know it’s a pain, but, let them.
5. Let them pick out some books or toys to have next to the potty while they sit.  Sometimes they don’t know when they need to go-so good to get them sitting for a while so they have success
6. Put them on the potty right after they wake up and a little bit after a drink when they are first learning to help them have success.
7. Offer a reward each time they go like m&m’s (that worked for me and many other mom’s I know).  If you aren’t comfortable offering something that sugary, do something your child loves each time or give them a special treat whatever that is in your family.
8. Use Pull ups when they are first learning-so they can pull them down like underwear-make a big deal about the pull ups-being a big kid thing!
9. Once they are starting to get the idea of when they need to pee pee or poop and are consistently doing it-take away the pull ups!  Otherwise they rely on it! I know it’s a pain-but I found that was the quickest way to get them to learn.  Don’t do this until you see they are consistently understanding when they need to go to the bathroom and have control over it.  I don’t recommend pushing them too quickly
10. Once you are ready to give them underwear, have them pick out some fun underwear that they like-there are some great girls themed underwear and boy themed underwear!  Make a big deal out of it and get Lots of extra pairs, you will probably need it!!
11. Carry 4 extra pairs of underwear and clothes where ever you go when you first venture beyond the house with out pull ups!!  This way you are prepared if their is an accident!!
12. Have a TRAVEL Potty for when you are on the go!! I always had the baby bjorn travel potty in the back of my car or in the basket of the stroller at all times!!
13. Read books about potty training with them.
14. Have a potty training chart, let them work towards earning something better.
15. Follow your child’s lead!! It’s ok to push a little when you know they are really ready, but don’t push to much.  They are not always ready when we want them to be!!  You will know if it seems they know before they are actually going that they need to go, that is the key.  Until they know their body, it is very hard to potty train them.  Once they do, then you are good to go!!

Please share your tips below! or comment on some of the ideas in this post!

photo credit: Susan Riedel

When you become a parent, you start getting all sorts of well-meaning advice, including what works and what doesn’t when it comes to potty training boys. Other parents of boys might tell you it takes much longer to potty train a boy than it does a girl, but that’s not always true.  In my experience, it was much harder to train my son then my daughter, however, my sister’s son was very easy to potty train!  So you really have to go by your child.

While there are some obvious differences, potty training a boy is similar to how you would potty train a girl – as far as overall objectives and reward systems go. Your toddler, regardless of gender, needs to understand how using the potty works, why it’s important, and receive praise for a job well done.

There are things that can help when you’re potty training boys, though. For example, there are some cute flushable targets that little boys can aim at that you toss into the potty – making it like a game for them.  You can even use Cherrios for aiming!!

It helps with little boys if they have a male role model to see how it’s done. But if your son doesn’t have one, a book on the subject will suffice. Some parents who are potty training boys make sure they teach them to sit at first – because they could need to urinate and have a bowel movement at the same time.  Make sure to explain that they need to “Aim” down into the potty!  Otherwise you might have pee everywhere!!

Start your son out on a child-size potty chair and then let him graduate to an adult sized potty. When he’s in the potty chair phase, some people recommend having a good pee-guard so that you won’t have accidents splattered all over the bathroom floor and wall.  I found that they didn’t work well with my son-since he had trouble getting on the potty with it there.  But as I said each child is different!!

Check out the Toddler Craft Store for some great Potty Training supplies I picked out!!

Stay Tuned tomorrow for more Potty training tips!!

Did you find training your boy different?  Are you Potty training your child? How is it going? What techniques are you using? Already trained your child? How did you do it? Please share your experiences below!

photo credit: abardwell

Potty Training both my children was completely different. My oldest is a boy and I had to really work at helping get him trained. I followed his lead, but had to encourage him MUCH more then my second, a girl who was ready at 2 on her own. For my son I employed all sorts of stratagies, including using a Potty Chart and Rewards. This was the most effective way I found to encourage him on his own (with out a power struggle) to want to try the potty.

I am going to have a series of posts on potty training and the things I found that are helpful. I’d love to hear from you about your questions, concerns or successes with your children.

Potty training is hard enough without having any tools to help your child succeed. Luckily, many different manufacturers of baby diapers and toddler activities have devised things like potty training charts to help you motivate your little one to start using the toilet for good.

Potty training charts personalize the experience for your toddler. They can see their progress, relish the praise you lavish on them, and look forward to more success. The best charts are those that help your child master various potty training activities such as telling an adult when they need to go potty, flushing the toilet when they’re done and washing their hands afterwards.

There are different ways you can motivate your child with a potty training chart. Most toddlers love stickers, so when they complete a task, let them put a gold star or character sticker on that space. Some kids prefer a stamp system, and you can pick up their favorite types of rubber stamps with ink at any craft and hobby store. Or, keep it simple and use crayons or markers to mark it off the chart.

Once your child masters certain tasks completely, such as always remembering to wipe after going to the bathroom, then you can reward your child with a treat. It can be anything from a piece of candy to a small toy. Just as long as you make a big deal out of it, your child will enjoy the process rather than dread the entire potty training experience.

Have you used a potty chart? What did you like about it? How did you potty train your child?