The time has come; your baby is no longer a baby, and it’s time to start potty training. But what are the best tips and tricks? How should you go about it, so potty training becomes a success and not a defeat for your little one?
Potty training is a huge step towards the big-kid league for your little sprout. It’s an important and (especially for the parents) emotional milestone to reach. There are many, many books and articles written about potty training, and there are many different techniques and methods out there. They can roughly be separated into two groups: the more gradual approach to potty training and the fast-track approach.
Some parents swear by the three-day method, where your baby should be potty trained after 3 days (if they are ready physically and mentally for potty training). This method involves taking a long weekend at home, where you ditch the diapers completely. There will be accidents, but the idea is to remove the security blanket (i.e., the diapers) immediately, leaving the potty as the only option.
But we are going to focus on the more gradual approach to potty training still used by most parents. Here are our best tips for a successful potty-training experience for both you and your toddler:
Get the right potty
Finding the right potty can be a big factor in actually getting your child to use it. Some kids are fine with a traditional potty, while other children prefer to use the real toilet like the rest of the family; they don’t see Mom and Dad sitting on a plastic potty, so why should they? Try a traditional potty and a potty-training toilet seat with steps and see which your child prefers. You can also get potties shaped like miniature toilets, with a flushing sound and everything as a middle ground.
Buy exciting big-kid underwear
Take your child shopping and let them choose some new, fun underwear to use as a motivation factor. When they learn to use the potty and stay dry, they can wear this new big-kid underwear. You can also let them wear the new underwear during potty training, just be prepared for some accidents.
Praise, praise, praise
Make sure to let your toddler know when they’re doing a good job on the potty! Give them high-fives, hugs and kisses or encouraging words – whatever keeps their motivation high.
Use stickers to track and reward progress
Make a potty-training chart and let your child place a nice sticker for every successful trip on the potty. That way they can visualize their progress, and you could give them rewards every time they’ve had 5 or 10 successes.
Make it a routine
Try to potty routinely in the morning and before bedtime, or maybe after eating and after naptime. Teach your toddler that going to the potty is a daily routine, and something that they need to take the time to do every day; many toddlers are too busy playing to spend time on the potty, which leads to accidents.
Read a book
Make potty-time cozy by reading a book! Either use your child’s favorite books as a reward for sitting through potty-time or find some of the many books out there explaining potty training for toddlers.
Use diaper pants
Diaper pants or training pants are a great tool during the potty-training phase. They allow your child to feel a bit more independent, since they can pull them up and down during potty time by themselves, but they offer the protection of a diaper during accidents. Our Bambo Nature diaper pants are a great choice for your toddler; They are soft, comfortable and keep even the most sensitive skin dry.
Now these tips might not be the perfect solution for everyone – as we say often here at Bambo Nature, all children are different and unique in their development; but give them a try, and your baby will soon be on their way to the big-kid league.
The most important factor in potty training is your child’s own readiness – don’t worry if it takes a while longer than you expected; you’ll get there soon enough. Are you worried that your child might not be entirely ready? Read our blogpost on signs that your baby is ready to start potty training to see if maybe it’s still too early to start.