20 Potty Training Tips

I remember the days of searching for potty training tips and ways to know whether or not my toddler was ready for potty training.  After four children, I have learned that potty training doesn’t have to be hard.  Even as a first-time mom, it doesn’t have to be hard.  I’m excited to share this sponsored post with you because there are plenty of great potty training tips that can make your toddler’s experience fun and less stressful.  Let’s face it we all learn better when we’re doing something we enjoy, right?

If you’re searching for potty training tips, we have a few potty training tips we have used over the years. 

20 Potty Training Tips

Here are a few potty training tips we have found helpful.

• Make sure they are ready – You know your child and you will know when they are ready.  If they are not ready, you’ll be extremely frustrated and the last thing you want is to make potty training a negative experience.

• Watch for signs – Showing interest in the potty, knowing when they need to potty, and/or getting uncomfortable in a messy diaper are a few things you can watch for.

• Get them excited about potty training – Take them with you to purchase potty training tools and let them choose their own potty.  It’s a great way to get them all pumped up about using the potty on their own.

• Every child is different – Remember, every child is different and does things at their own pace.  Just because your friend’s daughter is already potty training doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your child. It just means they work at a different pace.  Just because another mom says she potty trained her daughter/son in 3 days doesn’t mean you’re child needs to do the same.  Remember kids are different, learn at different paces, and just do things differently.  The world would be a dull place if all kids learned how to use the potty in 3 days, talked at the same age, said the same first words, and all wanted to grow up and be the same.  Celebrate your child’s uniqueness and let them rock their Pampers Easy Ups!

• Work slowly – It’s totally okay to introduce them to potty training when they show interest in the potty and what you are doing.  It doesn’t mean they’re 100% ready, it means they are curious and it’s a great time to introduce them to it.

• Enjoy every single day – Regardless of what is going on enjoy each and every single day with your little one!  There will be a day when you look back and you missed the days when your now teen used to rock Pampers Easy Ups.

• Patience – If there is any tip I can give moms going through potty training for the first time, it’s patience is a virtue.  Don’t push your little one, they’ll let you know when they are ready.  Go slowly, and let them lead you.  After potty training all of my children I learned they are good leaders and they will let you know when they are ready if you pay attention to the signs and provide them with all the needed tools.

• Let them go with you to the bathroom – I don’t remember the last time I was able to go to the bathroom alone.  It’s not that bad, plus allowing my daughter to head to the bathroom with me made her curious about what I was doing.  Once she realized, she was the only one who wasn’t using the big girl potty she pretty much potty trained herself.

• Ask them – Don’t forget to ask them if they need to use the potty often.  

• Naked time helps – Without a diaper, they have to put it somewhere…  If you have already introduced them to the toilet, they’ll likely think it’s the perfect place.  Reminders are always good too.

• Rewards – Stickers and hugs are great rewards.  My kids always loved it when we got super excited and jumped for joy with them. 

• Books about potty training – We also start reading more books about potty training during the potty training milestone. 

• Hide your frustrations – Potty training doesn’t always go as planned and there are times when things can get frustrating.  Don’t allow your child to see you are getting frustrated and do not make them feel like they have done something wrong.  Just move on, accidents happen, it’s how we learn and grow. 

• Skip the little potty – My older children were potty trained using the little potty, but my youngest totally skipped the little potty and jumped right on the big girl potty.  We used an insert rather than the little potty with her.  Be open-minded and remember all children are different.

• Talk to them – Kids are smart, explain things to them.  Remember to make it fast, because they also have a short attention span lol.

• Flushable wipes – I highly recommend allowing your toddler to use flushable wipes until they get older.  They just work better than toilet paper and it’s easier for your toddler to learn to clean themselves. 

• To go bag – If you’re going to be out and about be sure to bring along either a potty or potty seat for your little one in potty training.  Don’t forget the wipes!  If you’re lucky like we were with ONLY my youngest they will totally skip the training toilet, use the seat insert and go straight to the grown up toilet.  It is much easier to carry around the little seat to keep them from falling into the toilet.

• Potty time – Be sure they go potty right before you leave the house, before naps, playing outside, or being away from the potty for any amount of time.  It’s something that will become a habit, even when they’re potty trained lol.  Kids always have to use the potty right after you pull out of the driveway.

• Make it fun – Just because it’s potty training doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Using an all-in-one training pant, like Pampers Easy Ups with fun designs for your toddler, is a great tool for potty training.  They are fun, protect against accidents during the day and at nighttime, and are easy for your toddler to pull up and down during potty training.  

• All-in-one training pants – All-in-one training pants, like Pampers Easy Ups, help toddlers train during the day while protecting them at night and for those unforeseen accidents.  I put Mattie in Pampers Easy Ups once she started recognizing when she needed to go to the restroom because I knew the next step was doing it on her own.  Worked like a charm.

Potty Training with Pampers Easy Ups

Pampers Easy Ups have fabulous protection to help make potty training less stressful for both you and your little one.  They’re an all-in-one training pant with fun designs like underwear, which does make a huge difference.  Plus, the fun designs fade when they are wet so both you and your child will know when they have gone potty.  Oh, and the super stretchy sides are fabulous for potty training making it easy for them to slip off  while they’re potty training. And for those messy moments we often have to deal with, they tear at the sides for easy removal.  Pampers Easy Ups are an excellent option for potty training because they have better leakage protection than Huggies Pull Ups.*

*Based on size 4 Learning Designs

This is a sponsored post written by me for Pampers.  All opinions are our own.