10 Tips For Easier Potty Training

Oh, potty training. The thought of not having to change another poopy diaper, let alone shell out $25 a box is motivation enough to start the potty training adventure (and trust me, that’s what it is!). But getting your little one to ditch the diaper is a whole other challenge within itself. Some days you might even find yourself missing the simplicity of cleaning up a mess contained in a diaper versus one covering your kitchen floor, bed, or your child’s recently donned outfit!

Don’t despair! Below you will find 10 tips that I have tried personally with my 3-year-old to have greater success while potty training.

1. Keep Them Busy

As we all know, toddlers don’t have much of an attention span. If you want your child to sit still on the potty try giving them something to take their mind off of being bored sitting on the potty. My son loves his “tabwet” (Amazon Fire Tablet similar to this one) and can sit on the potty for as long as I want him to as long as he has it. You can even try just talking with them or reading them a book, especially one about using the potty. By keeping them entertained while on the potty, your little one is less likely to resist sitting on the potty the next time duty calls.

2. Set a Timer

I usually let my son sit on the potty for about 10-15 minutes at a time. He is usually very good staying put as long as he has his tablet. Let your toddler know that they have to stay on the potty until they hear the alarm go off. As long as they have a sense of how long they are expected to stay on the potty, they will be more willing to sit it out.

3. Take Frequent Trips to the Potty

I’ve learned through personal experience that it works best to take my son to the potty at least once every hour. That seems to work for us. Young children who are still learning when to recognize the urge to go potty need to be put on the potty often in order to reduce accidents. Never ask them if they have to go. I used to ask my son if he had to potty and of course he would say “no!” because he did not want to stop what he was doing in order to take a potty break. Next thing I know, his pants were wet…great! So to be on the safe side, choose a time increment which works best for you and your child’s schedule.

4. Try Real Underwear

This is one of the scariest and unpredictable tips that I have tried. My son currently attends a childcare facility and I had a talk with his teacher about my attempts to get him potty trained. She was touted as being an expert in potty training so I thought I would talk to her about the issues I was facing with my son. The advice she gave me was to try real underwear and lose the diaper. She then went on to say that a lot of children are quicker to realize they’ve had an accident when they are wearing underwear versus a diaper. Of course, my son just has to be one of those kids who just doesn’t care if they’ve pottied on themselves. My son is so laid back that a stream of pee running down his leg does not phase him one bit. He doesn’t mind it at all, ha ha haaa. I say it’s worth a try to give this tip a chance. Just make sure you have a backup set of clothes just in case!

5. Make the Potty Kid Friendly

For many kids going to the “big people” potty can be really scary. It’s not uncommon for toddlers to have fear of falling into the potty. One thing you should do to combat that fear is to either purchase a toddler potty seat that goes on top of your toilet seat or buy a child sized potty preferably with their favorite character on it. This will make going to the potty more fun and less scary for them. The potty seat we have for my son has buttons on the handles that plays songs when he grips them to make things a little more fun while doing his business.

6. Reward Success

Having a reward system in place will make going potty something your child will look forward to. My son personally LOVES stickers! You can use whatever your child tends to gravitate toward. Some moms like to use candy or some other type of edible treat. Even if you don’t prefer any of these options, a verbal praise goes a long way! You can celebrate your child with a high five or simply telling them how proud you are that they went potty. Me and my son used to sing a little song that we made up just for going to the potty. Every time he would use the potty we would sing our song. It’s a nice way to bond with your child and praise their success. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Put your own spin on it and have fun with it!

7. Always Have Backup Clothing

This tip is probably one of the most important ones to remember, especially in the beginning stages of training when you are still trying to figure out your child’s potty pattern. You can always count on your child to have an accident at the most inconvenient time. Make sure you have all the necessary items to make clean up less stressful. Be sure to have an alternative outfit along with a clean change of underwear in addition to the other “mom bag” essentials.

8. Potty Soon After Meals

As soon as my son eats, I know that in about 10 to 15 minutes he is either going to want to poop or pee. So as soon as he finishes his meal, we take a trip to the potty. He usually sits for about 10 minutes or so. Typically he pees right away and then…voila! Poop in the potty. Yay!

9. Pull-Ups at Nap/Nighttime

In the beginning stages of potty training, I recommend sending your little one to bed with a pull-up. I say this because your child may not recognize the urge to “go” when they are in the unconscious stages of sleep. In case your child does have an accident, it will be in the pull-up and not on your sheets. This will also save you from having to wake up and do a midnight clean up. This brings me to my next tip which is to invest in a waterproof mattress pad.

10. Invest in a Waterproof Mattress Pad

This tip will come in handy if your child is prone to having accidents at night or tends to have night sweats. A good quality mattress topper/pad will have several layers of protection and will be able to withstand numerous washes. If you want to extend the life of your mattress and save money on expensive mattress stain removal, this is one tip you can’t afford to ignore! Also, avoid giving your child liquids right before bed and this too will lessen overnight accidents. As a matter of fact, my son actually had an accident the other night because I didn’t make him potty before bed. I woke up to a wet spot on the bed and had to change the sheets at 6 am, ugh!. Trust me, the mattress pad definitely comes in handy.

Well, that’s it! 10 tips to make potty training a little easier for you and your toddler.

Trust me, I know how frustrating and draining this process can be.  But before you know it, you’ll be smiling and thinking back on the days when you had to make those all too frequent trips down the diaper aisle. Every day you employ these tips gets you closer to that reality. So saddle up and get ready for the ride!

So, how’s this potty training thing going for you? Are you using any of the above tips to make potty training easier for you and your child(ren)? Tell me about it in the comment section below.