Spring is here and it seems to be the time when everyone potty trains their child. To help get you and your child going in the right direction, here are my top three secrets of potty training.
#1 Wear underwear
When it’s time to potty train, have your child to wear big kid underwear instead of wearing pull-ups. I’m not saying that your child has to wear the big kid underwear 24/7 when you are just starting out, but your child should wear the big kid underwear when you are at home and working on potty training.
There are a couple of reasons why wearing underwear during potty training is one of my secrets. First, we want your child to practice pulling up and down his underwear and pants when he is potty training because, ultimately, this is a skill that he will be using every day. He needs to know how to do this.
Second, if your child has an accident, he is more likely to feel that negative sensation of being wet if he is wearing underwear versus wearing pull-ups. Actually, pull-ups are designed to whisk the wetness away from his body. With potty training, we want your child to feel that negative, not-so-fun, and yucky sensation of being wet… this is one of the things that will actually help get him potty trained.
When in doubt, go for the underwear.
To make it fun, take your child to the store and have him pick out his first set of underwear. Doing so may get him pumped up to wear big kid underwear.
#2 Increase fluid intake
Increase fluid intake? What does that mean?
It’s simple. If you want your child to be potty trained, he needs to have some fluid in his body in order to actually go to the bathroom when he sits on the potty. This tip tends to be one that most parents forget about.
When you are in the midst of potty training your child, have him take sips of water, juice, or another beverage so he will actually have something to eliminate when hit sits on the potty. Carry a water bottle with you or a juice box and instruct your child to take small sips every so often.
When you increase your child’s fluid intake, your child is more likely to actually go pee pee on the potty when he sits on the potty. Plus, the more that he actually pee pees on the potty, the more practice he will have!
Just like with underwear, you can take your child to the grocery store and have him pick out which beverage he will like to drink during his potty training. This is a great way to get your child involved with his potty training.
#3 Use rewards
This secret is one that most parents are already doing but I really want to stress the importance of it. When your child finally goes pee pee on the potty, make sure you throw your child a potty party and provide a reward! Yes, I’m suggesting that you throw your child a mini party every time he pees on the potty during his potty training.
You might be thinking that I’m overdoing it. “Throw a mini party EVERY time my child goes pee pee on the potty?! That’s too much!”
It’s really not too much. You see, the point of providing rewards to your child is not because it’s just a fun and nice thing to do. Providing rewards to your child for going pee pee on the potty can actually increase, or encourage, your child to go pee pee on the potty at another time. Rewards can actually motivate your child to go pee pee on the potty again. And this is exactly what we want to happen! We want the child to keep going pee pee on the potty. That’s the whole point of potty training, and rewards help get us there.
Just like with picking out underwear and picking out a drink, take your child to the store to pick out some fun rewards. If your child knows what he can earn for going pee pee on the potty, he may be more motivated and more likely to go pee pee on the potty at the beginning of potty training because he wants to get that fun and special treat.
And don’t worry, you don’t have to break the bank when purchasing rewards. Kids love those little trinkets you find in the dollar section of stores. Even one small piece of candy, like one Starburst, could be a big enough incentive to motivate your child. The reward doesn’t have to be an entire candy bar or a brand-new Paw Patrol figurine. Instead, your child can earn little things, like a bouncy ball or a sticker, every time he goes pee pee on the potty.
Here’s a BONUS secret: try doing a surprise basket. A surprise basket is a basket with lots of fun things that the child can earn when he goes pee pee on the potty, but he doesn’t know which surprise he will get UNTIL he goes pee pee on the potty and earns the surprise. This can be a load of fun for him and can help him get super motivated with going pee pee on the potty!
I hope you feel a little more prepared and at ease for your potty training adventure with your kiddo! Best of luck!
