Potty Training Made Easy: Strategies That Really Work

Potty training can be a process of trial and error. It can be both exciting and quite frustrating. Rest assured, eventually your child will be potty trained. It’s not like you see teenagers running around in diapers!

That being said, there are proven potty training strategies that have worked for parents over the years. Let’s take a look at a few of them to make the potty training process as easy and painless as possible.

1. Wait until your child is ready for potty training before you begin. Many parents, undoubtedly excited to be done with the whole diaper thing, rush potty training. Good intentions aside, if a child isn’t mentally and physically ready to learn how to use a toilet, the potty training process is going to take much longer and be frustrating for the both of you.

If you’re not sure if your kiddo is ready for potty training, read about when it’s time to ditch the diapers.

2. Make sure you have the right gear. There are a lot of potty training aids available. From small portable potty chairs to floating targets (like Cheerios) you can place in the toilet to help your little boy aim and enjoy the training process. Getting the gear before you begin training will help you and your child create a structure and a routine around potty training.

It also helps to have potty training friendly clothing. There’s nothing more frustrating than a child who tells you they have to go potty and then having them wet their pants because it took too long to get their clothing off. Slip-on pants are the easiest and of course skirts and dresses make it easy for girls.

And don’t forget about using incentive charts or treats. You’d be surprised at how excited a child can get over earning a single mini M&M.

This is the potty chart with used with my son. It really wasn’t about keeping track. It was about celebrating his success. So every time he used the potty, he got to add a sticker to his chart.

3. Have a positive mindset. Mistakes will happen, and children will make huge leaps forward only to then have really bad potty training days or weeks. Reward and celebrate successes and stay focused on having a positive attitude. Recrimination, punishment and yelling only makes a child feel bad about themselves. It doesn’t further the potty training process.

Know that it’s much easier for a child to be aware of their body during the daytime and nighttime accidents can happen well into elementary school. Be prepared. Protect your child’s pride and their belongings with a mattress pad (affiliate link), rules about drinking before bedtime and support and understanding.

The potty training process can take a while and each child’s experiences are different. Be patient, be positive and be prepared!

For even more tips, visit my Potty Training Tips page! You’ll find lots more insights, tricks and recommendations.

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