** This post is sponsored by Pull-Ups but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
In honor of June being National Potty Training Awareness Month, I’m sharing what worked for us while potty training our first daughter. I expected potty training Victoria to be such a chore, but it ended up being fairly easy for us thanks to some tips and products we used. Let’s cross our fingers that it will be similarly easy with Addi!
Here is what we did to make the process smoother and have fewer cleanups:
- Wait until your child expresses an interest in potty training. Talk about potty training and how fun it will be ahead of time. Graham and I talked a lot about potty training with V before we actually attempted anything. When she first came to live with us before our official adoption, her vocabulary was limited, so that meant we waited a few months. Before we knew it, she was learning new words and eventually she was asking to use the potty. Don’t force anything or it becomes a negative task for your child!
- Consider whether you want a seat or a chair. We chose a toilet seat rather than a separate potty because it’s less cleanup and because it required fewer transitions. Choosing a chair would have meant eventually transitioning to a seat anyway. Tip: Hang it on a hook on the wall next to your toilet when not in use.
- Read books about using the potty. This will help the child learn what to expect and will make them eager to use the potty.
- Reward your child for successes. Every time she successfully used the potty we rewarded her with a sticker or a candy at first.
- Set up a potty training schedule. V would just sit on the toilet seat at first and not actually go, but we kept putting her seated on it until she successfully used it. Then we told her how proud we were of her, which made her want to do it again. This helped her learn what to expect.
- Let your child choose a step stool with his or her favorite animated character. Ours has Minnie Mouse on it because V loves her. Your child will get excited about potty training when he or she has fun tools to help.
- Use Pull-Ups! Pull-Ups provide reliable outstanding protection while also feeling and functioning like underwear. They also help your child feel like a big kid! Plus, Pull-Ups come in cute designs, like Doc McStuffins and Minnie Mouse, both of which V adores. We also liked that they provided leakage protection and we never had to clean up any messes because of them. They are easy for toddlers to pull on and off, too, with their refastenable side.
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