I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Pull-Ups. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Here are my tips for potty training:
Relax. If you are like me you will be very afraid of potty training. I was with my first. I was terrified. It turns out it wasn’t so bad after all. So relax mom!
Be patient. Sometimes it takes time. Let your child lead and wait until they are ready.
Every child is different. Just because “so and so down the street” potty trained her son at age 2 does not mean your son will be ready then. Don’t compare or expect your child to be like another child. You know them best, and you know if they are ready to potty train.
Use Pull-Ups Training Pants. I cannot over emphasize this. I have seen other people go straight from diapers to underwear and it is messy. Yuck! That is not for me. I like to use Pull-Ups until the child is staying dry and clean and I can trust them to keep their underwear mess free. So much easier!
Rewards. I think these are super important. It can motivate your child to achieve potty training success. I like to purchase a toy (or let your child choose) and then have that be the incentive to earn stickers (or whatever method you use). I have found actually seeing the object they are earning helps little ones to understand the rewards process. You can also use the Rewards Wheel on Pull-Ups.com, it is customizable and helps make every potty training lesson unique.
Utilize the great tools available on the Pull-Ups Website. There are so many great resources for parent’s to use to get their little ones excited for potty training. I also really like the Big Kid App you can download for free on your phone. My daughter LOVES the character calls and I love how easy they are to set up! You can also hear about additional resources and updates by following Pull-Ups on their Facebook page, and their Twitter page.
I wish I could say that my daughter is now potty trained, but that is not the case. She just isn’t ready yet. There is no shame in it. As a mom who has potty trained a boy (before my daughter) I know that it doesn’t always work out the first time around, and that it is important to wait until your child is ready.
She is continuing to show interest in using the big potty so we will continue to let her wear her “Big Girl Diapers” ie: Pull-Ups and use the potty as she wants. She loves that they are pink and have Minnie mouse and Cinderella on them.
As a parent I have learned that being patient with this process is so important. Your child needs to feel ready and comfortable, otherwise it can lead to a child who is traumatized by the pressure and therefore resists potty training even more. I think she will be ready to be fully potty trained soon and I do look forward to no more diapers
One thing I haven’t tried is a small potty for my daughter. Since she is so small I think she might really like having a little potty. Pull-Ups have partnered with The First Years, a maker of potty training systems and seats. They have some really fun potty seats to get your child excited about the potty training process! Right now when you purchase a specialty potty system from the First Years you will get a free sample pack of Pull-Ups Training Pants. Awesome! Then you will have everything you need to get started.
I would love to hear your tips for potty training success.
Good luck to everyone starting the potty training process!