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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:
clareth · 07/07/2016 23:16

Definitely wait until they're ready, it could be later than their peers but try not to stress it, they will get there eventually. We tried and had loads of accidents, waited two weeks and he's now dry all day and doing poos on the toilet.
Loads of praise when a wee or poo is done in potty/toilet and to be honest bribery works wonders!!! A treat from the shop got us happily past the scariness (the toilet is a big place!) of sitting and pooing on the loo. Don't make too big a deal of any accidents, just change them into dry clothes and just say, that's ok, next time we'll make it to the toilet/potty.

HerRoyalFattyness · 08/07/2016 07:59

Wait until they are ready definitely. Forcing it on them too soon will make things stressful. And if they have a week or two where they decide they no longer want to use it (despite using it absolutely fine before) then don't stress that either. Just pop them back in nappies until they're ready to try again.

What works for my DD is to tell her that she can wash her hands once she's used the potty. She loves washing her hands ConfusedGrin but it works so I'm using it.

redbook · 08/07/2016 08:31

Ask them if they need the toilet a lot in the early weeks and months - like every 45 mins and hour. My DS would get distracted playing and forget. If I was able to distract him from playing, often he realised he needed to go.

ohlittlepea · 08/07/2016 08:52

Make it fun. Be immature, Poos and wees are funny. Giggle about the sounds they make, have a conversation in your 'pushing for a poo' voice, if it's a game they are much more likely to engage :) lots of stickers praise and fun too.

manfalou · 08/07/2016 10:00
  • WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE READY. Both of my little boys were 2 years 8 months when they were potty trained. The eldest had 3 accidents on the first day of potty training and that was it, youngest had 5 accidents in the first 2 days. Sorted. No need to get them to be potty trained as soon as they hit two or before.
  • Don't use pull ups accept for bed time. Theyre a waste of time and just confuse the child.

-Try not to put them back in a nappy for outings... again its confusing for them. Risk it for a biscuit and go prepared with a suitcase of clothes.

-get a portable potty

-praise.

Sierra259 · 08/07/2016 10:44

I forgot to mention in my post earlier, but the portable potties are fab. We had a pottette which has been invaluable, especially on trips to the park/woods. You can also use it as a booster seat on an adult toilet.

allthingsred · 08/07/2016 13:03

Be patient & don't force it. But once you have started be consistent & carry on no matter what. & make sure your nursery/childcare are on board with it as well. Because it will just make it harder if your child getting mixed messages.
Also rewards are great & yes dancing around your lounge congratulating them on being such a big clever boy/girl is gonna make them want to make you proud again

Goldiefawn · 08/07/2016 13:07

I waited with both of mine until they were nearly three to start potty training. They were both dry within a week and I think this was because we waited until they were really ready.
A travel potty was really helpful in the early days as I felt less stressed knowing we had an emergency back up option nearby.
Lots of towels on the sofa to catch any accidents and I let mine run about without trousers on to make it quicker to be ready to sit on the potty, as sometimes they can't hold it in for long enough!

GiraffesAndButterflies · 08/07/2016 13:34

Make the potty a positive place. If they don't like it to start with then stories, singing, smiles, try to be unhurried wherever possible. You want them always to want to be there not to feel forced or see it as unpleasant. Which means biting down your own frustration sometimes!

DinosaursRoar · 08/07/2016 13:36

My tip would be wait until the child is ready, not when suits you - with DC1 made that mistake and was putting up with accidents for months, DC2 I trained a lot later, but when she was clearly ready and after 2 days we had very few accidents.

Other tip - for a few months before, start putting them on the loo on the training seat when you are getting the bath ready so they are used to sitting on it and lots of praise when they do a wee in the loo.

DinosaursRoar · 08/07/2016 13:38

oh and when they are ready, don't do pull up nappies (except maybe at night), just go for it. Ideally, take them to pick their own "big boy/girl pants/knickers" from the shops - if they've picked their own spiderman/peppa pig underwear, they are more likely to want to wear it.

