Potty training can start from around 2 & a half years old. It is important that your little one is ready. Don’t rush them into this new stage of their little lives. For my little one he showed signs at 2 years & 7 months. And when he was ready, it became a positive “easy” process. Look for signs. If your little one is interested in you going to the loo, and tells you what’s going on in his nappy, you can start putting them on the toilet. At bath time, pop them on the toilet. When you go to the loo, pop them on the toilet. It’s very likely nothing will happen the first couple time, but when it does, make a huge thing about it and celebrate. I also found that they are nervous to fall into the toilet, so a good seat that’s easy to put on the toilet and take off is important. We used the Baby Things Potty seat. Its soft and comfortable for them and then eventually a little step so they can do it by themselves but initially you’ll be lifting them up and down so the step not necessary immediately.
I used a reward chart and treasure chest, which I think made the world of difference. Place the chart where it is visible, eye level for them. I put it right outside the bathroom door. Every time you put them on the loo and something happens (no matter how little) they can put a sticker on the chart and choose a little prize from the treasure chest. Prizes can be anything from a smartie/jelly tot to a small car/dinosaur/doll. And when I say small, I mean small and cheap! Because they will start telling you they need a wee almost hourly to dig into that treasure chest. When this starts happening you can increase the reward to a bigger pull back car for example, but now they have to collect 3 stickers before they can choose something from the treasure chest, and then 5 stickers and then 8 stickers. We drew the line at 8 and decided he was fully potty trained then and the chart came down and treasure chest was put away. It’s important to offer a variety of items in the treasure chest, as the excitement is all about choosing.
When you become fully committed to the potty training journey, you need to be all in, which means switching to pull up nappies. These are great but do need to be checked regularly as they don’t hold much. So fully committed mean taking them to the loo at least every hour. But don’t just take them, ask them “do you need to wee”? If they say yes OR no, you take them. It doesn’t matter, it just creates awareness for them. If the pull up nappies get soiled, here’s a hot tip…. You can tear the sides rather than trying to pull off like undies. I learnt that the hard way! Another little trick is to use flushable wet wipes (Best value is My Earth from Clicks) for when you need to wipe little bottoms. It’s softer and more comfortable for them, and easier to make sure you’ve done a good job in wiping. Another great tip for when you do need to wipe bottoms, take them off the toilet and make them touch their toes….you’ll thank me for this one!
When they have been in pull ups for about 5/6 weeks, you can move to undies/panties. Make sure to get super fun prints and patterns and make a big thing about it. Jump right in and continue the undies/panties at night too. You can limit liquid intake at bed time, I didn’t. We just made sure he went to the toilet right before his got into bed. And then later at night around 10/11pm we’d take him to the toilet again. Initially you can wake up every 2/3 hours at night and take them, but they will eventually come and wake you up to tell you they need to go. We were very lucky in that we had maybe 3 or 4 accidents until he was fully potty trained day and night.
Potty training is a very time consuming process for parents but so rewarding. You have to make the time to take them to the toilet every hour initially during the day and later on, when they say they need to go, you drop everything and take them.
If your little human is at school, get the school on board with you. They might drive the process from their side, but tell them what you’re doing too. Consistency helps a lot in this process, they can also give stickers as a reward at school.
Accidents are going to happen, prepare for them. And when they do, reassure your little one they did nothing wrong and that you’re cross. Positive reinforcement (and the treasure chest of goodies) is key, but remember every child is different, so your journey might not be the same as ours. The above tips are only a guideline, and one Mom’s opinion on what has made my life easier. It is hard, but remember you’re not the only one going on this journey, reach out to your Mom tribe and talk about it and share ideas.
We are happy to share the printable charts. There are a few designs to choose from. Please email Chantelle@mycenturion.co.za for your free chart.