My best friend calls it house breaking, I just thought that was too cute. Any how here are some guide lines that have worked for me, or not worked but that I have still tried.
1. Their own potty chair
2. Charts. Just put it on the wall
where they can see it when they are sitting on their potty.
3. Stickers. Two different kinds, big ones. One for when they go potty and one for when they go poop.
4. Reward. Pick out 2 toys, small inexpensive ones, Tell them after 10 potty stickes they get one, make sure to mark that spot on the reward chart so that they can see they are working towards it, and after 10 poops, same thing. I found it helped to have the toy up on a shelf where they could see it.
5. NO PULL UPS, no diapers, just regular big kid undies, so that they can feel when they are wet. I did use pull ups for a few weeks before potty training to get rid of diapers, just another step along the way. I also let them pick out their undies from the store, for the girls they were little mermaid and ruffly ones, so I would remind them not to potty on their PRETTY PANTIES, for my son it has been spider man, bat man, cars, and I just tell him he doesnt want to get Spider Man wet with peepee! That would be YUCKY>
6. Some kids take longer than others. Give it time. It was much easier to potty train them in the summer because you can take them outside and any accidents are easier to clean up that way.
7.Take them every 10 minutes. You sit down too! It helps if they can hear you going!
8. Keep books near, just to give them something to do while they wait.
9. Soap. But special kids soap, in a pump, or decorate the bottle just for the "big kids who go potty on the potty chair" to use
10. SING. I sing to them, I made up funny little songs to use while they go potty, pee pee, pee pee, pee pee, in the potty chair, if you go to peepers town you can take me there. Claping while I sing, and the same for poop, just change the words. And to the tune of guys do it all the time, a song by Mindy McReaty (sp) I pee pee all the time all the time all the time.....
11. Dont let them go through the night with out taking them potty, I woke my kids up about 11, I just carried them in left the light off and sat them on the potty, I whispered so that they would be able to go right back to sleep, and then as soon as I woke up in the morning I would take them again.
12. Dont get mad, when you are first training they are going to have a hard time of it so keep it happy and pleasant for them, if they have an accident clean em up, explain why its too bad they wont be getting a sticker that time. BUT my son has been potty trained for over 6 months, if he has an accident I tell him that it is very bad and big boys DO NOT go in their pants! Because obviously we do not use stickers any more.
13.For boys ...when they are sitting on a real toilet be carefull to make sure they point it down, and try to make sure they will not pee between the seat and the bowl. My son did this several times soaking the back of his jeans! Just pull their pants out so they are not touching the bowl. Not really a problem when they pee standing up. Have them lift their shirt with one hand so they dont pee on it either.....it happened to us, lol
GOOD LUCK
(December 2006) (
