Who Am I To Give Advise???

I'm no expert on child rearing, but I have had a bit of experience. I am the mother of 6 children, and I have just successfully potty trained my "caboose" (our youngest and last child.) Again, I don't claim to be an expert, but I do like to help others with what I have learned (mostly by trial and error) through the years.

My hope is that if you have a toddler that you are potty training, you may be able to glean an idea or two that you have not thought of or tried.

A Few of "Mother Teresa's" Tips for Potty Training:

Every child is different. Every family is different. Not all of these tips will work for all children or family situation.

• Look for signs of readiness from your child. Is he asking to go potty? Is she trying to mimic you in the bathroom (moms never get to even go to the bathroom alone!)? Is he able to pull his pants up and down without assistance? It may be time to try.
• Take a special trip to the store and let your toddler pick out 1 or 2 packs of underwear. And get an extra! 
• A plain, simple toddler potty with a seat that attaches to the regular toilet will be just fine. No bells and whistles needed. 
• If you are going to give it a go, give it your all. Do all that you can to give potty training your complete focus for at least three days and you may be surprised at how quickly your toddler catches on. Too many times delays in potty training occurs because mom and dad didn't see it through. There are a lot of distractions today, so it does take a serious effort on your part to help your toddler succeed. 
• Ask him every 30 minutes if the need to try to go potty. Encourage them to try at least once or twice an hour. Yes, you will be spending most of the day running to and from the bathroom with your toddler. So don't plan any outings, if possible.
•  Once you start potty training, never look back. The day I begin potty training is the day the diaper box is empty. That way, I'm not tempted to give up and try to start again tomorrow.
• Go straight to underwear during the day. Pull-ups are fancy diapers. Toddlers will learn more quickly the importance of going to the potty if they have an accident and feel the uncomfortable way the underwear feels when wet. Yes, you may be washing a lot of extra clothes and cleaning up messes on the floor. But the concept is grasped much more quickly without the comfort of diapers.
• Don't let a relapse deter you. They may happen on occassion for many different reasons. That is never an excuse to go back to diapers.
• Your attitude will make the difference. Traipsing to and from the bathroom every 30 minutes, cleaning up accidents and cheering for each success will be taxing, tiring, exhausting actually. But your attitude will help determine how your child views potty training. So continue to cheer, even for the 15th time that day.
• Don't fuss or scold when she has an accident, but do make her take responsibility. Make her help clean up the mess, take her underwear to the laundry room and clean herself up. This will help her take ownership and make her realize that there are consequences to our actions. If she has an accident and you coddle and coo and clean up the mess, what will she learn? A gentle, "We don't peepee in our pants. Next time tell Momma you need to go potty," will do just fine.
• Treats work for some toddlers, but not all. If you are going to offer a treat for going to the potty, don't be a softy and give in if they didn't "go". Hold your ground. It will be much more rewarding to her if she has to "go" to recieve her treat. And make sure the treat truely is a treat. If she has fruit snacks on a regular basis, that is not a good potty reward. Make it something special, tangible, and immediate.
• Remember, bowl movement training is usually harder and may take a while longer.
• One last trick, and this is my favorite. When #5 was potty training last year, we went straight to underwear - even at night (he caught on very quickly.) The first day, during nap time, I laid him down in bed in his underwear and I reminded him that he needed to get up and go potty and not to peepee in his pants. He had picked out some special SpongeBob underwear and I had an idea! I leaned in a whispered in a light tone to my son, "Don't peepee on SpongeBob or he might get mad." And we giggled. But that helped him remember! And the first thing he told his little brother when he wore his first pair of Scooby Doo underwear? "Don't peepee on Scooby, he might get mad."

Again, not all of these tips will work for all children or families, but I hope you found some information that will help you on your journey to a diaper-free future.

If you found this information helpful, please take a second to vote "Yes." I truely appreciate it!