Potty Training Tips

I thought I would compile a little list of some potty training tips and tricks that we found helpful. 

Below are some that we found most useful and some from our own experience of potty training. 

First of all it's always important to ensure your child is ready for potty training. Starting too soon or when your child is not ready could result in a huge step backwards. I think this is the mistake we made the first time we tried as although Calleigh was showing signs that she was ready she just wasn't quite there yet. Once you've established that your child is ready then it's time to start. 

• If the potty isn't working for your child (if they wont sit still on it for long or seem to have no interest in it) try going straight to the toilet using a potty seat. This was the best thing we did! Going on the toilet made her feel more grown up and she was excited to go each time. Also purchase a little stool so they can get up themselves instead of you having to lift them on to it. 
• Make sure the toilet (if you are using one) is easily accessible. Leave the light on if it's a dark room so it's always on show and the door open so they can go in as they please. They may not always want to tell you about it first and if they can't get in- hello puddle on the floor.
• Invest in a few potty training books, maybe a couple of weeks before you plan on starting. Get them used to the idea of using the potty and how to do it. I found the best one I got was a Dora one as she is one of her favourite TV programs so she was really interested in the book. 
• Put together a potty training reward chart. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I did mine the night before we started and it worked perfectly. I stuck it on the wall (at her height) just outside of the toilet so once she had done she could stick on her reward sticker. Use things like "telling mommy or daddy I needed to go", "Did a wee wee", "Did a poo poo" and "wiped my bum" and let her stick a sticker on each time she does one of those things. 
• Big celebrations are the best! I found that Calleigh responded really well to a lot of praise. When she went on the toilet I would sing and dance "You did it, you did it" and she would join in shouting "Yay, I did it". If Daddy wasn't there I was sure to let her face time him and tell him that she did it so she could get praise from him too, she is a daddy's girl after all. So yeah, celebrate your heart out!
• Don't stress the accidents. If you stress about them your child will pick up on it and that will upset them and put them off. Quite a while back now Calleigh had an accident in the bath, I freaked out a little bit and scurried around trying to get her out of the bath whilst shouting for Daddy to come and help out. Calleigh obviously picked up on it and hated going in the bath for about 3 weeks! This time if we had a little accident on the floor I just told her "don't worry, you'll get it next time and mummy will clean this up no problem" Speak softly and calmly. They may still be a little distressed but if you are calm, they will be too. 
• Respect their privacy. Calleigh usually wanted me in the toilet with her when she went but I did find that when it was a number two she was more comfortable on her own and would shout me in when she had done. 
• One last thing- don't leave wipes (the non flush able kind) in the bathroom! Calleigh had so much fun flushing a packet down the toilet and we had a lot less fun unblocking it!