Sure,  Potty training seems like an obvious adventure for all of us who left it behind decades back. Our own elimination barely deserves discussion.

For a child, however, toilet training can be a terrifying experience.

For some toddlers, potty training can be scary, but it doesn’t need to be. If the fear of potty training is omnipresent and seems like a monster hiding in the closet and ready to pounce to your wee one, follow a few of these potty training techniques so that you can slay the monsters inside their minds.

Make the toilet teaching experience comfortable for your toddler. Rather than getting them their own potty chair (which can be both messy and scary), get them an add on to the family toilet. This is easy, efficient, and can get you started immediately. Make sure you have a small stool they can use to access the potty without assistance.

Allow your toddler to choose about a dozen pair of   training pants with a style or character they love.

Make learning to use the toilet an adventure. Eliminate the fear of potty training by pretending that the potty is a garbage gobbler. Take a few soft substances (such as wadded toilet paper) and let your toddler flush them down the toilet. The purpose isn’t to be wasteful, but simply to show your child that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Teach them that the potty’s job is to get rid of their waste and let them say good-bye to whatever is being flushed. (It may seem silly, but a simple, “Bye-bye toilet paper,” can do wonders for a timid toddler.

Whenever you child has an accident, rush them (without unneeded urgency) to the potty. Change them while placing the waste into the potty. By doing this you are reinforcing the purpose of the potty in your toddler’s mind. Repetition will eventually lead to full comprehension.

Your purpose is to eliminate their fear of potty training. The more casual your behavior, the more likely your child will be to emulate you. Having said that, you never want to force toilet training on your toddler. If the resistance is strong, pull back and try again in a few days.

One last thought: You must be sure your child’s resistance has merit and they are just not playing their will against yours. If you back off too early, the second round will be far harder than the first. If it comes down to a battle of the wills, yours must always be stronger.

Don’t let the fear of potty training get to your toddler. Get to the fear of potty training instead!

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Reading potty training books can fun, especially since potty training itself can feel so difficult.

Sometimes our wee-ones, and more likely us as parents, need a dose of humor as distraction from the overload of searching for the proper  potty training techniques.

Finding the right toilet teaching book can help make the process of teaching your child to use the bathroom far more enjoyable. The following   books are an excellent resource to add a touch of humor and fun when potty training your toddlers.

Potty Training Books

Once you determine it’s time to start potty training, it’s time to prepare your child for success. The right potty training pants are only part of the equation.

If you want to find success, you must begin by balancing a sense of humor against realistic expectations. You won’t accomplish potty training in a day. Whether you have the right potty training pants or not, it’s a process, not an event.

Pull up a chair, sit down, and read this list of quick potty training tips to get you started on the right track.

Potty Training Pants are Part of the Lesson

Place a potty chair in the bathroom and give your toddler ownership by telling them it belongs to them. Show them the differences and similarities between the grown-up toilet and their new potty. Encourage them to sit, with or without a diaper, while their feet are resting firmly on the floor or stool.

As your potty training toddler checks out their new chair, help them understand the pending process with clear language they will understand. When they rise, give them a fresh pair of potty training pants and make sure to tell them, “Good job!”

Once you have successfully interested your little one in the process, build time into each day where they sit on the potty without a diaper for several minutes. You can read a potty-training book or sing a song while they are sitting. Stay with them and make sure to offer praise, even if they simply sit without a tangible result.

Same as before, give them a fresh pair of potty training pants and tell them, “Nice try!”

Once your child starts exhibiting regular signs of needing to use the potty; squirming, squatting or squeezing their soft spots, react accordingly. Explain what is happening, cease your current activity, and head immediately to the potty.

Praise your child for their excellent communication. When it’s time to flush, allow your child to do the honors.

Remember the importance of good hygiene. Teach girls to properly wipe from front to back (to prevent spreading germs from rectum to vagina) and make sure both boys and girls learn to wash their hands after using the toilet.

Now you can tell your child, “High five!” while showing them that their potty training pants are dry and spotless.

