Tools Needed for Potty Training

Preparation for Potty Training

Potty training is not something you can go into blindly. Potty training takes preparation. You need to prepare yourself (CLICK HERE to see if your toddler is ready) by doing some research (just to familiarize yourself with the process), find the right “tools” for your child, and hype up your toddler for the experience.

So how do you prepare yourself for this endeavor?

·         Start by being realistic in your expectations. Potty training can take, on average, eight months. This means there will most likely be accidents, some days there will be multiple accidents, but don’t get discouraged! Go ahead and plan for accidents—what will you say when there is an accident?, will you insist your toddler help you clean up the accident?, etc.

·         Identify a support system. You will need someone to cheer you on during potty training. So lean on your husband, friend, or grandparents when you feel discouraged.

·         Understand that every child is different. When I was researching how to potty train my children, I read “every child is different” on every website, and I hated it because I thought surely there was one method that would work for “most” children, but after potty training three children I can honestly say there’s not one sure way that works. Some things that work great for one child, don’t work at all for another. And some things that work for one child, might work well for another but with a few tweaks. So it’s all about finding what’s best for you and your child.

·         Be consistent and patient. Potty training is all about consistency and LOTS of patience. There will be hard days when you think diapers aren’t so bad, but as long as you remain consistent with your toddler in your potty training habits you will prevail! (And if you feel like your toddler is really stuck and not really ready to do potty training, then stop and start over in a few weeks or months—no shame! I had to do that with one of mine.)

·         Involve your child in the decision-making process. Let them pick out their new underwear, potty seat, stool, treats, etc. This will help motivate them to achieve the ultimate goal of being potty trained.

Potty Training Tools

You and your toddler are both prepared to start potty training now, but what tools will help make this a successful process?

·         Big Boy or Big Girl Underwear- Each of my children got to go to the store to pick their brand new big kid underwear. This allowed them to be excited for the experience and help motivate them to keep it dry. I chose not to use pull-ups during potty training because I thought they resembled diapers too much. I didn’t think it would be as dramatic of a change in feeling as underwear would so we went straight for new underwear, but some prefer pull-ups and that is fine!

·         Toilet Seat-I chose to use a toilet seat that you place on a regular toilet to potty train my children mainly because I didn’t want to clean up a little potty each time they used it. I also thought, by having a toilet seat, it would help us avoid another step in potty training from the little potty to the regular potty. My kids liked these toilet seats, but I’ve also heard great things about these toilet seats that have a built in stool.

·         Stool-Your toddler will need a stool to help climb up on their new toilet seat, as well as, to reach the sink to wash hands after using the potty. I love how this stool folds up so it doesn’t take up so much space.

·         Toilet Paper-Let’s be real…we always need this J

·         Hand Sanitizer-I like to keep hand sanitizer in the bathroom and my purse. It’s a good alternative to soap in case you don’t have any.

·         Hand Soap-You can never have too much soap especially when those little hands like to touch everything!

·         Treats or Prizes-I used treats to reward my children of their efforts in potty training. Every time they went pee or poop in the potty they would get a treat. My children chose a small candy, but your child might like a sticker or small toy. It’s totally up to you and your child how you will reinforce their positive efforts! (Don’t forget to get a treat for mom too!)

What are your must-haves for potty training? Comment below to share. Next week, I’ll share some tricks that helped make potty training successful, as well as, some mistakes I learned from.