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Tips
Make sure your kid is ready! If your child isn't ready, potty training isn’t going to happen. Luckily, your kid will give you hints about when to potty train and when their bodies can get started. Look for these signs of toilet training readiness:- Following simple directions. Following simple directions like “go to the potty!” is essential to learning how to potty train
- Pulling down their own pants. Pulling down their pants on their own, and in enough time, is necessary for potty training to work. (Elastic waists help!)
- Understanding and using potty terms. Kids should be able to tell you if they need to pee or poop, or declare the need to use the potty or get help wiping.
- Knowing they have to go. Kids often show when they have to go by crossing their legs, doing the pee-pee dance, or ducking into a closet or under a table to poop. They may also want to be changed quickly after pooping.
- Sitting on the potty, waiting, and getting up independently. Potty training involves a lot of sitting on the potty and waiting. Kids should be able to get on the potty, wait for something to happen, and get up by themselves.
- Staying dry for 2 hours or waking up dry from naps. This shows that they can control their bladder!
- Interest in sitting on the potty or wearing underpants. Anytime kids show interest in beginning the process, jump on it!
- Pro-Tip: Put your kiddo in underpants to see if they can tell if they need to go.
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Be patient. Don’t try to rush this process, or you and your kiddo will both end up frustrated. It takes time, and there will be accidents. Be prepared to stay downright zen while you follow these potty training tips for the best results!
Pro-Tip: Prepare for nighttime accidents by doubling up on bedding and mattress pads. - Be consistent! At home and out of the house, bring your kid to the potty at the same times, no matter what’s going on or where you are. Having a potty or potty seat with you at all times makes this a lot easier. Bring the portable Tinkle® Trainer potty seat with you to other houses, or keep a pottyPOD® Basix in the car for use to go wherever you go.
- Pro-Tip: If your child is in childcare, talk to childcare providers about their methods. You want to be consistent.
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Be ready for different timing for pee and poop. For some kids, learning to pee in the potty is easy, but pooping is harder. For other kids, pooping is no problem, while recognizing the need to pee is the bigger challenge. It won’t happen all at once, and that’s totally normal.
Pro-Tip: Most kids are ready to pee in the potty before they poop in the potty, which means lots of waiting for #2. Keep books nearby and use a cushy seat like the Tinkle® Squish to keep little tushes comfy and avoid those angry red marks on the backs of little legs. - Location, location, location. Place multiple potties strategically around the house—and beyond!—so your little one has quick, easy access. Keep a super comfy potty seat, like the Tinkle® Trainer or the Tinkle® Trainer Squish, in the bathroom, and keep a versatile potty, like the cushiony pottyPOD® that is height adjustable so it can grow with your child. To make going potty as comfortable and easy as possible, place the pottyPOD somewhere your child spends a lot of time, like maybe in the family room or in front of the TV. When muscles are in training, nature can take a long time to call, so we want them comfy and the pottyPOD is the comfiest throne of them all!
- Pro-Tip: Move the little potty, pottypod Basix, around with you, from the backyard to the car!
- Bribing is totally okay. This is one of the few situations where bribing your child is 100% approved. You choose what to encourage your kid with (candy, marshmallows, fruit, toys, stickers, or praise) and give rewards for every positive step to keep your kiddo motivated and feeling great about their successes.
- Pro-Tip: Liquid rewards, like juice or popsicles, have bonus results; your kids will need to go more often!
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Address fears. Some kids are scared of the potty itself, scared they’ll fall in, or scared it will hurt to poop in the potty. Talk to your kiddo about any fears and address them. Often, choosing the right potty or potty seat can make all the difference. Using a potty seat like the Tinkle® Squish that makes the potty more comfortable and the hole in the toilet seat smaller for little tushes can help kids feel more secure. For little ones who are afraid to poop, the handles on the Tinkle® Trainer can help kids through occasional bumps in the road. The pottyPOD® helps kids feel confident with their feet on the ground as they sit on their very own potty.
Pro-Tip: If they’re scared to poop in the potty, start by sitting on the potty in a diaper, then cut a hole in the diaper, then finally move to diaper-free pooping on the potty. -
Teach by example. Kids learn by doing and seeing. Bring your kid into the bathroom with you while you go potty so they can see how comfortable it is for you. (Let’s be honest—they’re probably coming in with you already!) Let them practice flushing when you’re done, too.
Pro-Tip: It’s also helpful to read books and watch shows about going potty. Anything that normalizes the potty process for kids is helpful! -
Teach hygiene, too. Teach kids to wash their hands after going potty. A step stool that grows with your kid, like the Uppy2®, helps them feel confident and safe stepping on the non-slip base and top to wash hands. The Faucet Extender™ brings the water within your kid’s reach, making washing up safer and easier.
Pro-Tip: Try bar soap to avoid slippery messes. -
Pick the right time. Try not to start toilet training around any new or stressful events. If your kid has been sick, you’ll be traveling, or a new baby is arriving, now is not the time. You should be able to focus fully on potty training for at least a long weekend with a happy, healthy, well-rested child.
Pro-Tip: Don’t miss the window! If your kiddo seems ready, go for it! - Take a look at our visual guide below!
