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MNHQ

Share your tips on potty training with ASDA - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

339 replies

PoppyMumsnet · 06/07/2016 10:05

Teaching toddlers how to go to the toilet is one of the unavoidable tasks all parents must face - but it needn't be something you dread. There are many who've already been there, done that - and their learnings are invaluable.

So if you're smiling smugly from the other side, share your top tips for parents embarking on the potty training journey. What advice can you offer to make the experience less stressful - maybe even fun?

So, what words of wisdom can you share? How did you know when your child was ready to start training, and how did you integrate it into your everyday routine? Maybe you discovered clever strategies for introducing a potty or tricks for simplifying the transition from nappies to proper underwear?

How did you encourage and praise little ones for a job well done - or respond to the (inevitable) accidents without undoing all their good work? Do you have any potty training tricks for when you're out and about?

Whatever your top tips for successful potty training are, share them with Asda below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 ASDA voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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Share your tips on potty training with ASDA - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED
OP posts:
Cailin7 · 17/07/2016 12:29

if possible start in summer months and have them wearing pants during the day and a nappy at night. plenty of praise and encouragement and babies learn so quickly.

limon · 17/07/2016 20:32

The key is waiting until they are ready. We encouraged my dd to sit on the potty and talked a lot about how one day she'd use it to go to the toilet. We. Also bought her knickers and explained sh'dear them instead of nappies soon.

One day she told is she wanted knickers on instead if a nappy so that was the day we started. We had accidents but we followed her lead.

Lariflete · 17/07/2016 21:59

  1. Take the child to choose character underpants / knickers, so that they want to wear grown up pants. (And buy a lot of them, as well as cheap croc-style shoes that are easily rinsed off)

  2. Let them choose their own potty / training seat.

  3. Buy a BIG bag of chocolate buttons / stars for star chart.

  4. Lay down the rules; e.g. 1 chocolate button for a wee in the potty, 2 chocolate buttons for a poop.

  5. Set aside a full week to be in the house.

  6. Invest in shake'n'vac / dettol - however ready your child is there will be accidents.

  7. Let your child run around the house with t-shirt and pants on and easy access to the potty at first.

  8. Make a big fuss about the times they get it right and NO fuss about the accidents.

  9. Don't go back to nappies when out and about, it's a pain but just take lots of changes of clothes and don't panic - people understand that toddlers have accidents!

selloveday · 17/07/2016 22:30

Try and keep it fun. Use a potty training chart and even a little bribery can help!

BL0SS0M · 17/07/2016 23:30

Don't rush them, they'll get to it in there own time and give them privacy! Mine liked to hide behind the curtains! : )

Cineraria · 18/07/2016 02:51

I didn't want to wait until DS is ready to get out of nappies to train him how to use a potty in case he felt scared of it or found the sensation of doing a wee or poo without a nappy too strange. It's worked really well for us so far so I'd certainly recommend trying that approach.

He's had a potty that we've used for nappy free time (wouldn't lie down as it made his reflux worse) since he was ten weeks old and we always had an easy to clean toy that would keep him entertained, e.g. spinning top, stacking cups, skwish ball.

Since starting solid food he seemed to be more comfortable doing a poo on the pot than in the nappy, and as he is quite regular, going just after he gets up and again about 6.30pm, it's easy enough to let him. He also seems much happier sat on his pot for his morning poo while I have a shower than he is if he sits playing on a mat or his rocking chair and gets especially excited if I sit opposite him on the big toilet while he's using his potty. If he does a wee and a poo in the morning, he doesn't need a nappy until after breakfast and I think he has got more mobile as a result.

I'd never try to get him to sit on it if he's not keen or try to get him to keep dry without nappies until he is happy to try that himself but I'm hoping we've got the hurdle of getting comfortable with a potty out of the way.

