Favorite Toddler Nighttime Stories

Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. 

Favorite Toddler Nighttime Stories

The snuggles.  The cuddles under the blanket.  The bedtime stories.  The nighttime prayers.  These are some of my favorite things about bed time with our little boy.  I cherish these moments because I know they will not last forever.  There will come a time when he doesn’t want Mom to lay down and read a story.  There will come a time when he just wants to say his prayers on his own and fall asleep without me playing with his hair.

But until that day, I soak up every second of it.

You should, too.  The dishes can wait.  The wet laundry can set for just a few more minutes.  It can all wait.

Be present with your little ones because the days go by way too fast.  One day you’ll realize that you no longer have to change their diapers or one day you won’t have to help them go potty and then they won’t need your help to wash their hands afterwards.

What feels like a slow transition – really isn’t. We potty trained back in July and here we are in November with a big boy that can go all by himself (for the most part), flush, grab his stool and climb up to wash his hands.  Mom or dad is not needed.

So when it comes to our bedtime routine, I’m holding on to that one a little longer.  Even on those nights I’m physically and emotionally exhausted.  Because there will come a time when I sit back and think, “huh bedtime doesn’t last as long these days.”

One of our favorite traditions is to climb into bed and read bedtime stories.  He’s 2 so his attention span isn’t the longest, but he does love a good book with bright pictures.  I’ve put together a list of some of our favorite bedtime stories to share with you.

Sometimes the stories get a bit repetitive so it’s nice to have a little variety, right?  We also love going to the public library to check out a new book or two to read for a bit, too.

Here are some of our favorite toddler bedtime stories:

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

Have You Seen My Dinosaur – a Dr. Seuss beginner book by Jon Surgal

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

Prayers For Little Boys by Carolyn Larsen

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

Daniel Tiger 5-Minute Stories by Simon Spotlight

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

All The Ways I Love You – a recordable book from Hallmark (Grandma and Grandpa recorded it)

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

I’ll Never Let You Go by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Alison Brown

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey and Gustaf Tenggren

children's stories, bedtime stories for kids

Puppy’s First Christmas by Steve Smallman and Allison Edyson

Are you expecting?

Congrats! It’s such an amazing time. I remember feeling overwhelmed and confused with all the things that needed to get done before our little one was born.  I wanted to make sure we were prepared for just about every obstacle that was going to come up – and I’m so glad we did! I put together my best tips in a checklist to help you financially prepare for your baby.  Grab the Baby Checklist here!

Favorite Business Books for Growth

Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. 

favorite business books for growth

Are you trying to start a new side business or maybe you’re trying to grow it into full-time income.  Sometimes you need some motivation and a good kick in the pants to keep things moving.  I think that’s why I love business books as much as I do.  I love finding new inspiration and new ideas from others that have been where I am.

Honestly, the best coaches are the ones that have been where you currently are – they’re just a few steps ahead of you.  I’ve mentioned my favorite budget books and inspirational money books before, which was a huge hit!  I thought today would be a good time to share some of my favorite business growth books with you.

business books, inspiring business growth books, good to great

Good To Great by Jim Collins

I read this book for extra credit in college and still to this day, it’s a favorite. It was such great insight and wisdom about finding the right people for the right seat on the bus.  Not that long ago my Dad (who I work with) came back from a conference saying that he was going to loan me a book as soon as he was finished that I needed to read – it was Good to Great.  I told him I read that years ago and still had the copy in my office.  He was shocked and a little proud.

business books, inspiring business growth books, profit first

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz

If you’re a struggling business owner not sure how you’re ever going to make money from your business then this book is a must. It breaks down the idea of paying yourself first then taxes and then spending the rest back in your business.  This is another one Dad had laying on his desk telling me that I needed to read it since it was a big talking point these days – but I beat him to the punch again by checking it out of our local library a month earlier.

