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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Pull-Ups Potty Project Blog - Sophie
Sophie's Mom
Pull-Ups Potty Project Blog - SophiePhase 1Sophie Is Getting Started on Potty TrainingCheck out this blog from The Potty Project.Meet Sophie and Her MomSophie's almost too interested in the toilet. We had to install a lock on the bathroom door, so Sophie couldn't flush our jewelry away. Since both me,…
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Pull-Ups Potty Project Blog - Lyon
Lyon's Mom
Pull-Ups Potty Project Blog - LyonPhase 1Lyon Is Getting Started on Potty TrainingCheck out this blog from The Potty Project.Meet Lyon and Her MomI am a single mom and am generally relaxed in my approach to life and potty training. Lyon has avoided the potty every time I've made an attempt, but now I…
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Pull-Ups Potty Project Blog - Isa
Isa's Mom
Pull-Ups Potty Project Blog - IsaPhase 1Isa Is Getting Started on Potty TrainingCheck out this blog from The Potty Project.Meet Isa and Her MomIsabella shows all signs that she's ready to start potty training. But I think I haven't been consistent enough or have always found an excuse not to do it. But…
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Signs of Readiness - PULL-UPS® Brand Potty Training Articles
How to Tell When Your Child is Ready for Potty Training
You’ve conquered teething, tantrums and monsters in the closet. Make sure potty training is another success story by watching for the signs of readiness and starting when your child is ready.
Your Unique Child
Is my child ready? …
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Building Your Child’s Self-Esteem While Potty Training
Moms and Dads want to help their child feel good about themselves, whether it’s praise on a good grade or going for ice cream after a soccer game. However, your child’s self-esteem begins developing during the toddler years, before he or she starts school or joins a team. In fact, the potty training…
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Making Strides
The road to the potty training finish line is sure to have a few detours. But there are lots of small victories to celebrate with your child. Here are some key milestones:
Getting A Potty It's a big event!
TIP: Get your child involved in this process and generate some excitement before you start potty…
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4 Parental Essentials in Potty Training
PatienceFair warning! There’ll be accidents along the way and times when training progress is slow or even goes backward. Try to remember that it’s all good learning. If you get discouraged, your child will pick up on it. So stay calm, cool and enthusiastic–and just back up a step or two.
OptimismStart…
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Essential Tools for Potty Training
Julie Anaya, Colorado
Julie, former PULL-UPS® Potty Training Partner and stay-at-home mom with a four-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son offers real-life insights.
We talked with Julie about toilet training and the steps she took to ensure her toddler felt like a Big Kid®.
Having a System Makes Potty Training EasierEvery…
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A Potty Here and a Potty There : Potty Training in Multiple Locations
By Sue Marquette Poremba
Very few children will work on potty training at only one location, particularly as they are in the later stages of potty training. Not only do children work on toilet habits at home, but many children spend many hours a day at daycare or at a relative’s house. Some children split time between parents’…
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Potty Training on the Go : Top Tips for Potty Training Outside the Home
By Kelly D. Burgess
Sarah Kuehn of Enid, Okla., is going to approach potty training a little differently with her second child. Overall, things went pretty smoothly when she went through the potty training process with her first daughter, Katrina, until a bad experience with a high-tech toilet.
“It was one of those automatic…
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Potty Training on the Road
by Mary Santana, Illinois
Whether you’re taking a short trip to grandma’s house or an extended vacation, traveling with a potty training toddler can sound overwhelming. Don’t stress – Mary Santana, former PULL-UPS® Potty Training Partner and mother of three, has great advice for potty training on the road.“My husband and I love…
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All about Potty Seats
By Kelly D. Burgess
It’s all about independence. That’s the word on potty seats from family practitioner and parenting expert Dr. Jody McVittie.
