I have to admit, I was terrified at the prospect of potty training and put it off for as long as possible. I was genuinely dreading it and although Sophie has been showing a few signs for months now, it was hard deciding when was the ‘right time’ to start potty training and how to even go about it. I literally had all the gear and no idea haha! Sophie has just turned three and is now dry during the day and has been confident using the potty or toilet for a few weeks now, so I thought I would share how we did it and some of our essentials with you.
Sophie started nursery in April, which has definitely helped as she could see the other children going to the toilet regularly, which meant she was interested and wanted to try it herself. The staff were very helpful and told me they ask the children every 30 minutes at nursery if they needed to go. I started doing this at home so it was consistent, although Sophie started to get annoyed with me asking! She did have a few accidents in the beginning – which is inevitable but it really wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. In the end, I just left her to it and she started to tell me she needed a wee and she would pull her pants etc. down and sit on the potty herself to use it.
ESSENTIALS
Potty and/or training seat – a pretty obvious one! I bought a basic potty and training seat from Asda which were on offer in the baby and toddler event, as well as a Frozen potty. It gave Sophie the option to use the potty or toilet and she will now use both. Although, I do wish I had bought a ‘Pourty Potty‘, I think it’s a great idea as it makes emptying the potty so much easier and more hygienic.
Knickers – when I was preparing to start potty training, I stocked up on plenty of cheap packs of knickers, so if they got dirty it didn’t matter and I could just throw them away. I also bought a pack of Frozen knickers, just to make it a bit more exciting as they have Sophie’s favourite characters on and she can choose which ones she wanted to wear.
Books – I ordered the Princess Polly’s Potty book a while ago now and it just explains that big girls use the potty and it has a button which they can press which cheers and encourages them. It gave Sophie something to do while she was using the potty and I think it helped her understand what the potty was for.
Rewards – I think the majority of children love stickers and chocolate, don’t they?! Whenever Sophie used the potty she would get a little reward as an incentive.
Pull ups – we have found the Huggies pull ups really useful and I explained to Sophie that they were different to a nappy. We use them if we are going out in the car or for a day out somewhere.
Carry potty – I thought this was a brilliant idea! I bought the My Carry Potty to take out on day trips with us, in case there isn’t a nearby toilet. It’s a fun and colourful design but is discreet and seals tightly so there are no leaks.
TIPS
1. Relax! I found the best thing to do is just take a relaxed approach and don’t put any pressure on either of us. It will happen in the end!
2. Put essentials all together – I put all of our potty training essentials in a wicker basket, along with toilet wipes, spare clothes, socks etc. so everything was to hand when we needed it.
3. Plenty of praise! Whenever Sophie used the potty or toilet, we would give her lots of encouragement and tell her ‘well done!’ and give her high fives etc. which really helped her confidence.
Please let me know if you found this post helpful! What age did you start potty training your child/children?
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Thanks for sharing your tips and advice. We will probably be venturing into the potty training situation this time next year, unless our nearly two year old shows the signs of wanting to start earlier. I'm tempted to start getting all the bits together so that we're ready when the time comes. Laura x
You're welcome! Yeah I've had everything ready for a while now but kept putting it off! It wasn't as bad as I expected though but I think that's because I waited until I knew Sophie was fully ready :). Good luck when the time comes! x
I love that ladybird carry pot, so very cute! Excellent tips, being relaxed when potty training yourself as a parent is half the battle won, indeed.
It's so handy to take out and about! Thank you 🙂 and I completely agree! x
We started potty training Matthew at the age of 3 years and 8 months. He needs a bit of a push at these things. I wanted to have potty trained by the age of 4 because that's when he starts pre school in creche. he's doing great and we have ditched the potty 2 months ago. The only problem we still have is the number twos. I'm just buying lots of cheap pants because he is still not confident enough to go to the toilet for that. he still wears nappies at night but I think they should be gone too because he's always dry and asks to go to the toilet in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning. great post. x
Aah that's brilliant! It must be a very daunting thing for them, but I'm sure the number two's will happen eventually! Thank you Janine 🙂 x
These are some awesome tips! Potty training is harder than I thought it would be. I made the mistake of starting too early and everyone just got stressed by it. My girl is now two and a half and completely dry during the day.
It's hard knowing when to start isn't it? That's brilliant though 🙂 x
We had that book for Wilf too (although I think it was a pirate version) great tips on potty training! x
Thank you! x
Great post. It is ideal to have everything ready before you start and just roll with it x
Thank you! Yeah definitely x
Great tips and great essentials! We are just starting properly with potty training too – eek! Have bought a little book that we got recommended to us and have got most of the other bits in too. Love the look of the travel potty!x
Thank you Sarah! Good luck! x
I wish this post was about when I pottt trained my little one, this was such a nerve wracking part as you enter the unknown in a way. I have to say our experience was pretty good too x
Ah thank you! I know exactly what you mean, that's why I put it off for as long as possible haha! Glad to hear you had a pretty good experience too 🙂 x
Invaluable tips, we are just about to start potty training
Thank you! Good luck 🙂 x