Yes, we are potty training. Again. Kid #4. This might be the last time we potty train unless God blesses us with another little blessing. Can I get a Hallelujuh we are almost done with diapers?
Kid #1 was easy and completely trained by her first birthday. Things are much easier when you only have 1 kid in that aspect. Kid #2 was a little bit slower but he was done by 2 and 3/4.
With that being said, I thought kid #3 was going to be the death of me with potty training. She seemed to be easy from the beginning. I thought we were done. Until. The.Stomach.Bug.Hit. In the midst of everything that comes with a stomach bug, she ended up being scared to use the potty. It was a disaster.
I finally read the book It’s No Accident: Breakthrough Solutions to Your Child’s Wetting, Constipation, UTIs, and Other Potty Problems and it opened the door to finally us getting done!
I wanted to share a few of our “favorite things” since again, we’re on round 4. I hope this kid will be easy. She seems to be. The past few weeks, she’s been taking off her diaper on her own and taking herself to the potty. In all honesty, she’s been ready, I just haven’t been! Here goes:
We have 2 Bjorn Potty Chairs. They are available in lots of fun colors. With my first 2, I had different potties that I wasn’t fond of but on a recommendation of a friend, we bought this one and love it. One of the potty seats is in the bathroom and the other is in the van! You wouldn’t believe how many times that has come in handy. We like taking car trips and getting 4 kids in and out of the van isn’t very easy when one has to go potty RIGHT NOW.
Next, we watch Sesame Street – Elmo’s Potty Time. A lot. Enough to where I know pretty much all of the words. Sad but true. The potty training child loves it and it helps get them more used to potty being natural.
Another essential for us is the Folding Potty Seat with Handles. This is great if you don’t want to take the potty chair to Grandma’s house or to Disney on Ice. It folds up nicely and fits right in the diaper bag.
For underwear, we always use the padded Gerber Training Pants. When we venture out and about, I normally put a plastic liner on as well just in case.
Of course with everything, there’s an app! I highly recommend the Potty Baby app. Click here for apple or here for android. I like this app because it’s FREE and it alerts your phone whenever it’s time to take the child to the potty. You set up the intervals.
I also recommend the Summer Infant Deluxe Piddle Pad. It fits right in the carseat and absorbs wonderfully! We leave it in her carseat and then wash as needed. Nothing has leaked onto the carseat cover at all! I love products that make my life easier! Right now, it’s priced on Amazon for just $8.65 (compare to $12.99 at Toys R Us) and I highly recommend it if you have a little one like me! This would also work great for babies that are prone to blow-outs. Nothing worse than having to take apart a carseat with a mess in it. This just gets thrown in the wash!
When it comes down to actually potty training, we believe in positive reinforcement, consistently taking the child to the potty, and M&M treats for successful trips.
Wish us luck! What are your best tips for training?
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