Oh, YES!!! Potty training tips!

Guess who is POTTY TRAINED!

I have always waited until my kids were 2 1/2 before even attempting potty training. This go around, I guess I am just DONE changing dirty diapers! She is such a stubborn little girl. I almost gave up a few times, but once you start you should never give up.

Potty Training tips

1. Wait until the child shows signs of being ready

-Telling you they are wet or stinky and wanting to be changed right away

-If they are waking up dry (not always the case...Brinley didn't)

-Showing an interest in the potty

Be sure they are ready. The more ready they are the easier it will be. Talon, Emmie, and Ports were all potty trained in just a couple days.

2. Once you start

No more diapers! This one is critical. If you put them back in a diaper they get mixed signals and usually you will not have great success. Also be careful with pull ups. Kids are smart and know that pull ups are just fancy diapers (I would probably use them on boys that have bed wetting issues, but NEVER during the day). Use the padded underpants (double them up at night if needed). I also line the kids bed with waterproof pads, since I don't have a mattress cover for the bed.

Be Patient, Encourage, and Love them. It is important to give them TONS of positive feed back. If they have an accident, do not get mad. Just encourage them to try to make it next time. When they do make it, make a huge deal out of it. Do a dance, make phone calls, go around and announce it to everyone. The kids LOVE attention. Make it a positive experience and do not discourage them even if you are discouraged. Ultimately your child is the only one that can control his or her, um, well you know! So if you are being a bully, they will pee on your floor with pleasure!

Do Not Give Up! Believe me I wanted to, but my patience finally won out. Brinley took me a little longer then the others since she wasn't showing any interest in the toilet. Last week a couple times I just wanted to scream and give up. She was begging me to put her back in diapers, she was going in her pants half of the time, and she was holding #2 for a couple days until she had blow outs (NOT FUN). Then just all the sudden, IT CLICKED! SWEET! You may go through a week or 2 of horror, but if you don't give in to the little buggers, YOU WILL WIN! Just a few days ago I held little to no hope, then presto... She has it!

Hope this helps. I'm serious, this works. I have potty trained 5 kids now and this method has worked like a charm.