Get answers to all your potty training what-ifs, how-tos and now-whats.
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The Big Finish to Potty Training
By Kelly Burgess
Potty training is pretty exciting in the beginning. Everyone’s on board with this big step toward becoming a big boy or big girl. Potty chairs pop up everywhere. Underwear is bought. Successful trips to the potty are praised and celebrated. But what to do when the thrill is gone; when it’s not so exciting…
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Re: Reward Ideas for Your Big Kid
Jen Singer
Have you ever rewarded yourself for a job well done? Maybe you bought your coffee instead of making it. Or maybe you enjoyed a half-hour in the bathtub with no interruptions (or rubber ducks floating around next to you). Or maybe you even snagged yourself a night on the town with friends. Whatever your…
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Top 5 Potty Training Tips
Heather Wittenberg
Potty training happens all sorts of ways, depending on your child’s personality. I’m in the process of potty training our fourth child, and I’m reminded how different each child has been at this stage. One was resistant until he was almost four, and one seemed to train herself overnight! So with all…
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5 Potty Training Mythbusters
Jen Singer
Whether you’re just starting potty training or you’re in the full swing of it, one thing is likely: Somebody has spread rumors to you. Call them potty training myths, these assertions of how potty training is supposed to go can make you wonder if your potty training plan has a few glitches. But before…
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Memorable Potty Training Moments
Dave Hagler
Time has a way of bringing out the humor in a situation. I laugh now at the time my car ran out of gas, in the days before cell phones, and I sat for hours waiting for help to arrive before finally walking several miles in the middle of the night to find a gas station. Potty training is the same way. …
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Load on the Praise and Rewards
“Potty trainers thrive on positive reinforcement. Praise and rewards can help kids feel more comfortable with new skills, keep interest high and build confidence.”
It’s a Celebration Of course you’ll make a big deal out of major accomplishments, but don’t forget the little milestones that also deserve…
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Make Potty Time, Party Time
by Page Turner, Tennessee
We know the potty training process requires consistency and patience, but be sure to have some fun while youre at it. Page Turner, mother of three successfully potty-trained girls (including twins) has some hints for making potty time, party time.
"Celebrate successes," says Page. "After each successful…
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Accidents Happen
By Jenn Director Knudsen
Finally, your preschooler is a potty pro, wearing only underwear. But then – oh no! – your new baby is born, or your child starts a new preschool or he gets too distracted at play to stop for a toilet break. The result? Wet or dirty pants. Yet you thought your child was totally potty trained!
Don’t…
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Being a Good Coach
by Jan Faull M.Ed., Washington
Anyone who has ever played a sport—whether at school, a club or a game with friends— remembers that person who led them through the game with words of encouragement, advice on perfecting their technique, and a hand to help them up when they fell down.
These people are teachers of more than just sport…
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Making the Big Switch : Transitioning from Diapers to Training Pants
Katherine Bontrager
One of the first steps parents take as they face potty training is determining if their little one is really ready to begin working toward real underwear. And for many, the next step is helping their child transition from diapers to training pants. But how should parents encourage their child to make…
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Let’s Put on a Show! Making Potty Training Fun
Jen Singer
A friend of mine recently asked how I manage to maintain my sense of humor throughout some of the most trying tasks of parenting, specifically potty training. Her question brought me back to when I was potty training my sons, so I wanted to share a glimpse of how I managed to make potty training fun…
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Dads and Potty Training
Dave Hagler
Dads can be particularly apprehensive about the potty training experience, and can end up taking a secondary role to mom. But, it doesn't need to be that way. On the contrary, there are many reasons why dads should be excited and eager to enter into the potty training process with their child, and take…
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When Your Kids Potty Train Differently
Jen Singer
My younger son had absolutely no interest in the bright blue, yellow and green plastic potty that his big brother (my first son) had potty trained on a year-and-a-half earlier. But the toilet? Yes, he liked the toilet, because his brother used it.
I’d potty trained my first son using that plastic potty.…
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5 Tips for Surviving Potty Training
Jen Singer
I've been a Pull-Ups® Potty Training Partner for five years now, and during that time, I've confirmed one important hunch: potty training is the most labor intensive of your child's milestones. Don't you think?
It takes work to make potty training successful, but if you stick it out, you will reach…
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Aligning with Your Partner on Potty Training Methods
Dave Hagler
You and your spouse may have different approaches to parenting from time to time. In general, presenting a united and consistent front to your child is a good idea. This is especially true when it comes to potty training. Before beginning the potty training process, you and your partner might want…
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