Thank you to BABYBJÖRN for providing me with product, free of charge, in exchange for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
While I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, I have potty trained about a dozen children throughout the five years I did childcare as well as my husband and I have successfully potty trained four children together thus far. Depending on the child, it can be a very simple quick process or the opposite end of the spectrum where it can be turned into a long fight. From my experience, it’s better for all involved to take a deep breath, relax, and avoid front lines of battle. So here are my tips:
Potty Training 101:
~Don’t let anyone pressure you into thinking you must train your child NOW….especially if the child is under 3 years old.
~Take one day (or even half a day) and introduce the potty. Bring out the potty chair or seat. Talk about what you would like the child to do.
~Encourage the child to sit but don’t force.
~During this half to whole day, I do put our child in underwear. I want them to be able to
see and feel what’s happening since diapers tend to minimize the sensation.
~Expect accidents. This is a learning experience. There WILL be accidents.
~Give the child the option of a diaper or continued underwear wearing the next day. They are
in control over their functions so feel free to allow them to choose if they are now ready.
~Biggest Tip: Once you make the “Big” switch, ditch the diapers for good and do not go back!
This has worked extremely well for all four of our potty trained children. We pushed our first child when she turned 2. Yes, we got her trained for a couple months but then she completely backtracked with the arrival of her baby brother. So back to diapers we went until the week before her 3rd birthday. I would often check in with her and offer the option of underwear but she chose to wait until she was ready. Once ready, I can count on one hand how many accidents she has ever had, including nighttime as once we make the leap, we do underwear 24/7. Our 2nd child, a boy, trained at almost 3 with the same results. Our 3rd child, another boy, trained himself at just under 2 1/2 as I told him he needed to go potty before heading down to the hotel watermark we were at. He started going and has never looked back. Our 4th will be 3 this week and has been trained for almost 6 months already as well. I feel that by creating a positive encouraging atmosphere and NOT making a big deal out of accidents, the child feels safe and strives to succeed.
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Win It: BABYBJÖRN is generously offering one of our lucky readers their very own BABYBJÖRN “Potty Time” Prize Pack consisting of one of each of the following products: Smart Potty, Safe Step, & Toilet Trainer. The winner may choose colors for their prizes, based on availability. This giveaway is open to US and Canada and will end June 27th, 2015. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck! Entry Form
I’m a city girl turned country by my awesome husband and we have three busy boys and two darling daughters. I love spending time with my family, reading Karen Kingsbury novels, and catching up with friends while our kiddos have play dates. I’m blessed beyond measure and can’t wait to see what God has in store.
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Marty C.
I like the TRAVEL CRIB LIGHT…it would be great for visiting or travelling.