Starting Potty Training? Oh Sh!t – Literally!

So, you’re done with diapers but you have no clue where to start? Don’t worry we have all been there before. There is nothing to it, but to do it!

First, get yourself ready & get your child ready

1. Commit! You have to be ready for this. There is no turning back. No more diapers! No pull ups! If you decide it’s time, then it’s time.
2. Take your child to the store and buy a new potty and new underwear. Try to get him excited about this. Talk it up! Tell him what a big boy he will be. Talk about all the other people in his life who go potty.
3. Go to the store and buy potty prizes. What does your son or daughter love? Buy mini cars, stickers, candy, small toys, and put them in a basket on the back of the potty. Have 3-5 prizes that are just for BM, something more exciting than the other prizes.
4. Set aside 3-5 days that you and your child can be together with no distractions. If you want to get it done, this might take some sacrifice. You don’t want the training to go on and on, it can if you don’t commit and do it! Find a babysitter for your other kids, get time off work. Whatever you need to do, try to limit all distractions for those few days. You can do this! He can do this!

Second, make it happen!

Now it’s time for the big day, the day to say goodbye to diapers! Remember these important tips on these days.

1. The morning your child wakes up, help him take off his last diaper. Tell him this is his last diaper and we are going to throw all the other diapers away because he is big now! Have him help you throw the diapers away. (I got them out later and gave them to a friend.)
2. Help him put on his new underwear. Talk about how awesome it is! Be excited for him. Then tell him, ‘Keep your underwear dry. Tell me when you need to go in the potty.’ Remind him this all day long.
3. Now stay by him all day. When he starts to go, take him to the potty and try to get the majority of it in the potty. He will have accidents! Don’t get mad! Be calm. Say, ‘next time get it in the potty.’
4. When he does go in the potty, make a HUGE deal! Let him tell everyone you can. Let him choose a prize.
5. Don’t make him sit on the potty for huge amounts of time. Just play at home all day, don’t go anywhere. Just be ready to rush him to the potty. Let him tell you when he needs to go, he will get it! Stay by him and focus on him!!
6. Keep going this way, he should catch on in the 3rd day, but sometimes it takes 5 days.

Third, have a plan for night time too

Despite what you might hear, you can potty train at night at the same time as you are potty training during the day! Keep the following in mind…

1. Cut out all fluids by 6 pm each night.
2. Make sure he goes right before bed. Don’t force him to go, just wait until he goes potty to put him to bed. If he falls asleep before going potty, wake him up before you go to bed to go potty.
3. If you hear him waking up in the night, help him go potty.
4. He probably will wet the bed. Don’t get discouraged. He will get it. Don’t get mad if he wets the bed. Just help him get cleaned up and encourage him to use the potty and stay dry!
5. When he does make it through the night dry, make a huge deal of it!!

Potty training isn’t easy. Some kids are easier than other kids. If you commit and stick to these rules, you will be successful!