Conquering the potty
If you’ve met me you know that I am a planner. So I did my research, picked a potty training “method”, picked a weekend and cleared our calendars, ordered a few basics and BAM, thought we’d conquer potty training in no time. Or 2-3 days to be more exact. HA! While potty training seems to click quite easily for some kids, for others it does take a bit longer. And we are most definitely in the “bit longer” camp. So while I am definitely(!!) not an expert and have not called victory on this particular phase of parenting just yet, I did want to share five tips to hopefully make potty training a little easier for all:
Get the potty seat and the potty chair especially if your toddler is younger or a bit unsteady climbing up and sitting down themselves. I know, I know, I dislike extraneous kids stuff as much as the next person, but feeling confident and in control here is key and if a little potty helps with that for a while so be it. I got the Baby Bjorn version of the potty seat and chair and think they both work quite well.
Read Oh Crap and peruse your Facebook moms groups, but don’t beat yourself up if your days/blocks/whatever-you-want-to-call-them don’t unfold perfectly. You kind of have to just go with it to see how your kiddo is adapting and adjust/re-adjust from there.
Get some apple juice and offer it regularly. I don’t normally offer juice but if you are trying to increase your “practice opportunities” this is golden. I used her favorite travel cup, mixed 1/4 apple juice + 3/4 with water and put an ice cube in to make it feel like a treat. Worked like a charm. She also learned the word “juice” so double points.
Make some easy DIY calm jars if your kiddo is having a hard time sitting still on the potty. Fill an empty plastic bottle with water and some clear glue, baby oil or dish soap and some glitter and food coloring. Give it a good shake and have your little one hold on to it and watch the glitter settle. I found it really helps them re-focus.
Celebrate, hand them success and back off where you can. Like most parents we probably way over prompted and put too much pressure on the situation at the start. Stickers, these add-a-charm bracelets, praise and lots of positive reinforcement went a long way. Reading, (and re-reading this potty book) also worked really well for us.
Good luck!
