Potty Training Tips

As your baby gets older, the milestones start piling up. Your little one has gone from babbling to using one- or two-word responses. You can start to see him becoming the person he’s meant to be! He’s still fully reliant on you now, especially when it comes to diapers. But what if you could graduate him to using the potty like the big kids do?

That’s where potty training comes in! While it can be a tiring and often messy process, it’s worth the trouble in the end. There’s no set age when a toddler should start potty training–it depends on the kid. It often works best when your kid starts showing interest in the potty on his own. Usually this happens around two or three years old.

Need some extra help? We’ve gathered some helpful potty training tips to help things run smoothly.

1. Make your kid comfortable

Trying new things can be scary. Make him just a bit more comfortable about that scary potty by playing pretend with his favorite stuffed animal or action figure. As you talk him through the steps of using the potty, act out each step with his toy. If Mr. Teddy can do it, then so can he!

2. Use a potty chart

Positive reinforcement is a great way to teach your child new things. Every time he makes progress in his potty training, give him a fun sticker that he can add to the chart.

3. Gift him with Big Kid Underwear

Bring him to the store and let him pick out his favorite big kid underwear. This is especially effective if they’re covered in his favorite characters from movies, books, or shows. He’ll be much less likely to soil his underwear if they’re a pair he loves.

4. Read him potty books

There are plenty of really great kids books all about using the potty, like P is for Potty from Sesame Street, or Potty from Patricelli. Leave them next to the potty so he has something to read while he sits and waits.

5. Personalize the potty

Give him a big book of stickers and let him go to town in decorating his potty. You’ll want him to feel like it’s uniquely his so he’s more likely to use it when the need arises.

6. Keep trying and have patience

Potty training can be a slow battle. Sure, you’ll have parent friends who tell stories of how it only took a few days to train Sally, but that’s not the norm. Just be patient and continue the positive reinforcement, and your little one will eventually become a potty training graduate.