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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

254 replies

KathrynMumsnet · 29/06/2015 09:59

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.

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
OP posts:
nicctaylor · 12/07/2015 11:14

dont get stressed or make a massive fuss if they don't perform. They will do it when they are ready. Use reward systems when they get it right but still use praise and encouragement even if they dont.

Dessallara · 12/07/2015 11:25

We didn't rush anywhere, then when she looked ready we kept potty near and were leaving her with bear bum at home, and she learnt very quick. Was a bit more difficult to teach her that pants are not nappies, but didn't take very long too. And started to sleep without nappy almost straight away and still had no accidents in bed :)

suzyq50 · 12/07/2015 13:26

My little girl was ready when she started telling me she needed to use the toilet & didn't like having a wet nappy.

I then put her on the potty/toilet regularly throughout the day. Nigh time took longer but we soon got there with a little patience & praising.

myboycraig · 12/07/2015 13:41

My son is 11 now but I will always remember potty training days.... I would have to put trousers on him with no pants as pants made him think he had a nappy on.... He would always tell me when he needed the toilet if he had no pants on but wet himself if he had pants on.

Doing a poo was another story.... He was terrified to poo in a toilet, I tried everything to get him to relax in the toilet, like toys, games etc. Until one day I just said "Just go, 1,2,3 Eeeeeeeeeeeeee" He laughed and out it plopped lol....... problem solved

dirtypop · 12/07/2015 14:37

dont stress them out by rushing them, let them feel relaxed about it

abby12321 · 12/07/2015 16:23

Buy a potty early to live in the bathroom so it's part of the furniture but don't make them use it

I bought a potty when my daughter was around 16 months old and didn't know where to put it so I just put it in the bathroom next to the toilet. I told her what it was, never made her use it. She liked to sit on it before her bath and occasionally did a wee to which I praised her. We're just starting to toilet train her now at 27 months and she is quite happy using the potty as it's been around for so long and she's never been made to use it. She's decided herself now no nappies and we've had a few accidents but it's going quite well and stress-free for us all :)

FrenchieMum2Be · 12/07/2015 17:05

So far we've just introduced the potty in the house to help DD familiarise. But we're waiting for a few more signs to be sure she's ready to use it...

FUZZ62 · 12/07/2015 17:08

where possible we use a reward chart, with asking for the potty/ toilet for a number 2 being rewarded with their favourite treat whether a ice lolly, strawberries or even a party pack of haribo, we found that this works well as they always want a treat!!

piggypoo · 12/07/2015 17:40

We used to have a little rhyme "On the potty, now squeeze your botty!", ds loved this and always used to say the rhyme when he wanted to sit on the potty! It made the whole transition a lot easier! :)

Soosieboo · 12/07/2015 17:45

Don't rush it. Don't worry that little Johnny down the road was dry at a year (liars!!) and your child isn't.. it'll all happen at the right time. Give plenty of praise and don't make a fuss over accidents.

pixiedust1 · 12/07/2015 17:45

My youngest is potty training at the minute.
I would agree with the other comments - wait until the child shows an interest in it, don't force them. I am also letting her roam free at the minute with no pants or pull-up on as she forgets when she has the pull-up/pants on and just goes in the pull-up, but she is very good at going to the toilet when she has nothing on.
Get them familiar with the potty, have it out in view a few weeks before you think you will need it so they ain't scared of it.
Lots of praise and clapping when they do go to the toilet :) and ignore any accidents-they are inevitable.

Don't bother taking the nappy off at night time until you are sure they can last the night without going in the nappy (you can check if the nappy is wet in the morning). There is no point in putting pressure on them to not wet the bed as they have no control over it, it will come naturally :)

NelAllan · 12/07/2015 18:57

Wait until they're ready and ignore any other Mums who think it's a competition. Offer rewards for success but don't go overboard here as it's hard to reduce this.

topgunmatt · 12/07/2015 19:54

When the first ‘wee’ is done use lots of praise – ask around and most families had a potty dance or song to motivate their kids!

sarah3875 · 12/07/2015 20:13

I did both my boys when the weather started warming up and they were about 2 and a half. I think its important to be as relaxed as possible. I took a week of work and we didn't plan a thing. We spent a couple of days butt naked then gradually built up to pants and trousers and leaving the house. I think I was lucky but its just about taking it at your own pace!

grannybiker · 12/07/2015 20:24

Wait until they're ready- whole process is much easier.
Let them go bare-bottomed as much as possible so they're more aware of what's happening down there and less hassle than struggling with pants.
Once they're more reliable, consider getting pants with their favourite characters / designs on them- who want to wee on Peppa or a princess after all?

Fiftyfivepercent · 12/07/2015 20:27

I clapped, and cheered, and sung her a song. Every single time!

Gilla01 · 12/07/2015 21:39

You can't force this to happen when you want it, you have to wait until the child is ready.

I found my daughter virtually trained herself once I took her out of nappies in the summer, but my son did things in his own sweet time.

ksouthcott · 12/07/2015 21:40

My top tip is to let them decide when they are ready. We went out shopping for pants that she liked in advance and put them in her drawer, explained that as soon as she was ready to use the toilet or potty instead of wearing nappies they would be there for her to wear and then just left the subject alone. One day she said to me "Mummy I'm ready to wear my big girl pants now and use the toilet" and that was it, we had a few accidents (really not many) and it took a bit longer for her to do poo's on the toilet than it did wee's but again I didn't push the issue, she did them in her nappy in the morning before she took it off and eventually she just started doing them on the toilet too.

brookson · 12/07/2015 21:49

Wait until they are ready, be patient ignore the accidents reward their sucesses

redstararnie76 · 12/07/2015 22:14

I found the best way was to take a week off work and concentrate on it, so that accidents don't matter as you aren't in a hurry to get anywhere, and then don't take it too seriously.

chezvic · 12/07/2015 22:23

We are just getting to the potty training stage but my advice - which I'm following - is waiting for her to be ready, she can take her own nappy off but she's not ready in other ways yet. I've got a sticker reward chart ready and I'm not bothering with pull ups as I think that will just confuse her. She also likes it when she has the same as mamma so we'll go shopping for her briefs together and make her feel grown up.

sarsar123 · 12/07/2015 22:23

Wait until you and your child are both ready. Read stories and talk about the potty and toilet before. Be positive and give rewards. Accidents will still happen just clear up mess and keep going. If possible wait until summer, so much easier. When you are ready and your child is getting the hang of it all make sure you put your child in clothes that are easy to pull down. If you struggle with training your child then ask for help from your health visitor.
Enjoy!

Themilseys · 12/07/2015 22:33

Wait until they are ready, skip the potty and go straight to the toilet (with a child's seat) and don't stress!

andy07 · 13/07/2015 08:58

We slowly introduced the potty, first just have it in the room then we would sit teddy or her favourite toy on there and then one day we put a little juice in the potty and sit her dolly on there and then when dolly got off she had done a wee we really praised dolly and asked our daughter if she wanted to do a wee and yay she did. plenty of praise works wonders never looked back after that day

emily13 · 13/07/2015 09:21

Don't let it stress you out. You don't see teenagers in nappies, everyone works it out sooner or later, and just because the other parents are boasting about their child who was born using a potty doesn't mean you have to compete. Your little one will be better than them at something else!