business books, inspiring business growth books, lean in

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

I can’t say enough good things about this one.  I read it on a drive somewhere (J drove, I road) and couldn’t put it down . She’s very inspiring, very direct and I loved it.  As a woman leader it’s motivating to hear from other women who have conquered so much.

business books, inspiring business growth books, get over your damn self

Get Over Your Damn Self by Romi Neustadt

If you’re in a network marketing business or a sales rep then I highly recommend Romi’s book . It’s the perfect kick in the pants you need to get your business moving and growing.

business books, inspiring business growth books, start

Start by Jon Acuff

Start was the first book I read by Jon Acuff – he’s direct, funny, and inspiring all in one book.  This is a great book for anyone trying to get started with their business, but really keep telling themselves to wait or it has to be perfect or it’s not the right time…yet.

business books, inspiring business growth books, quitter

Quitter by Jon Acuff

You’ll notice this is the second book by Jon Acuff on the list. He’s really that good.  Once you read Start and you get your new business off the ground, Quitter will help you reach your dream so that your new business can be your full-time gig.

business books, inspiring business growth books, who moved my cheese

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard

No one likes change, right? But in today’s world with technology, advancements, social media, and a lot of other factors most jobs are changing.  We need to be accessible, understandable and an expert.  Sometimes it can be hard when you feel as if everything in your field is shifting.

business books, inspiring business growth books, four hour work week

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

My boss in college read this book and said it really helped him learn how to prioritize his day so that he could do more in less time.  I was intrigued so I borrowed it.  I loved it.  I still take a lot of what I read years ago and apply it to my career today.  It’s about prioritizing your day, taking care of the big stuff only you can handle and delegating the rest.

That’s what inspired me to create my Cross Stress Off exercise – it’s not quite like the book, it’s a bit deeper but it helps you knock the small things off your plate so you can focus on the bigger picture.

How To Change Your Money Mindset To Start Attracting More Money

how to change your money mindsets

Did you know your money mindset can actually affect how much money you make, you keep and you save?

When you think about money what comes to mind?  Do you have a positive relationship with money?  Or is it more of a negative one?

I want to share with you four tips on how you can easily start shifting your financial mindset so that you can attract more of it and stop spending so much money from month-to-month.  These tips are the cornerstone in creating a healthy relationship with money so that you can stop letting it have control over your life.

In today’s video, you can learn these four money mindset shifts and how you can start incorporating them into your daily life without any frustration.  Actually these money mindsets will help you create healthy money affirmations and help melt the money stress away.

Check out today’s video online or down below:

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Here’s a quick summary of the four money mindsets you should be focusing on:

Change Your Wording

Enough with the negative self talk.  It’s time we start thinking, talking and believing more positively when it comes to money.  Learn the simple word shifts you need to start in the video.

Change Your Perception Of Your Value

It’s time we start seeing our worth for what it really is.  We are valuable.  We create value.  We give value.  Make sure you charge not only for your time, but for the value you give.

Have A Giver’s Heart

Be willing to give to others, to make life easier for them, and to be loyal to those you love.  When you’re willing to give then you’re opening yourself up to receive more.  Check out the ways you can start having a giver’s heart without giving away your money.

Take Ownership Over Your Financial Journey

Stop playing the blame game when it comes to your financial journey.  You need to realize that only you have control over your choices and the outcomes.

If you’re ready to keep more of your money, check out these great posts:

How to read your paycheck stub to keep more of your money

How to instantly fix your budget in 5 easy steps

Time management tips for working moms

Ready for more?

Grab the 9-step guide for Budget Success

Grab the 9-step Budget Success Checklist to help you create a workable budget that fits your family. Take better control over your money, your spending and your saving so that you can do more of what you want.

Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary

Five Years.  Wow.

