Potty Genius Blog
What I Wish I Knew During Potty Training
by Catherine Cheshire
Catherine Cheshire is a busy working mother of four with over 20 years experience in consumer health products and a massive amount of both research and “hands-on” experience in potty training.
As a first-time mom when my daughter turned 2, I was nervous to start potty training. I already felt behind, my mother potty trained me as soon as I could walk! I read every blog, watched every video, and asked all my friends and family. But there were just some questions I had that I couldn't research and had to figure them out by myself.
Rewards:
We’re all told rewards, rewards, rewards. But what ones!?! All kids are different. Tailor this to your kid's wants and needs. Some may want to work up to a big reward like a dollhouse and some kids may simply like to put stickers on a chart. As my favorite reward, I'll give a quick honorable mention right now to mini m&m’s. One for daughter, two for mommy.
Potty fear:
This is a big one I found out from a lot of parents, the bathroom is scary to kids. What I did with my daughter I introduced her to the bathroom like an old friend of mine like, my old friend Sally the sink and so on. Use your imagination!
Night-time training:
This is all on a parent basis if you want to do this- I decided to go all in. I didn't want to give my daughter the impression that she only had to pee in the potty during the day and put her in diapers at night so I opted for character training pants and LOTS of sheets. Right before bed, I would take my daughter to bed and she would put on her favorite princess training pants and go to bed. Yes, accidents are inevitable and uncomfortable for your child but they have to learn but with extra sheets, it makes it easier!
How long does it take:
Ok, this is probably the most asked question, when do I start! Honestly, it really varies on your child's age, gender, and abilities. My number one tip is to start sooner rather than later, simply put as children get older they get used to things and start to learn their favorite word-- no. The recommended age from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting at 18 months.
