10 Potty Training Tips And Must Haves #GameChangers


After trying on and off for two years to potty train my toddler, needless to say, I've been through the potty training struggle and know what works and what changes the game. In and effort to save you from my potty training plight, I've put together a list of 10 things that I couldn't have survived potty training without.



1. Patience. I know it may sound cliche, but patience was the number one thing that got me through the PT battle. Once I accepted the fact that my child would fully potty train on his time and terms, I relaxed a little. Most of all, I stopped holding myself 100% accountable that my toddler was not potty trained by two.

2. An Emergency Mess Kit. Under the kitchen sink, I kept a plastic bin full of quick clean-up products. Whenever the kid would have an accident, rather than scramble to find the products I needed to clean up the mess, I would just grab the bin on my way to him, and his mess.





I got the entire kit at the Dollar store for $5! SO WORTH IT!

3. A toilet seat with a built-in toddler seat. This thing was magical for getting Ollie to pee on the potty.

4. A stepping stool. When the wild-child started trying to go on his own, I was afraid he would fall off the toilet and bang his head on the tile when either climbing up or down from the potty. So, I got him a Child's Step Stool. The stool was awesome for both safely climbing on the potty, and for reaching the faucet to wash his hands!



5. Self sufficiency. It took me a while, but I finally realized my kid would never be able to go by himself as long as he needed me to help with his pants. Not to mention, most likely lead to a HUGE reduction in the number of accidents on the way to the potty.

6. Bribes. I know many experts frown upon bribing your kid, but in this case, bribes are WAY better than diapers. I started with mini M&Ms, but quickly realized my kid would have a mouthful of cavities at the rate he was "going potty" for a treat. He was pretty much squeezing out a drop or two for candy.  So, I switched to dollar store trucks and army guys at treats.  If he used the potty ALL DAY, without any accidents, he could choose a toy.

FYI:  After about a month of bribing, I told him he was a big boy now, and didn't need a treat for going potty.  I added something about how mommy and daddy don't get treats before he took off knowing where the story was going...

7. Emergency Change Kit- I keep an emergency change kit in my car so if there's an accident, I don't have to scramble for wipes or new clothes. Because I'm here to tell ya, pee in my car is not cool.



8. Foaming soap. Oh the bottles of gel soap that went down the drain unused.  Oh the bars of soap that shot across the bathroom--he thought bar soap was actually a toy game of shooting the soap out of your hand. Yes, FTD is behind that.  I found that foaming soap slowed him down, and since it's already lathered, it made it easy for him to easily distribute the soap in the tops and bottoms of his hinds.

9. Nighttime Diapers- Naturally, the older my toddler gets, the more he pees.  He can fill up a regular diaper by 3am.  Just like pee in my car is not cool, pee in my bed is really not cool! After a couple of unpleasant nights, I sought out nighttime specific diapers for toddlers, not big babies. Since switching, he has not had a leak since. While I hope and pray he is night trained sooner than later, I'm not taking any chances on middle of the night surprises.

10. Flushable wipes.  Above all, flushable wipes were the game changer. At first, they were awesome for just wiping him in general, and the few misses he made. Then, they were great for stopping him from trying to unroll the ENTIRE toilet paper roll. I taught him that butt wipes were his special toilet paper, and that he only needed ONE.

Now that he's wanting more independence in the potty, the wipes give me piece of mind that he's is wiping with something much more effective than toilet paper.

I LOVE this brilliant little contraption from, Bob's Butt Wipes, that allows the wipes to hang from the toilet paper roll holder for ultra convince! Check this out...



There are multiple colors available to match your bathroom.

Bob's Butt Wipes for Men
Lil' Booty Adventure Wipes for Children
Bou De' Wipes for Women 


At $9.99 for the holder and a two packs of wipes, Bob's Butt wipes are totally worth it! you can buy them online here, use code FTM&D15 for 15% off!


What has been your potty training saving grace? 
  





April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com