Last Friday, we’ve been married for five years.  I would love for today’s post to be filled with amazing marriage tips and ideas to keep your relationship strong, but there is really only a few tips that make sense.

wedding photos

Marriage is work.  It’s not easy.  It’s not always rainbows and sunshine.  There are some great days where we’re both on the same page and then there are days where we are off.  It happens.  But we wake up each day choosing to be together.  Choosing to be married and choosing to build a family together.

Date one another.  It’s hard when life gets crazy to remember to make time for just the two of you.  You have kids, responsibilities, a career, and just not enough hours in the day.  It’s important, well vital, to remember to date one another.  Date nights out without the kids, weekend trips with just the two of you and spend time doing things that one another enjoys.  J helps with projects around the house – building shelves, hanging cabinets and putting things together.  I visit race tracks and watch NASCAR on Sundays.

This past weekend to celebrate our fifth anniversary we traveled – just the two of us.  We headed to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to walk through old streets and even go on a ghost tour of the town.  It was a blast!  Sometimes it’s nice to just be the two of us for a bit.

wedding anniversary, date one another

wedding anniversary, date one another

wedding anniversary, date one another

As I sit here and remember our wedding day I really had no clue what I was in for.  I couldn’t imagine the life we would build together, the son we would have and the choices we would make.  But I can say one thing – it was all worth it.

Our life is pretty great.  I’m one lucky lady.

What We Did For Halloween

toddler halloween, decorating cookies for halloween, toddler crafts

What did you do for Halloween this year?

Did you go trick-or-treating, hit up one of the many trunk-or-treats, or did you go to a friend’s house?

We did nothing.  Well that’s not entirely true, but it was pretty close to nothing.  If you caught my Instagram Stories earlier in the week then you knew that our little boy ended up super sick Tuesday night – like all night.

So we had decided that we were just going to take it easy on Halloween.  We figured there was no since in making him any sicker by going trick-or-treating.  When Halloween came we couldn’t have been happier with our decision.

It poured down rain most of the night.

Plus, it was cold.  So we were so happy to be dry and warm inside our outside instead of outside.

We did grab a bag of candy and turn on our front porch light so our son could help pass out candy to any brave trick-or-treaters.

After a few hours we only had a handful of kids come by so we turned off our porch light and turned on Ghost Adventures.  They were airing a live Halloween special and since it’s my favorite show I didn’t want to miss it.

By the next day our little boy was feeling so much better.  He stayed with Gigi just to be safe in case he had a little bug, but he was back to his usually self.toddler halloween, decorating cookies for halloween, toddler crafts

toddler halloween, decorating cookies for halloween, toddler crafts

Luckily the weekend before we baked some cookies, had a blast decorating them and eating them.  So at least we got into the spirit before the stomach bug hit our little boy.

I hope you had a wonderful Halloween!  I’m going to start working on next year’s costume early so we don’t miss out again (hopefully!).

Setting Goals and Digging Deep

setting goals, goal setting tips

How good are you at setting goals?

Be honest.  No one is listening.  How good are you at setting realistic goals and then creating the path to reach them?

Most people are great at creating goals and dreaming big, but it’s the mapping out the steps that most struggle at.

So much of our time is spent grinding away at the daily tasks that we spend any free time we have dreaming of the perfect dream…

Losing those last 20 pounds…

Creating a side income that actually pays some of our bills…

Moving to a different house with more storage…

Being able to do all. the. things. for our kids…

Changing our style to look a little more put together and a little less like the struggle bus…

Or something entirely different.

Let’s take it back a few steps and create a workable plan to reach any goal you can dream of.  Sound good?

Let’s get started.

Watch today’s video where I’m sharing how to break down any goal you can dream of into actionable steps AND create a system to check in with your goal periodically to track your progress.

You can watch online or down below:

Click to tweet this video.

Step One: Dream Big

it’s time to create that big, outlandish goal.  Make sure you write it down somewhere that you see on a regular basis.  Jot it down on a post-it and stick it your bathroom mirror, make a list in Google Drive, email it to yourself and leave it unread.

