Mom's Simple Guide to Potty Training

Potty training is one of those things that all parents dread but we all know it inevitably needs to happen. It is a time that you just need to put your head down, do what you need to do and realize that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Not only will you no longer have to change those stinky diapers, but you will be saving a ton of money every month. This simple guide to potty training will make it easy and help you achieve fail free potty training.

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Everything You Need to Potty Train

There was a time in my life where I was the mom at Costco with three sizes of diapers and a box of wipes taking up an entire shopping cart. Now, I am happy to say that all my children are potty trained and I no longer have to deal with diapers. I will say however, that although I set forth different expectations because my children all have different personalities, they all trained very well and each time it went much smoother than I anticipated.

There are a lot of lists out there that discuss potty training and there are a lot of things you can purchase to “help” with potty training, but this list is the only list you need. Everything is right here, so just follow this simple guide to potty training and get started!

To see the items to purchase for potty training, see the list at the end of the blog!

1. Purchase a Couple Potty Training Books

Talking about potty training and asking your child if he/she is ready weeks before you are planning on starting is very important. It is the first step in the simple guide to potty training. It really sets the tone for what is to come so that there are not any surprises when the dreaded day comes. If your child is just not having it, or always responds “no” when you ask if he/she is ready, then he/she may just not be ready. You can try to train, but do not set your expectations too high. It’s certainly not impossible to train a child that isn’t ready, but it may be a much longer process.

The best way I have found to get my children excited about potty training is to purchase a couple books or go to your nearest library where you can rent them for ‘free” and read them to your child every night, during the day, etc. Again, this sets the stage for what is to come and depending on the book you get, they may really enjoy the book and want to mimic the character. My favorite potty training books for girls are Princess Potty and Potty Superhero: Get Ready For Big Girl Pants. Princess Potty comes with a crown and jeweled stickers for the princess crown so it makes it fun for your little one. For boys, my favorite books are Potty and Potty Superhero: Get Ready for Big Boy Pants.

2. Block Out Your Schedule

Now, I know most people cannot block out an entire week for potty training but it is important to really try to stay at home for at least a few days as often as possible. The way I chose to train my kids was the “all out” method, which is literally what it is. No diaper, no pull-ups, no underwear for 3 days (during the day). Period. So, obviously it is best if you can stay home and really put all your focus into this so that you can ‘get her done’.

3. Go to the Dollar Store and Get Some Prizes

This is so simple and cheap and it works! This is the part that makes this guide to potty training easy. Just pick up a gift bag and some tissue paper and purchase around 20 or so little gifts. Then, individually wrap each gift in tissue paper and stick it in the potty-training bag. Every time he/she goes on the potty, they get a prize. Now, this worked for my kids because they were all trained in 5 days or under but if you think it may take a while, purchase some M&M’s or any candy of your choice and have them grab some candy for going pee and a prize for going poop! This gives them a reason to get excited if they go. They really catch on so it does work. I also pick up some fun stickers to stick on the potty training chart when they perform their task!

4. Download a Printable Potty-Training Chart

This just goes along with setting up the space and part of the simple guide to potty training. I purchased my potty training chart on Etsy. You want to hang it up a couple days ahead of time and let them know what it is. Every time they go to the bathroom, they get a Sticker on their chart. Its just another way to use positive reinforcement and give them attention every time he/she goes to the bathroom. What kid doesn’t like stickers? I also keep my potty training charts and put them in their memory books as a little keepsake.

5. Get a Small Potty and a Soft Potty Seat

You will want to get both for different reasons. I used the small potty for potty training in the beginning. I literally laid sheets out all over my family room and made it into a potty-training zone. I put the small potty in front of the TV so that my child could hang out on the potty “all day”. The sheets are there in case he/she wants to wander a bit, but try to keep them in the potty-training zone most of the day.

Once you are over the hump and your child is trained, it is best to get them on the big potty right away and just use a soft cover potty seat. There is nothing worse than cleaning out those little potties every time they use it 😊. Trust me, with their little bladders, it is best to get them on the big potty as soon as possible for easy and fast clean up. It is also good to get them used to the big potty so they do not fear going to the bathroom in public places.

6. Make Sure You Have a Stool

Chances are your little one will not be able to reach the sink. If you are going to encourage your LO to wash his/her hands then they will need a stool to be able to reach the sink.

7. Purchase Some New Underwear

You will need it! I try to purchase just a couple packs of underwear with their favorite characters on it. This is their prize when the mission is complete! They get really excited that they are a big girl/boy with big girl/boy underwear. After three long days of no diapers, pull-ups or underwear and no more prizes left, on day 4 I put them in underwear right when they wake up and test the waters (literally). They will most likely have a couple of accidents over the next couple of days because it is different from what they are used to, but one they get accustomed to it, they will be accident free. By days 6 and 7 they should be fully potty trained.

8. Get Some Fun Soap

With all this potty training happening, let’s not forget to teach them to always wash their hands. If you do this right from the beginning, they won’t know any different. Do not wait to teach them after they are trained because you will have trouble getting them to do it. Make it fun by buying some fun soap and teach them how to wash their hands properly.

9. Get Started!

Once the Day has come, it is a good idea to get them psyched up as soon as they wake up. When they enter the “zone” make sure they have a fun water bottle right next to their station. This will encourage them to drink during the day so that they can get more practice 😊. Plan on setting the timer every 30 minutes or so. They have potty training watches that will do this for you, but you can always use Alexa as well. Every 30 minutes, ask them if they have to go to the bathroom. This keeps it in the forefront of their minds and also reminds them to go.

Summary

That’s it! This is the simple guide to potty training. Don’t get discouraged if it is taking longer than you anticipated. Every kid is different and/or at different stages and ages. Some kids will actually regress during the course of the first week. Keep at it! They may slip up but don’t waste all the hard work you put into it. Just keep going. Don’t give up. It WILL click and they WILL get it, but it’s up to you to keep encouraging them and have faith they can do it!

For a list of items needed for potty training, see the list below!

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