I can happily write this post now as I have done potty training (twice!) and made it through the other side.
Potty training is one of those milestones that many parents dread. As much as you are glad to get rid of the nappies it is a task that is set about with trepidation. I approached it in a pretty relaxed way. I never felt pressure to do it at a certain time and knew I couldn’t force the matter or make the girls do it when they didn’t want to.
Having managed to successfully potty train two littles I thought I’d share some of my thoughts and tips.
Decide on your approach
I always knew I didn’t want to do a weeks intensive potty training. I know this works for some people but the thought of keeping cooped up for a week didn’t appeal and frankly when it came to Alice it just wasn’t going to be possible. There was no way I could also have kept Molly in the house for a week.
I went for a gradual approach. Trying to get them to use the potty sometimes but keeping them in pull ups. I slowly tried to get them to use the toilet. For example, before they got in the bath or when they first got up. It didn’t always work but it introduced the idea.
Choose your timings
You will learn when your little is ready. When they begin to pay attention to the toilet or start telling you when they have been it is a good sign. If they tell you before they need to go, even better! Pulling at their nappy is also a good indicator.
Both the girls were close to two and a half when they were properly potty trained but I had been doing the gradual introduction for a few months prior.
Be prepared for accidents
There will be accidents. It’s an inevitable part of potty training. Even once they are fully potty trained the accidents will probably continue. They will be too busy playing or just forget to tell you. Molly had been potty trained for months but when she started pre-school last September (at nearly 3) she would have accidents a lot. Turns out she was a shy little thing who didn’t like asking. On the other hand I can count on one hand the accidents Alice has had. Normally because I am trying to do something highly exciting like brush my teeth and don’t hear her. Try not to make a big deal of the accidents and don’t tell them off. I just said ‘never mind’ and quickly changed them in to dry clothes.
Keep spare clothes with you at all times
Based on the above I’m afraid you can’t get rid of the nappy bag yet. You will need to cart around a spare pare of trousers, knickers and socks with you at all times. I have a little rucksack for the girls so we just keep some in there. Also, make sure you dress them in clothes that are easily accessible. As cute as dungarees are you don’t want to be messing around with fastenings when a quick toilet stop is needed.
Get new knick knocks!
I can honestly say that half the reason that Alice took to it so well was that she adored wearing her new ‘Peppa Knick Knocks’. Buying their favourite character is a great incentive or take them shopping with you to let them choose them.
Let them watch
The titling of this makes me chuckle but honestly letting them watch you go to the toilet (as if we have a choice!) is a great thing. I also found it helped when their little friends were potty trained and they watched them use the toilet.
Be prepared to sound like stuck record
‘Do you need a wee wee?’ will become your catch phrase. I lost count of the amount of times I said this phrase on a daily basis. The poor children must get exasperated and think ‘I’ll blimmin tell you if I need to go!’.
Skip the potty if you need
Both my girls never used the potty. Maybe once or twice. They both preferred the big toilet straight away. Get a child seat and step and try them on this instead. Some children find the big toilet a bit scary. Alice constantly reminded me of the child who falls down it in her favourite book ‘Peepo’!
Make it fun
Try to make it fun. I know many people sing songs or get a book that the littles read whilst sat on the potty.
Don’t force it
The worse thing you can do is force it. I got to a point with Alice where I thought she should have got the hang of it and would get frustrated holding her on the toilet. She just screamed and pushed herself off. I realised that wasn’t going to work so decided to give it a break. I popped her back in nappies for a few weeks and then she suddenly turned around and asked for the toilet.
So for everyone out there who are about to go through this I hope you find it helpful and as usual if anyone has any top tips do share.
I was dreading potty training with my little girl (2 yrs 9 month) as she is very stubborn and so was also going for the relaxed approach leaving a potty in the bathroom etc until Preschool declared she needed to be dry before she started as the didn’t have changing facilities!!!! Eeek as we only had a couple of months till preschool started we had to get cracking so I did set a week a side for us to stay in, it was half term so all out usual activities were cancelled which made it easier. We decided to invent the Potty Fairy, she delivered a new potty, stickers and reward chart and new pants one morning and a personalised letter of encouragement. If planned some fun activities for home and purchased Tinker Bell to watch as a special treat. The potty fairy countinued to send little message of encouragement throughout the first week and it worked a like a charm. Tabitha loved getting the notes and has been dry ever since.
I also can’t recommend this travel potty enough, we get lots if compliments on it as people assume its a lunch box!! http://m.johnlewis.com/mt/www.johnlewis.com/my-carry-potty-ladybug/p1559303?sku=233742615&kpid=233742615&s_kenid=6fd5964c-4779-41a9-8277-00001f45e3b2&s_kwcid=403×703003&tmad=c&tmcampid=73#page_loaded
Oh my gosh. I LOVE this idea! Fairies are the best for encouragement and well done for getting it done it a week. xx
Tip no 1: pirate petes potty! It’s a book about the potty and a good way to introduce the idea.
2. Dress boys in shorts or jogging bottoms that are easy to get up and down.
3. Use chocolate buttons as a reward
4. Pull ups at night or if you’re going on a long journey
5. Go to choose big boy pants together
6. Wait till they are ready and you will definitely have fewer accidents
7 dont stress if they go a long time between wees. My boy is 3 and he can easily go 5 hours!
