Monday, August 7, 2017

5 Best Tips for Potty-Training Your Child




Many of you know that I had little Isabella in my 40's. She was such a blessing since we had not had a girl born in our home for eleven years prior to that! It was so nice to go out and buy all the girl things and pink outfits again (especially after having five boys).

But what I forgot about was the potty training business--it had been almost a decade since I had done the other 8 children so I had to brush up on my potty training skills!

Now not every child is the same--some learn faster and some take longer. I think what makes a whole world of difference is moms attitude going in.

If you want to know the truth, it used to be something that I dreaded--something I wanted over as quickly as possible but I now know that my attitude can make or break the whole process. I had read somewhere about looking at this time as a special time spent with your child and I was determined to make this time around special with my daughter this time around.

So we are a week in and she pretty much got the hang of it after day 2. She is still working on going #2 (many children actually take longer in this area). But it has been such a fun time and I am so glad that we tackled this now before school begins.



HERE ARE MY 5 TOP TIPS FOR POTTY TRAINING YOUR CHILD



1. PRAY.

This is the biggie---we can do nothing without God, not even potty train! I always pray that God would help us and make it easier. That He would give me wisdom and have patience with my child when the going gets tough (or when #2 hits the floor and I have to clean it up). He is good and faithful and has never let me down.

2. ARE THEY READY?

Now just because your aunt told you to potty train your child when they turned two or one or whatever, that doesn't mean you have to listen to them. The big question you need to ask yourself is if your child is ready.  If they are not ready, your efforts could end in a big fail so it is better often times to wait if possible. Another question I ask myself is does this fit my schedule right now.  If I am very busy or it is a stressful time in life I will put it off until it is more convenient for me and when I am more available to be home to give potty training my all. I have found that for me, waiting until my children are three helps the training to go quicker.

3. PREPARE

Now that you are ready and they are ready you need to buy all the stuff. Here is what I got:

-A POTTY CHAIR (or two)



We used this Fisher Price Custom Comfort Pink Potty Training Seat. It is adjustable in height and has been working fabulously for her. It might be helpful to have two for another level of your home or to take in the car as a travel potty or for outdoors. When I potty trained the twins we had two and set them side by side while I taught them both! You can also get the kind that attach to the seat as well. 


-FUN UNDERWEAR



There are so many cute types of underwear for small children--this helps them to "feel" when an accident happens and get them out of diapers quicker. Make sure you have enough to get through all the mishaps of potty training!


-PULL-UPS (training underwear)





Many moms feel that pull-ups can confuse your children but all of mine have done wonderfully with them and it gives me peace of mind to know that there is easy cleanup and no mess as well. I am so grateful for them! I was surprised to see that they now sell a "cooling" pull-up (when the child goes he will feel a cooling sensation), but I personally wonder how safe they are so I opted not get them.


-LEG WARMERS




If you are potty training in cool weather it might help to have leg warmers for your little one so they don't get cold while they are sitting and waiting to go!





-WATERPROOF MATTRESS COVER



You will want to buy a mattress protector if they are using a regular sized bed and not a toddler bed. Just make sure it is 100% waterproof--you definitely want to protect it from getting wet!


-A POTTY TRAINING BOOK



This Princess Potty Time book was a cute tool to help her get started--it is interactive where you pull on tabs to "pull" down the toilet paper and "lift" the lid of the potty and so forth. I also let her watch some cartoon videos on Youtube while she was sitting and waiting so that would reinforce what she was learning to do--I believe it helped immensely!

I would also have some cleaning spray and towels/wipes on hand to clean up accidents. I am trying to go more natural in cleaning products so I use Seventh Generation since they have it at my local store and is only a few dollar a bottle.



I put a little toy bin next to her potty to hold her little books and special toys for her to look at while she is sitting on the potty and waiting to go.




Don't forget the toilet paper! Just be careful they don't go crazy with the toilet paper and try to wrap their whole bodies in it while you are not looking (ask me how I know)!

- A STOOL


Don't forget a child size stool if your child is using the adult toilet and it comes in handy for washing their hands afterwards too. 


I also like to use my iPhone as an alarm 20 minutes or every hour to place her on the potty--that has been so helpful to remind me to stop what I am doing and get her on the toilet before she has to go. An online mom told me about this little gadget called The Potty Watch to help your little one. I had never seen one of these before--they are supposed to help remind your child when to go. I suppose that would help if your child tends to get really distracted while they are playing and ignore the signs that they have to go.




Has anyone here tried it?

Now back to the points:


4. HAVE PATIENCE

Yes, I did mention this already in #1 but this is the biggy because you will definitely want to rush it. Just try to be patient. Have fun with it. Talk to them. Enjoy them. Take the potty outside into the living room or other rooms if you need to. Let them watch a potty video on a tablet to help the time to go by.  And remember that this won't last forever!

5. REWARD THEM

Now I have heard conflicting views on this but I have to say that I always reward them! I like to give little M & M's each time they go and smother them in praises. Three if they go #1 and a few more if they go #2.If you don't want to go that route I know that other moms like to do stickers and charts.

If you need more tips or encouragement on potty training I highly recommend the book Potty Train in a Weekend:




Are you ready to potty train your child quickly and with success? This best-selling book is the answer. Becky Mansfield, child development expert at YourModernFamily.com shows you exactly how to do it successfully. It is the only complete guide to potty training that you will need. You can train your child earlier and faster than you thought possible! 

In this book, you will learn... 
*Signs of readiness
*The secret to potty training in three days
*What to do when they won't poop on the potty 
*How to handle regression
*What to do when your child is not at home
*Should you use charts and rewards?
*What is the best way to potty train a boy?
*How to potty train at night 

You will not be going back and forth between diapers, pull-ups and underwear anymore. This book has been marked as the best potty training book by multiple speakers around the world. It has been read by tens of thousands of parents and they all say one thing: It is the only guide you will need for potty training success. It is filled with all of the information and tools that you need to start potty training and complete it in three days.

                                                                   YOU CAN FIND THIS BOOK HERE. 

























I hope these tips are a blessing to you!


What tips would you add?

Please share them in the comments below!


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