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Potty training your little one can be scary and over whelming but I promise you it is so rewarding plus that means no more diapers! That was my motivation behind potty training my daughter, I was so over buying diapers all the time! I am not hear to tell you this is going to be easy or that it can happen over night it takes time and patience. In order for potty training to be a success your child needs to be ready. Here is how to successfully potty train your toddler.
Working as a toddler teacher in the past I have had experience helping potty train many toddlers plus my own daughter at home. Not all children will be potty train at the same time some will take till they are 3 or 4 others will be potty trained between 12-18 months.
Is it time to start Potty training my toddler?
How do you know if your child is ready to start potty training? Is it something that just happens at a certain age? Being a new mom and trying to figure out when and how to potty train can be hard. Children will show their own ques when they are ready to start potty training. Some will be able to tell you they need to go or that their diapers need changed while others will make gestures that they need to go or that they need changed. A little after my daughter turned one is when I started to introduce potty training. During this time my daughter would just pull at her diaper before she went. As she got older she would say eww and just here recently she will say she has to go potty. Every child is different and you have to look and listen for their ques.
What Do I Need
Potty Chair
I have potty trained both on a potty chair and on the potty and I would not say one way is better than the other it is all a personal preference. This is the potty chair we purchased to start potty training our daughter. I loved it! It is the perfect size for the little ones, it has a rewarding “flush” she could do if she went and as she got older we were able to take the seat out and attach it to the toilet and she could use it as a stool.
Potty Chairs can be nice for when they are little but as they get older I feel that they are just germ catchers. They get so dirty they can be difficult to clean and if you keep them on a potty chair to long transitioning them to a toilet will be harder.
Step Stool
There are many great options for step stools in the bathroom it depends on what exactly you’re wanting. I like having this one. It is simple and small and can easily be moved around the bathroom.
Wet Wipes and Disinfecting Wipes
Keeping a stash of wet wipes in the bathroom will come in handy if your little ones has an accident. Wet wipes are also more gentle on there little bums then toilet paper is.
Having good disinfectant wipes located in the bathroom will help for a quick clean up!
Pull Ups/ Underwear
When I choose to start potty training we used pull ups when we were out in public and wore underwear while at home. I felt that when she wore her underwear she was more willing to go on the potty instead of in her pants. We started with training underwear because they are a little thicker then normal ones. When picking out underwear take your child to the store with you and make it a big deal. Let them choose the ones they want!
Extra Clothes
Be prepared for your little one to have accidents. They will not be perfect right away. I liked to keep a stash of extra clothes in the bathroom for an easy clean up. Also any time you leave the house make sure you have plenty of extra clothes. It the worst if you go somewhere they have an accident and you have no extra clothes for them. 
Lets get started
Now that you and your child are prepared have everything you will need
When I first started introducing the potty I just had her sit on it first thing in the morning through out the day when I went, bath time and right before bed. This is great idea to slowly start introducing the potty. When its time to really take the potty training seriously take your child to the bathroom every 30-45 minutes. When you take them let them sit there for a couple of minutes so they have a chance to go. I like to take a short book in with us and read it while she was trying to go. Try not to force your child to go, there will be times they wont go and there will be times they may have accidents. Remember they are just learning it will take time.
Yay they went now what?
When your child finally does go in the potty make a big deal out of it. Talk to them about what they did have them look at it and watch you clean the potty chair and flush the toilet. Rewarding your child is a great way of congratulating them also. I like to keep a back of M&M’s and when she went she would get a couple M&M’s. There are also many cute sticker charts that you could make and reward your little one with stickers. you may have to try a few different rewards to see which one works best.
Uh Oh and Accident
Lets talk about accidents now… Trust me your little one will probably have an accident or a maybe a few. Its going to take a little while for them to understand and to fully catch on. When they do have an accident try to keep calm. Let them know what happened put them on the potty so they can go if they have more. Have them help clean up the mess, and themselves. Let them know that what they did made a mess they need to understand what happened but at the same time don’t scare them about. There was a stage my daughter went through where she would make it all the way into the bathroom and then not pull her pants down
Now What
After a few days of the new routine your child will start catching on. They will start having fewer accidents and they will start to realize when they need to go. Don’t get to discouraged if your child is slower at catching on. It will take time but if you stick to the routine they will catch on. You will want to keep some pull ups or diapers around still for night-time as this one is harder for them to do.
Congratulations you did it your on the track to fully potty training your toddler!
You may enjoy reading: Learning Time with your Little One!