“Parents need to take a pretty casual attitude toward using the toilet so the children take it for granted as well,” says Dr. McVittie. “That means providing them with something…
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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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Double Duty
By Teri Brown
Sometimes potty training can seem like quite an undertaking. As a conscientious parent, you know you need to watch for signs of readiness, create a plan keeping your child’s personality in mind and stay consistent with that plan. But what happens when you’re potty training more than one child at the…
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You Asked…We are Answering
by Maggie Dugan, Wisconsin
In an effort to provide a support system where parents can get the scoop from other parents, PULL-UPS.com provides a Sharing Space where you can "talk potty." While many of you are giving and receiving helpful advice, we've noticed not everyone is getting their questions answered on our message board.…
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All About Motivation
By Teri Brown
Potty training is a big milestone for your child. It can be challenging and even confusing at first, but it also can provide a great sense of accomplishment. The trick is to keep your child motivated to continue trying!
Kristen Stewart, a mother of three from Plainsboro, N.J., found motivation for…
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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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Potty Training Multiples : Great advice whether you have one or more to train!
Potty Training MultiplesGreat advice whether you have one or more to train!
Congratulations, you made it to the toddler years with your multiples! And just like you had to buy multiple cribs, strollers and high-chairs – when your children reach that stage of readiness – it will be time to buy multiple…
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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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Starting like a Pro : Time-Tested Tips from Parents Who Have Been There
Lisa A. Goldstein
So you’re about to start potty training. If you haven’t the foggiest idea where to begin, start with the experts: parents who have been there, done that.
One mom of four children, ages 4 to 14, has been asked for tips on this subject by three different parents in the last year. Her advice? “Wait until…
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Start? When the Time is Right
When it looks like “all systems go” for your child, start gathering up the essential tools. Have a little kick-off celebration to introduce these tools and your child’s big start.
Here’s our list of potty training basic equipment:
Potty Seat When it comes to using the toilet, it's best to start small.…
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A Potty Training Plan : Your Road Map to Success
Teri Brown
Facing potty training for the first time may feel a little like climbing Mt. Everest: You have no idea what it’s going to be like until you’ve done it. Fortunately, potty training is much easier then scaling Everest, but when you’re done, you may feel the same mountain-sized sense of accomplishment.…
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Getting Started : The Nuts and Bolts of Toilet Training
So you’ve realized your child is ready to begin potty training. What now? Where do you begin? What sort of equipment do you need?
First Things First
The first thing you need to remember is that this is your child’s unique experience. Everyone wants to give advice and that can be confusing and sometimes…
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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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Dishing Advice at the Pull-Ups® Potty Dance Party
Jen Singer
Max, 2½, and I were sitting on the floor in my booth at the Pull-Ups® Potty Dance Party, a special event in New York City where I was doling out one-on-one potty training advice as one of the long-time Pull-Ups® Potty Training Partners. In recent years, I've counseled parents and grandparents on all…
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Rewarding Potty Training Efforts without Promising Disney
Jen Singer
They looked like three-foot-tall
decorated generals. Well, decorated generals with Thomas the Tank Engine stickers
all over their jumpers. But you get the point. When I was potty training my two
boys, stickers were their rewards. First for sitting on the potty,…
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What’s Normal during Potty Training?
Jennifer Shu
As a pediatrician, I am often asked what is considered to be normal during potty training. The
answer’s easy—pretty much anything goes and can be considered normal for children. Here are some thoughts why:
Every child is different. Just as all children have different physical characteristics,
personalities…
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How I Knew My Kids were Ready to Potty Train
Dave Hagler
The hardest part of potty training can be knowing when to begin. If you start too soon, your child may become frustrated and resist even more. On the other hand, if you wait too long, your child could become too comfortable and dependent on diapers. So what's a parent to do? How do you know when your…
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Encouraging Good Hygiene During Potty Training
Jennifer Shu
Good hand washing is one of the best ways to stay healthy. In addition to making
sure kids
wash their hands before eating, after coughing or sneezing, and whenever
they’re noticeably
dirty, I make it a point to remind children (and adults) to pay a visit to the
sink after…
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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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Keeping up the Motivation
Dave Hagler
Motivation is an important part of potty training. And, while getting (and keeping) your child motivated is not easy, it is truly a key ingredient to success.
There is no single best way to motivate your child to potty train; you just need to find the right motivation. Here are a few ideas you can…
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How to Keep Potty Training Light-Hearted
Dave Hagler
Potty training is a big, important milestone in your child's life. If you wait too long to begin training, or start too early, or go about it the wrong way, your child could go through their entire childhood, adolescence, and maybe even adulthood in diapers. OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. …
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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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