To keep the train chugging down the track, you might want to consider some sort of reward system. For some children, a trip to the park or extra bedtime stories are most effective. For others, it is a special toy or book. Experiment to find out what works best and continue to reinforce your child’s effort to ditch the potty training pants with plenty of verbal praise.

Make sure all of your child’s caretakers, including babysitters, child care providers and grandparents, are consistent with your potty training routine.

After a long string of successful potty breaks, your child should be ready to abandon the potty training pants in favor of regular underwear. Take the time to celebrate this momentous occasion and take your child on a special adventure. Call a few close friends or relatives and allow them to crow, “I’m not in potty training pants any more!” This is something your child will remember.

Be patient, accidents will happen, especially when your child is tired or upset. When an accident happens, remain calm. Stick with a positive statement such as, “Oops, looks like you had an accident. Let’s go ahead and change you. Don’t worry, pretty soon you’ll always be able to make it in time.”

Potty Training Pants aren’t Forever.

Ditching the diapers is great, but leaving the potty training pants behind is even better. Be patient and the best is yet to come. Don’t expect a 3 day potty training adventure. Rather, anticipate a steady growing period for you and your child. Remember, it’s your family.

Many people will try to tell you when to start potty training, but only you know when it’s time to put the potty training pants to pasture.

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

The first  potty training day can be difficult.

You’re ready to go, but your (potty training) toddler isn’t.

They’re smart, capable, and always up for anything, yet the moment you start talking about learning to use the toilet, toddler troubles abound.

This is perfectly normal and easy to navigate.

Your soon to be potty training toddler is probably feeling the threat of security being stripped away. The diapers on their bottom are equal, at least in their mind, to a certain amount of attention and security they’ve always known.

While you are simply asking your toilet training toddler to be more independent, they are hearing that something they are highly comfortable with is going to be taken away from them.

We know it is growth. They see it as loss.

Potty Training Toddlers – Simple Solutions:

1) Identify friends that are potty training – toddlers will react well to their favorite characters as well. “Look, Diego is potty trained,” you might say, “he could never have so many adventures if he was wearing a diaper!”

2) Create a potty chart so you can easily build in incentives. After three successes, your potty training toddler can earn something – perhaps a favorite game or activity. This does NOT need to be something purchased, what your toilet learning toddler is most seeking is your time and undivided attention.

3) Articulate your plan and make it visual. If your toddler resists, be clinical rather than emotional (this is flat out some of the best potty training advice you could ever ask for). Your toddler will feed off your emotion. Negative attention is still attention.

4) Reinforce their progress with positive intonations. Say things such as, “Look how exciting this new experience will be for us!” “Now that we won’t need to change your diaper, we can take longer field trips.” “This is so much fun watching you grow so smart.” “Listen to your body. It’s trying to tell you to get rid of your waste.”

Effective potty training techniques consistently say to involve your toddler as much as possible as it will help to keep them motivated. Let them choose the potty chart, place the stickers, choose the reward, etc. If you want to find toilet training triumph, then it is important to explain not only the process, but the benefits as well – more freedom, hygiene, time together, etc.

The primary thing your potty training toddler needs in the beginning is comfort in understanding the transition. They must be assured that they are the winner in the end. Your child will be more eager to succeed once they understand they will have more time with Mommy and Daddy once they are using the potty with independence.

Our biggest words of wisdom – don’t get into a power struggle with a potty training toddler. There will be moments when you will feel frustrated, and your toddler might even make you feel like you are not taking care of them or that you are not tending to their needs. Remain confident that you are taking care of them in the best way you can.

We’ve seen a lot of parents let their guilt drag the process out. Being clinical will shorten the time needed because your potty training toddler will not be able to feed off the exchange. I know we kind of beat this drum in the potty training book already, but remember, potty training is a process, not an event.

Remember, you’re not alone. As frustrated as you might feel, millions of people have dealt with their own potty training toddler, and this will all be a memory soon enough.

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!