Potty Training 5 Things You Should Know

Posted On: 2012-10-08

My son is 3 years and 4 months old. He communicates effectively and has dabbled in potty training a bit but we've never fully committed. It occurred to me one night that my son loves his Superman outfit and it just might be the thing I can use to help achieve potty training. That night I took if off of him and told him he will wear big boy underwear the next day and could have it back after he poops on the potty.

  1. Anxiety: The anxiety that I have during potty training is unreal. It only ends temporarily when my son goes to sleep at night but it plagues my brain constantly. The number of times I've said "Do you need to go potty?" outweighs any other phrase I've ever said in my life.
  2. Going in Public: Remember to watch for automatic flushing toilets and bring anything that will help make your child more comfortable in a foreign bathroom. See more of my tips for potty training in public!
  3. Rewards:  The sticker chart worked well for us. I had received several packs of stickers from random children's birthday parties (good party favor!) and so we used those on a big piece of white paper on the bathroom door. I never did use M&M's but I did give him a cupcake when he pooped on the potty for the first time!
  4. Negotiation: This is similar to rewards but different. Once they pick up on the routine of going potty you can easily say "Ok we'll go do this or you can do that... but only after you sit on the potty." I can't tell you how many times that has saved an accident and most of the time he just says "Okay!"
  5. Running Errands: Time to learn where all the bathrooms are! I have found that he can go 1.5-2 hours but it's always best in the beginning to try frequently as they get the hang of it. I actually shop at a specific grocery store because they have very nice family accommodating restrooms. Last note: the reusable underpads I used when my son spit up from GERD... those are really handy in his carseat in case he has an accident. So far so good!

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