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

[PoppyMumsnet]

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

Standard T&Cs apply

neither of my boys liked the potty, I waited until they showed signs that they were ready went straight on to the toilet. We let them go and choose their own little fold away step and put a ping pong ball in the toilet to help with their aim! lots of praise and patience is required, there will be accidents just don't get stressed and they'll soon get the hang of it :)

We found that keeping to a routine was best, don't try to potty train if you a re moving house! Plenty of praise is also great, and when accidents happen, and they will, through tiredness, give the message that it does not matter, you can always try again later! :)

I've found the hardest thing to get children to do is poop on the potty/toilet, to encourage them to do it I heard about the balloon trick and it worked. Get them to sit on the potty/toilet when they need to go for a poop with a balloon and get them to try and blow it up while you're reading them stories/distracting them and they will do it, worked with my eldest, hoping it works with my youngest if they don't want to do a number 2 on the toilet!

Wait until they are ready an be patient and vigilant.

We used a reward chart and positive reinforcement, accidents will happy making them upset about accidents will not boost their confidence

Well I think it goes without saying that they will only do it when they're ready, so if you try and don't succeed then give it a break and try again in a month or so and so on...
I also think that it's important to have a reward process in place like a reward/sticker chart, it really does help development.
Letting them run round without a nappy at home can help but make sure they know where the potty is and that they can get to it in plenty of time!
And most importantly - do not make a big deal of it when they have an accident....they WILL have plenty of them, they WILL feel embarrassed, so play it down!

be patient, go at their pace and don't be cross if they have accidents, it's all part of learning

Make sure they have plenty of activities to do whilst sat on the potty. it ensures they don't quickly get bored. We had a song we used to sing about the potty and you can even buy pottys that play music when your little one sits on it. Well worth the money.

Wait till they're ready. if they're a bit later than other kids. pressies and constant reminders and praise.

Not entering the competition as it says that it's now closed, but just wanted to say thanks for all of the tips! We've been trying to potty train our 3.5 year old for months and he just wasn't having any of it, and then we bought him some pants, he was in them for one day and came down with really bad Chicken Pox so it's taken a back seat again until he's better!

Patience is so important - don't force the issue. Let them try themselves without audience - takes the pressure away. Reward success - encourage after failure.

Don't rush them! That is the only piece of advice I wish I was given on my eldest. I rushed her along with potty training and it made her anxious and upset every time she had an accident, which were a lot of times. With my middle two children, I waited and let them lead and it took a few weeks for them both to be dry day and night. My youngest is 3 and only showing little signs he's ready (he has development issues anyway) so I'll be trying PT shortly with him. If he doesn't take to it, I'll leave it a few weeks before trying again.

Best of luck!

Only start when your child is ready and do not put pressure - this is a natural process that just needs to be encouraged. Invest in lots of cheap pants to start with and prepare yourself for this game of patience! It will be worth it at the end :)

Don't be in a rush to potty train, but if they show any signs of being ready in the summer it really is so much easier when they are wearing next to nothing so worth an extra nudge. Sometimes a change of routine can help, as they think of it as a holiday experience, and a hotel room or villa with marble floors is much easier to clean than carpets at home. Don't ever show them any signs of frustration at little accidents.