Share your top tips with Penwizard on encouraging your children with their potty training for your chance to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher! NOW CLOSED

[KathrynMumsnet]

The team at Penwizard have asked us to find out your top tips to encourage your children with their potty training.

Here’s what Penwizard say: "We all know potty training can be a tough time for both toddlers and parents. That’s why in our new personalised potty training book we guide children step-by-step through the process to help them understand what’s involved and help parents motivate their child. But we want to hear from Mumsnet posters what tips and tricks have worked for them whilst handling this delicate process and any advice they would pass on to first time mothers”.

So what are your top tips? What do you wish you’d known about potty training before starting the process? Do you have a reward system in place? Whatever it is, we’d love to hear it!

Everyone who posts their comment on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Please note: your comments may be used anonymously elsewhere on Mumsnet and by Penwizard on their website, marketing materials and possible elsewhere, so please only comment if you are happy with this.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

p.s. if you would like to find out more about Penwizard’s new book click here.

When my DS and DD came out of nappies they each had one accident and that was it done. No loads of washing, no wet carpets, no staying in etc.

When you think your child is approaching being ready to come out of nappies (and be guided by the child, not by someone else's idea of what is the "right time" for potty training) mention the potty and show them some nice pants that they will be wearing when they use the potty. At intervals (every month/six weeks) casually ask "Pants or Nappy?" - when they feel ready they will choose pants and rather than "training" them it will all be done in a day or two. Also have a child seat for the toilet and an appropriate step so the child can choose whether to use the potty or toilet.

I've only had one child reach this stage so far (other is a newborn), so perhaps it was luck, but we had real success from using cloth nappies and doing Elimination Communication from birth. Avoided the toddler-stage struggles.

When your child is ready - go with it, my oldest 2 were a breeze as I was at home with them until they were 2.5, my youngest however has been with a childminder since 4mths old and when the childminder was helping an older child to toilet train, my Lo (was 22 mths) often went to the potty and wore knickers but because it wasn't ideal timing for me and cm, we let her slide back into nappies for convenience.

Big mistake -she's 32mths now and we try at least once a fortnight, she chooses knickers but always has accidents. I have 3 weeks off with her in August so I will be doing all of the above - reward chart, stickers, new knickers and making teddy have a go lol

When our DS started showing signs of wanting to be out of nappies, we made a big deal of going on a special shopping trip to let him choose a potty and some big boys pants. We could NOT get the pants off him after that, the main thing was just to stay really positive even when there were a few accidents, and it all seemed to happen really quickly, was dry in the day within a week.

My little boy hated the loo, even the thought of sitting on it seemed disgusting to him! We got him used to it by sitting him on it when I was brushing my teeth or when I was having a wash. He loved his child seat; just make sure that you don't get one that's too high at the front if you've got a boy! The booster step was brilliant to help his independence.

Reward charts are good to encourage children to use the potty. Praise the child's effort. Keep reminding them to have a try. I found pull ups don't work the child thinks he's still wearing a nappy. But normal pants are good if the child has an accident in them they will acknowledge it more.

We have 3 potties dotted around the house.

We have encouraged dd to sit on the potty every night after her bath and we read a story while she sits. Sometimes she does something, sometimes she doesn't. We are potty training properly in August over the bank holiday and my view is if she hasn't got it after 5 days we wait for a little while then try again.

There is no point in starting until they are ready as we found out! Definitely Summer makes a better time to try and remain positive at all times.

We avoided the potty and bought a training seat instead. And we think that really helped speed things up

From early on, let them see when you go to the loo. You can't underestimate how much influence this is. They really want to be like mum or dad in every way they can

Read them stories about children using a potty.

Demonstrate on how it is done on a separate potty - best if a slightly older sibling or friend uses their potty so that your DC can gain confidence and start to copy

Definitely wait until your toddler is ready.
Training a boy to poo in the toilet is proving to be extremely difficult with my son, who was doing brilliant but has recently started pooping his underwear! We are trying to reward him when he poops on the toilet, but more often than not he poops in his pants before asking to use the toilet.

The majority of problems with potty training arise from attempting it when your child simply isn't ready. Look for signs such as an awareness of when they're doing something, even better if they can verbalise this awareness. Also if you notice they're going longer between wet nappies is another good sign of impending bladder control.

Don't make too big a deal out if it, they're crafty! One of mine figured out she got a sticker everytime she did a wee in the potty so the crafty minx started splitting each wee into little wees to get more stickers.

If your child messes around, they're not ready. Don't persist, you'll only get epically pissed off with them! With 3 of mine the first time we tried it they would pee on the carpet and find it hilarious leaving puddles to splash in. We stopped potty training and tried again a few months later and it was quick and effortless as they were genuinely ready.

If it's hard work, they're not ready. Just stop. Stop. Wait. Try again a few months later. When they're really ready it's easy.

Let them choose their own underwear.

Don't waste money on singing dancing potties. Seriously. Don't be that parent. Just buy a few basic ones from a pound shop. It's all you need.

Leg warmers are better than trousers as they only have to think about pulling pants down and up.

Some prefer to go straight to a toddler seat on the big toilet and skip the potty.

Some accidents are genuine, some are testing boundaries. Regardless, make no fuss. Just clean it up.

Expect mistakes. Often when they're busy playing etc they just forget. It's natural.

To help boys aim in the toilet put pong pong balls in the loo and tell them to try and hit the balls with their wee. The balls float and won't flush away.

I waited until he was ready! I used potty training pants and said he was a "big boy" if he starts using the toilet. It worked albeit a few spillages!

Boys tend to stay in nappies for a few months longer than girls. Start when your son is ready. Buy him a potty that he can call his own. He can hop on and off a potty and it can be easily moved from room to room.

My tips are for potty training give them praise when they use potty or toilet anything from claps to cheers to stickers

Don't start potty training until your child is ready. Introduce the potty into the house a couple of weeks before you intend to start training. Read books and talk about the potty. Make sure your child is wearing loose and easy opening clothes

As pp's said don't rush it.
Don't make a big deal if there is an accident.
I reward with small things (choc buttons etc)
My childs was over 3 yo when started toilet training (still ongoing process) but never tried the potty as she would have to get used to the loo eventually.
Summer is great for starting it sofa dries quicker
Letting her choose her underwear didn't really help us but might be helpful for others.

What really helped my DS was the Fisher Price singing potty. It was like a mini toilet and made the whole experience more 'real' for him without the scariness of a big toilet. He was able to keep the potty in his room and because it sings when it gets wet, he was able to use the potty in private but I had warning that it needed emptying. We also did a reward scheme of stickers and gold chocolate coins.

Make sure they are ready to begin. Accidents will happen always be patient.

I tried too soon with DD1 and as a result it took ages for her to get it. We tried putting food colouring in the toilet cistern so that when it flushed it turned a different colour! I took my DDs to the shops to buy their own big girl knicks. With DD2 I let her tell me when she was ready and as a result we went straight to knickers (no costly training pants), minimal use of the potty (straight to toilet) and minimal accidents. Every child is different though.

We visited the pound shop and made a reward box of cheap, little treats..this worked wonders for our Dd who was petrified of doing a number 2 on her potty!

Best to start when the child is realising their nappy is wet, and to be patient, I found that it helped my child if I didn't put a nappy on in the house and when they were playing outside as my child quickly realised when they had an accident that they needed to go on the potty, but every child is different, so don't rush and have expectations otherwise you will get frustrated