Step Two: List Out Your Steps

In the video I go into more detail about listing out your steps, but the basic idea is to write down all the steps you need to take to reach your final goal.  These steps will become mini goals along your journey.

Step Three: Set Deadlines for Your Mini Goals

Once you have the steps you need to reach your big goal, it’s time to create a deadline.  It’s a lot easier to take your smaller goals (or steps) and create shorter deadlines.  That way you can easily follow your process and track your progress.  This works great for larger goals like losing 20+ pounds, paying down your debt, saving for a larger purchase, and so on.

Step Four: Check In With Your Big Goal

As I talked about in the video, I love the idea of checking in with your big goal on a regular basis.  As you cross your smaller, mini goals off the list make sure you’re still on track to reach your big goal AND that your desire hasn’t changed.  Check in a monthly or quarterly basis that way you can redirect yourself if needed.

Check out these other posts for more inspiration and help:

How To Afford More For Your Kids

5 Ways To Instantly Fix Your Budget

How To Find The Time To Chase Your Dreams

Ready for more?

grab your cross stress off your list guide (1)

Tired of feeling overwhelmed from all. the. things. on your to-do list?  Then grab my Cross Stress Off Guide.  This easy-to-follow exercise will have you feeling more relaxed, calm and ready to take on the world.  This guide is perfect for busy moms looking for ways to get more done in less time.  Grab yours HERE.

Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe (Creamy Ranch Chicken)

slow cooker creamy chicken recipe, crock pot dump and go recipe

If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?  Seriously.  What would you choose?  Super speed.  Time travel. Super human strength. Seeing the future.  Which would you choose.

I think I would pick super speed so I can get more done in less time.  I think that’s why I’m borderline obsessive with time management and productivity hacks.

As moms we want to get all. the. things. done so we can spend more time with our family, but all those things usually include some no so fun chores.  You know, like cleaning, laundry, dishes, and cooking for some picky kids.

Using the slow cooker is my secret weapon to sticking to our meal plan each week and making sure we’re not wasting food.  It really is the easiest tool in the kitchen to help with all the dinner pains most families face.  You, like me, might not actually enjoy cooking dinner after a long day at work.  You, like me, might think that it’s torture to come home and immediately have to start cooking when everyone else is relaxing and asking, “How long until dinner, Mom?”

slow cooker creamy chicken recipe, merelynne, meredith rines

So let’s make a deal – let’s start making dinner easy on ourselves by sharing super simple, super easy dump and go dinner recipes with one another.

Okay?  Deal.

Especially, when the temperatures start to dip and it’s chilly in the evenings that’s when you can start having a deep appreciation for your slow cooker.  Don’t get me wrong, summer is still the perfect time for using a slow cooker because it doesn’t heat your entire house up, but there is something special about using it in the fall.

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easy slow cooker chicken recipe with three ingredients

Here’s what you need:

5-6 frozen chicken breasts
2 cans of cream of chicken soup with lower sodium
1 packet of ranch seasoning
1 Slow Cooker Liner (the best invention for your slow cooker!)

crock pot creamy chicken recipe, dump and go recipe idea

Directions:

Cook on low for 8 hours.  Pull Chicken out and shred.  Take about a cup of the juice and pour into a small bowl.  Add about 1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to the separated cup of liquid.  Mix well and add back to slow cooker.  Mix together.  Cook on high for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Place about 1-2 cups of liquid on top of chicken.

Serve by itself, with rice or with pasta.  I also like to add cooked carrots to it, yum!

Check out some of my other favorite slow cooker recipes:

Taco Meat

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ranch Chicken and Potatoes

Low Carb Pizza

Ready for more?

grab your cross stress off your list guide (1)

Tired of feeling overwhelmed from all. the. things. on your to-do list?  Then grab my Cross Stress Off Guide.  This easy-to-follow exercise will have you feeling more relaxed, calm and ready to take on the world.  This guide is perfect for busy moms looking for ways to get more done in less time.  Grab yours HERE.

