5 tips for successful potty training

5 tips for successful potty training
with Huggies Pull-Ups® training pants

As many of you know, I have four kids. Three are already potty trained and the fourth (only 2 years old) is well on her way. I have actually not really been pushing it for her like I did for the others. I am really not in a big hurry to transition from changing a dirty diaper to taking her to the bathroom every 15 minutes, wash loads of laundry, and go through a bag of treats. BUT she is ready so I am getting over my self-pity and working to help her. Sucessful potty training takes a lot of work and dedication so be sure you are ready to stick to it when you start.

Potty training can be tricky. You will want to watch for signs of readiness, like going to the bathroom and trying to go potty, them telling you “Potty” or “I want to go potty”, and even if you notice a pattern in their #2 habits, try and get them to the bathroom so they understand what is supposed to happen. It only takes a few successful tries to really get your kid excited about what it means to be a “big kid” and use the potty and not have to wear a diaper anymore.

There are several reasons I prefer Pull-Ups®  over other brands. Some of them being style (I know my kids love the cool designs and pictures that make them look like real undies), reliability (I don’t have to worry about them leaking or falling off), functionality (I love that the sides have a velcro closure and that they have a wetness indicator).

My 5 Tips for Successful Potty Training with Pull-Ups® Training Pants.

1. Readiness. Make sure your child is showing signs that they are ready to potty train (see above). This is important. Trying before they are ready will just make you want to pull your hair out. If they are ready, you have to make an all or none commitment. This may or may not include taking time off work to ensure that you can complete potty training. To start, you will want to have them in Pull-Ups® Training Pants. This helps a lot while they are learning the routine. If you try these steps for a day and it doesn’t seem to be going well, wait at least 1-2 months before trying again.
2. Be on Time. Once you have them attired in their Pull-Ups® Training Pants, you will want to get a stopwatch or kitchen timer. Set it for 15 minutes and take them every 15 minutes. No slacking on this. Make sure you are giving them plenty to drink so that you will be able to have a reason for taking them. Every 15 minutes!
3. Do the Big Kid Dance. Not every trip to the bathroom will result in tinkles, in fact less that you want to probably imagine will be successful, but be sure you make a HUGE deal about the ones that are. This is where they start realizing what is going on and why they are actually sitting on this big open hole full of water for more than half the day. Make sure you reward them (treats, toys, movie, loves) whatever it is just make sure you do a “happy dance” every time they are successful.
4. Be positive. I can’t stress this enough. I certainly didn’t always act all ‘peaches n’ cream’ when I was training my kids. I mean how many times can you clean “#2” out of underwear, or clean pee off the floor before you lose your cool? Bring positive is really important because it makes it a positive experience for the kids. You want them to be excited to go potty and be proud of what they are doing, even if sometimes they aren’t always doing it correctly.
5. Transition. I train with Pull-Ups® Training Pants for at least two weeks all day/night and then use them at night as well until they are waking up dry for at least 1 week straight. Then we transition to underwear. This can also be something of a reward for them. “If you keep your pull-up dry for 7 days then I will take you to pick out new underwear”. My kids loved that and it worked really well as an incentive.