Tip one: Do not worry about what your friend’s kid is doing, when they potty trained or how. Your child is unique, and the approach you take should be tailored to them.
Tip two: Do it in one weekend. A feeble attempt at potty training will produce feeble results. Dedicate a weekend to potty training your child. This gives you focus and minimizes the frustrations.
Tip three: Stay in. When potty training, do not go out a lot. It is hard enough for your child to want to train in a familiar environment. Using the bathroom in public places is not going to be easy for them, so stay home.
Tip four: Enlist some help. Your child can’t manage time, and so it is up to you to remind them every two hours to go to the bathroom, and have them sit on the toilet. It can be hard as a busy parent to remember as well, so have some help set up with people to call you every couple of hours with a reminder.
Tip five: Celebrate successes. No matter how small the success is, if your child does anything in the toilet, even just passing gas, celebrate that success. They have to feel good about themselves, and their ability to use the toilet. It is a scary prospect.
Tip six: Accidents happen. If your child has an accident, or ignores what you are trying to do and goes in their diaper or pants, do not make a stink about it. It is no fun to clean poop out of pants, but if you rage at your child, or make a stink, they will remember that, and their fear of failure will get in their way of having success.
Tip seven: Make it easy. The less clothes they wear, and the less they have to do to make it possible to go potty on the toilet, the better. You can have a naked weekend, or time periods where they are only in their undies. You should also have a step stool to the toilet, or a potty chair, and a potty ring, to make using the toilet easy.
Tip eight: Positive reinforcement. Potty treats are a common aspect of potty training. This is not a bribe, it is a positive reinforcement. They went potty like a big kid, and so they get rewarded for it. You can use treats, stickers, or even just praise.
Tip nine: Minimize change during this time period. Potty training is a big step for kids, and can be overwhelming, so make it easier for them by doing it during a relatively normal time. Do not attempt it while on vacation, or while moving. Do not attempt it right after a new baby is born, etc. Your child may resist just because it is more change.
Tip ten: Keep things consistent. Talk to their teacher in preschool, their sitter, and your extended family, so that no matter where they are the strategy is the same, and they are not getting confused.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to