Self Defense Tips For Moms

self defense tips for working moms

As Moms we try our best.  We go without sleep when our kids need us.  We push through the exhaustion, the stress and all the other things we have going on.  We don’t stop even when our bodies crave sleep.  We follow through until the end.

Our main goal – keeping our children safe so they can enjoy their childhood.  We want them to learn lessons, but at the same time we want to protect them from the outside dangers.

One of the biggest fears we have as Moms is failing.  Not being enough and not providing for our children.

For me, I have never once doubted how good of a mom I am.  I know I am the best mom for my son. However, I know there are some areas I need to work on – my skills at being observant when we’re out and about.

Self Defense Tips For Mom

Put Your Phone Down

Having your phone at your fingertips is nice.  How many of us pull out our phones as we walk through parking lots and stopped at stop lights?  Probably most of us are guilty of it.  But one of the biggest self defense tips is actually just putting your phone down.  Without your phone in your hands your head will be up and your eyes will be forward.

Make eye contact with others as your pass them.  You don’t have to stare, but make eye contact and smile or say hello.  Show your confidence and secretly, you will be better able to identify someone later.

Be Observant Of Your Car

When you go to get into you car, come up from behind.  Peek into your back windows and take a quick glance under your car.  You can easily look under your car as you walk up from behind without having to bend over.  Also, don’t unlock your car doors until you’re ready to open your door handle.  If you place your child in their car seat then shut and lock the doors as you walk around to get in the driver’s seat.

self defense tools, striking tools, damsel in defense

Carry Your Keys Or A Striking Tool

If you walk through parking lots or garages, make sure you carry your keys as a weapon.  You can easily place your keys in between your fingers to use as a self defense weapon.  Another option is carrying a striking tool on a breakaway keychain connected to your purse.  You can easily access your tool with a quick, swift pull and then have the ability to defend yourself from an attacker.  A personal favorite is a striking tool that’s connected to my purse so it’s easily reachable if needed.

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Keep Pepper Spray Close

Do you carry pepper spray?  If not, you should!  It’s a staple in my purse when I’m out and about.  It gives me a peace of mind knowing that I’m able to easily access my pepper spray to ward off attackers.  When you purchase pepper spray, make sure you have one of the hottest ones available on the market and one with a UV indicator so that the perpetrator can be identified days later.  One of my favorite pepper sprays comes with a glow-in-the-dark nozzle so that it can easily be seen in dark parking lots.

Wear An Alarm

Do you remember as a young girl having to wear a whistle around your neck to ward off strangers?  No? Just me…?  Weird.  I remember wanting to wear a whistle to play teacher with friends, but my parents warned me that I should only blow the whistle if I was in trouble and needed them.  Sometimes I think it was so I wouldn’t continuously blow it nonstop, but I know it was more of a safety issues.

What alarms do you wear?  Do you even think about it?  I’m sure you can easily wear a whistle around your neck or you can find a better, more discreet alternative.  There are whistles disguised as necklaces, like this leaf one or one that can be connected to your keychain.

Teaching Your Kids Safety Tips

Play Games 

Most kids love games, so you can easily find some sort of fun way to teach your child safety tips.  Nowadays the conversations we need to have with our children can be hard.  Really hard.  So we need to make sure we’re preparing ourselves to have those conversations.  You can purchase a game like this one or you can do your research and find your own ways.

Another great game is to teach your children to be observant.  Ask them to describe cars in parking lots, shirts from people you pass, and so on.  That’s our favorite game.  As we walk through parking lots we describe the color and type of car we walk by.  Now at two years old there is only so much he pays attention to or remembers for a longer period of time, but we’re working on it.

Describe favorite characters from TV shows or books – see if they can remember their outfits, their names and so on.