DinosaursRoar · 08/07/2016 13:39

Final tip! (should think before posting!!!) - for girls, avoid dresses when potty training, leggings/trousers/shorts and top are a lot easier - my DD found it hard to hold a dress/skirt up high enough not to wee on it and got upset she'd "had an accident" when actually she'd made it to the loo on time.

feejee · 08/07/2016 14:05

we started potty training in May, i'll be honest it took about 5 weeks before my son was quite reliable telling us he needed a wee, but still doesnt always tell us for a poo 2 months down the line. A lot of patience and letting him play bottomless for several weeks has helped. What really brought him on was my husband being at home for several days and he really enjoyed going to the toilet like a big boy with daddy, daddy also taught him to point down when weeing. My friend had a travel potty, a pottette which i wish I had purchased now as Im already tiring of carrying a huge blue potty round with me. Oo - the other thing that worked pretty well is doing a potty dance after each successful time - my son loves the potty dance and everyone who is in the vicinity has to join in!

PurpleCrazyHorse · 08/07/2016 14:48

DD went to stay with the PIL for 5 days while DH and I ran a kids camp. DD wee-ed all over their carpet :) but they toilet trained her during the day, I put her in washable training pants at night straight away and blitzed the lot.

I'll have to toilet train DS, no idea how to do it!

chaztree · 08/07/2016 16:20

The most important thing is waiting until your child is ready. We tried to potty train our son when he was 2 years old and all we got were a lot of accidents on the floor. It was frustrating for us and him. So we left it for a bit and tried again after his new sister was born, would have been sooner but didn't want the baby to affect his progress so waited till she was settled in. He was 3 years and a month and it literally clicked instantly. The first day we had to remind him to go or sometimes just out him on the potty but by day 2 he wanted to only use the toilet and has since. The praise we used was just saying we were so proud of him and loads of cuddles, we never used stickers etc, we tried them the first time but didn't seem to work. So my advice is just wait till they can verbalise it better, so glad we waited this long.

chrismse · 08/07/2016 17:06

My little one liked privacy to use the potty so we would leave it in bathroom. As people have already said they do need to be ready we didn`t start training until after they were two.

Havingkittens04 · 08/07/2016 17:18

We had tried putting DD on a potty from just before she turned 2, but as amused as she was by it, she never actually 'used' it. When she was 25 months she suddenly took an interest in our 'grown up' toilet so I purchased a padded toddler seat to insert in our toilet seat, and a stool to climb up on and, lo and behold, she's used it ever since. She's now 39 months and has been out of nappies both daytime and nighttime since last summer, and will confidently use public loo's without a padded seat if out and about.

Trying to get her to sit long enough to poop in the early days was difficult so we made up songs to hold her interest - the funnier the better.

Basically, my advice would be to take your cues from your lo, but some gentle encouragement always helps. My DD loves to eat so telling her she's creating room for more food is an incentive.... Halo

Havingkittens04 · 08/07/2016 17:21

... Oh and yes to letting them choose their own 'big kid' underwear (knick Knicks in our house) telling them they can be out of baby nappies and into their Frozen knick Knicks if they keep using the toilet helped us too Wink x

FlukeSkyeRunner · 08/07/2016 18:35

Wait until they are ready. They need to want to do it. Otherwise it takes forever and becomes a battle. Once they are ready keep things relaxed. No nappies, straight into pants with a potty close to hand and a clear week or two with no need to leave the house. Have a box of supplies close to hand too - pants, spare clothes, carpet cleaner, old cloths and towels etc. Expect lots of accidents in the first two or three days.

piggypoo · 08/07/2016 19:06

We used to make it a natural thing to use the toilet, and stopped for a couple of weeks when we moved to a new house, as we felt that it was best to try to potty train when you keep to a routine, so extra stress isn't added on, and also, a little rhyme, which got our three through with a giggle, "sit that botty on the potty!", they loved this so much! Not forgetting, praise, praise, praise! :)

flamingtoaster · 08/07/2016 19:58

Once I thought DS and DD were almost ready I bought some nice underwear and periodically asked them if they wanted a nappy or to try pants and use the potty/toilet (which I'd already talked to them about). Eventually they each decided in their own time, had one accident each and that was it.

GruffaloPants · 08/07/2016 22:28

Wait til they are ready.

Don't compare with other kids.

Carry lots of pants on your person at all times.

janekirk · 08/07/2016 22:50

Encouragement and expect setbacks. Make it fun and never be negative when mistakes happen.

Lovewhereilive · 08/07/2016 23:19

Wait until they are ready - saves a lot of unecessary stress!

AUDNAY · 09/07/2016 01:56

Books, we have a couple of storybooks, that help in the bathroom, Loved reading well she r thought she was telling a good story, when she does a wee, it was clapping and cheering, and a balloon, it seemed to work well, before long heading for the stairs, so much better if you have a loo downstairs.