Your point about them going for ages is so true. I’d be so sure Alice must need to go but it was hours in between. x
A perfectly timed post for me after a bad night with my 18 month old girl who I’ve been potty training through the day for a while. I decided to give it a go, with not much hope, after my Mum had said that she thought Isla would easily be potty trained. I thought, great, I like the idea of not dealing with dirty nappies in particular. Sure enough, Isla would go on the potty no problem at all, once in the morning, once before her nap and once before bed. What I hadn’t considered was that eventually she would become very aware of wet nappies and this would disrupt her night time sleep. She’s not been sleeping great for a couple of weeks and after wondering for a while what the reason was, I’ve figured it out. She’s waking up upset that she has a wet nappy and is asking for the potty. Oh no!!!! So last night was a stinker of a night. I decided I needed to stick to my guns with the training and got her up to go on the potty at 4am. We sat there and we sat there, nothing. Tried putting the tap on and that didn’t work either. In the end, I actually pretended that she had done a wee and flushed the invisible liquid down the loo. That seemed to convince her that she had done one and was happy to go back to bed in a fresh nappy. I’m now regretting starting this at such an early age and have been googling away this morning for help and advice on night time potty training an 18 month old. So far I’ve read that I should quietly lift her from her cot when I go to bed and put her on the potty to see if she will empty her bladder then, hoping that that will help her go through the rest of the night. We’ll see tonight. If anyone has any tips, please do share x
Wow. Well done you for potty training at 18 months. I’m impressed. Night time is a tough one. As both my girls were a bit older, 2 and a half, they were pretty much dry through the night as soon as they were potty trained. I would try getting her out of bed for a wee before you go to sleep but I guess you risk waking her up too much. Try to limit her fluids a little bit before bed so her milk but not too much water. As she gets a bit older she will be able to go through without needing the toilet so fingers crossed it all gets better in a few months for you xx
Thank you Lottie! I’m hoping putting her on the potty when we go to bed won’t wake her too much. Think I’ll just keep quiet with the potty in her room and hope she goes. Fingers crossed xx
I potty trained my just two year old and had the night waking for about the first month. I felt torn between telling her to go in her pull up and actually getting up to put her on the toilet. I went with the latter as I didn’t want to send confusing messages so for a few weeks I put her on the toilet when she woke in the middle of the night. it stopped in a couple weeks and she went back to sleep through. On the whole now she is dry every morning now and she is only2years and 3 months.
Hi Sami, Well done on getting through it and going with the latter. Its good to know how long it took with the night wakings. Last night I attempted putting her on the potty at 10.30pm before I went to bed and she went crazy. She was so upset that she’d been disturbed and there was no sitting her on the potty, she just wanted to run back to her cot. Overnight, she did stir but didn’t ask for the potty like she did the night before and when she woke this morning her nappy wasn’t full like normal. So I’m not sure where we’re at?! She obviously tends to get upset when her nappy is so full in the early hours but last was different, not sure why?! Its just a guessing game isn’t it!
Ah the joys of parent hood!!
Cannot recommend this travel potty enough :
http://www.mothercare.com/Potette-Plus-Fold-Away-Travel-Potty-and-Trainer—Blue/957870,default,pd.html
You can use it as a trainer on a toilet seat (fab for using public loos!), or pop up and use anywhere – it has these clever absorbent bags that soak everything up and you can just pop in the bin when done. Brilliant for long car journeys or when there’s no toilet around.
If you’re not keen on pull ups but you’re little one suffers from little leaks then these pads are great. If it’s that they just can’t get to toilet quick enough, these pads generally absorb the dribbles and you don’t need to change their clothes –
http://www.tesco.com/direct/dry-like-me-potty-training-pants-18-pack/512-7898.prd
Xx
Fab tips. Thanks Emily. That potty looks great! x
Great post, am thinking about toilet training soon with my daughter who is 2yrs 3 months. She goes a very long time between wees and has been dry overnight (95% of the time) since she was 9 months old which is helpful I think. She doesn’t sleep through & never has so I am not too worried about it disrupting her at night-time! The concern for me is that she goes to nursery 4 days a week – if she didn’t I would have toilet trained her a LONG time ago as I think she was ready very early and in some ways I fear I have missed the ideal window…. I know there is no rush but the thought of her “getting it” at home but then having loads of accidents at nursery just fills me with dread! I just need to bite the bullet I think.
Thanks for the travel potty links folks – really helpful!
Great post! I’m always interested in hearing other mums experiences with potty training and picking up new tips. My youngest (17 months) is just showing signs of being ready to start potty training which is great you would think but I had such a long and difficult experience with my eldest (3 years) that starting again just fills me with dread! I started my 3 year old just before her second birthday and did intensive training for a week and was really happy with the results but since then she reverted back so many times I’ve lost count and even now (approaching 4) has accidents when she is too engrossed in something or little dribbles when she leaves it too late for the toilet. I’m hoping this time will be better and am going to approach it differently this time. I went straight to knickers the first time thinking it was the only way that worked but what I have learnt is each child is different and what works for some doesn’t work for others. This time round I am going to let my youngest lead me. If she wants to use the potty I will let her, I’m not going to force it, I’m not even going to get rid of the nappies unless I think she wants to take that step, I just think I need to be a lot more relaxed about the whole thing as stress just rubs off on the kids and makes the experience horrible for them too. Wish me luck!