Potty Training Favorites

First of all, I don't claim to be an expert when it comes to potty training.  I credit our success mostly to luck, but also to Brantley who is (and always has been) a super easy kid.  I'm sure it will be a completely different story with Holden.  Until then, I'll thank my lucky stars it was smooth sailing* with round one, because I've known plenty of other parents that would agree that potty training was the death of them.  That being said, here are a few of our favorites when it came to potty training!


Baby Bjorn Potty Chair - Once we started actual potty training, we locked this thing away in our closet and did not use it.  I mean, who wants to clean poop out of a chair anyway?  But...we had this on our bathroom floor for months before we started the potty training process and Brantley would sit on it (and sometimes pee in it) before bath time.  It was at this time that I think he made the connection between that feeling and going to the bathroom, so although we didn't ultimately use it, I think this was huge for us.

Lora Jensen's Three-Day Potty Training Method - I mentioned before that much of this method was common sense to me (maybe that's the teacher in me?), but the author did have some great suggestions that I probably wouldn't have thought of.  For instance, have your toddler assist in "throwing away" all of the diapers to show him that he really is a big kid and rely on him to tell you when he has to go potty, instead of you asking all the time (this gives him the power).  Also, encourage excess drinking with something out of the ordinary like Kool-aid.  It ensures they will have to use the potty often, which is a must when potty training.  I will say that we didn't stick to this method 100% (we use pull-ups, for instance) and the book has very mixed reviews on Amazon, but it worked for us!

Pampers Easy Ups - We used these during nap and night time.  The book says not to, but I wasn't excited about having to clean up a potential accident each time Brantley slept.  However, we didn't call them diapers, we called them night time/sleepy time underwear.  We are currently in the process of weaning from these and put them over his underwear so that we (and he) can tell when he pees while sleeping.

Toddler Undies - Obviously you need these. :)  We got a pack of Mickey Mouse, a pack of Thomas the Train, a pack of Disney (with Cars), and a pack with balls on them.  You can never have too many pairs of adorable toddler undies, in my opinion!  Brantley gets so excited to pick out a new pair each morning and he'll tell you he has a new favorite pair each day.

Arm & Hammer Potty Seat - After realizing there was no way I wanted to clean out the potty chair each time, I bought two of these.  One for upstairs, one for our main floor.  They are inexpensive, have handles, and {bonus} have an included air freshener!  They've worked really well for us!

Positive Reinforcements - I raided Target's dollar spot for cheap rewards before we started the process.  Playing cards, a slinky, dollar truck books, iced animal cookies, and of course, stocked up on some candy, too!  Still today, Brantley asked for a "treat" every time he poops!

Cottonelle Flushable Wipes - These made the transition to the toilet a little easier because it was something of familiar territory (wet wipes) to the potty trainee.  And they do make cleaning poo from the booty a tad easier.

P is for Potty Book - We used this and an Elmo video on the iPad to encourage potty training.  Again, Brantley watched the Elmo video for months before we started the process.  The book was a quick addition to my Amazon cart when I also purchased the potty seats and we made sure to read it a few times before beginning the process.

Kikkerland Rhino II Step Stool - We bought this thing to promote good hand-washing habits, but it's actually nicer for Mommy and Daddy to sit on while the little one is going potty.  It's small, sturdy, and can be easily folded and stored!

*Please know that it wasn't completely smooth sailing for us.  We had our fair share of accidents and he went through a phase of not wanting anything to do with pooping on the potty.  Luckily that phase was short lived and he's done darn near amazing ever since!


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