Another thing I'd recommend is the reusable liner for the Potette. It is a lovely soft non-slip silicone that can be folded inside the frame and is great to use instead of the bags if you're out and about somewhere you can get to a toilet to flush it and also so the Potette can be used as a normal potty at home.

marshgirl · 18/07/2016 11:30

Patience, do not force, work out when they are interested and ready. I found it helped when she sat with a little table in front of her colouring to distract her. then after every success we all clapped, she soon found it to be natural.

ha2el · 18/07/2016 15:14

In the past I have found it useful to share time with a friend who has a child who is already using the potty so that mine can learn by example.

lu44cy · 18/07/2016 23:39

Play role with their teddies sitting on the potty

RedLarvaYellowLarva · 18/07/2016 23:45

We did Elimination Communication with our first. He was using the potty willingly before he was one year old. Not 100%, but near enough. We are doing the same with our youngest. I swear by it.

SuzCG · 19/07/2016 09:25

You must 100% wait until they are ready to do it - both of mine were late and all their peers around them at nursery were cracking it but mine wouldn't even try. My first born though got up one day and announced 'I'm going to do a wee wee on my potty now' - he did all day and that was it, job done! My second took a few days to crack it, and there were accidents - patience is required!

Rockingaround · 19/07/2016 10:06

We let them choose their pants/knickers (buy 3 packs) and told everyone that they were now such a big girl/boy and not in nappies any more, this evoked major pride and smiles from DC's. When they actually did the deed in the potty I'm unashamed to admit that I actually did a song and dance "poo poo on the potty, poo poo's on the potty da la la la oo da la la la" to the tune of a football chant! After a few days, the whole family were joining in with the song 😊 the kids loved it so we did it again for DS2 and will do it for no 3 when he/she is ready!

Tean1 · 19/07/2016 11:13

Try not to get too stressed about toilet training and don't compare progress with other children the same age. All children are ready at different times for different reasons, go with your instincts and if that means waiting a bit then that's fine.

angiehoggett · 19/07/2016 11:52

I think being calm and patient with children is the best way.

GloGirl · 19/07/2016 14:21

Both my husband and I went on the potty to show her what to do! Blush

gemima27 · 19/07/2016 14:56

i bought a farm yard animal pack and everytime she used the potty she got an animal and created her huge farm, she could see it and was really proud of what she had made

sofieellis · 19/07/2016 16:08

Don't rush them and don't feel like you have to compete with other people who are bragging that their kids have been dry for weeks/months, despite being younger.

Praise successes and ignore mistakes, while cleaning up without a fuss. If they are ready, it shouldn't take too long . If it's too stressful, then chances are, they are not ready yet.

gamerwidow · 20/07/2016 11:31

Wait until your dc shows signs of being ready. If you start to early you're setting yourself up to fail. I started when dd was 2 and shes just wasn't ready and it was stressful for both of us. I didn't try again until she was 2.7 and showing signs of bladder control and she was fully dry day and night within a week.

ann28 · 20/07/2016 16:52

Do it in the summer - less clothes to wash and you can do it in the garden!!

Anj123 · 20/07/2016 22:28

Make sure you are ready as well as your child! We did it in the summer and had a potty downstairs and another upstairs. There were a few accidents along the way but we got there in the end! Now it seems a distant memory!

Bechoole · 21/07/2016 11:02

Don't rush them, they will be ready when they are ready!

sjl19 · 22/07/2016 12:34

Be guided by your child, don't try to rush them if they are not ready as this will only make it harder. Praise them when they do well and rewards like stickers etc seem to work well

cheryl100 · 23/07/2016 13:19

My husband and I booked a week off work when our son was ready. We made sure we didnt have any plans and stayed in teaching him. He was fully done within 3 days :)

mumpetuk1 · 25/07/2016 21:16

I always found it easier to potty train in the summer when it is warmer and the children can play in the garden in loose underwear and have the potty near them where they are playing

sweir1 · 25/07/2016 23:33

We had a star chart which rewarded good training