Know Your Child’s Schedule

Understanding your children’s school routine, after-school and weekend activities is the perfect way to be aware of what’s going on.  Make sure you know what other adults are going to be around and if they’re staying at a friend’s house.  Make yourself present at all of your children’s events so you become more aware of who is around.

Teach Them Stranger Danger

You can preach all day about stranger danger, but make sure your kid knows who and what a stranger is.  Make sure they know who are not strangers.  You can create a secret password between the family and your child.  This helps to make sure they know and can easily tell who is a stranger.

Damsel in Defense, Holla His Alarm, self defense, teaching children stranger danger

Teach Them To Use A Personal Alarm

You can purchase your little on a whistle to wear so that if something should happen then they have a tool to use.  Another option is a battery operated personal alarm.  That has an easy to switch and even a flashlight for your child to hook to their keychain or carry inside their backpack.

Ready for more?

Tired of feeling overwhelmed from all. the. things. on your to-do list?  Then grab my Cross Stress Off Guide.  This easy-to-follow exercise will have you feeling more relaxed, calm and ready to take on the world.  This guide is perfect for busy moms looking for ways to get more done in less time.  Grab yours HERE.

How To Meal Plan & Stick To It Each Week

how to meal plan, meal planning tips

Ready to kick butt this week, mom?  Let’s learn how to meal plan and actually stick to it through out the week!

Let’s face it we can talk about meal planning, meal prepping and just about all the other supposed time (and money) savers when it comes to our weekly dinners, but it’s totally different when it comes to putting them into practice.

I’m going to share with you my practical tips and advice for how to meal plan.  But the best part, I’m sharing the secret sauce to sticking to your meal plan each week.

Check out today’s video with super secret trick and what’s worked for us to stick to our meal plan week-after-week.  You can watch it online or down below.

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Here’s a breakdown of our top tips on how to meal plan and then actually follow it:

STEP ONE: SET ASIDE TIME

To be effective with your meal planning you need to schedule it.  Set aside time each week or every 2 weeks to meal plan.  It doesn’t have to take forever, but just know that it needs to get done at that time.

We typically meal plan on Sunday right before we grocery shop.  It helps keep it fresh in our minds and makes grocery shopping a breeze!

STEP TWO: SEE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE

Take inventory of what you have on hand in your pantry, fridge and freezer.  Try to use what you already have in your house.  That will help you save money at the store each week.

STEP THREE: CREATE YOUR MEAL PLAN

Now is the time to create your plan.  Here are a few tips to follow:

  • Try to include some of the staples that you already have on hand
  • Keep your ingredients list low so you don’t have to prep a ton
  • Make sure you’re using tried and true recipes (see the video for my tip on keeping your recipes in one place)

STEP FOUR: GO SHOPPING

You have your meal plan so now is the time to go shopping.  Make sure to go through your recipes for the week to write down all the ingredients that you need, but don’t have.  Don’t rely on memory or force yourself to look at each recipe while at the store.  That’s how mistakes are made, items are forgotten and the wrong stuff is bought.  To save even more money at the store be sure to follow my list trick to help you save about 20% each week.

STEP FIVE: PREP THE NIGHT BEFORE

Make sure you remove all excuses for cooking dinner.  Try laying out your ingredients on the counter the night before (except those that need to be refrigerated or kept frozen).  Gather everything together including your baking dishes so that it’s ready to go when you get home from work.

BONUS TIP: For my super secret bonus tip on sticking with your meal plan each week, be sure to check out the video.  It’s the easiest idea and solves the biggest problem for so many families.  You won’t want to miss it!

For the resources mentioned in this video, check out:

Our meal planner and grab our free download

Want more help?

weekly meal planner and shopping list

Check out my perfect Meal planner and grocery list over in the shop!  This one-stop guide will help you know what you have on hand, what meals your family loves and will give you guidance to create the perfect meal plan each week.

Potty Training Tips (Potty Train in Three Days)

potty training tips

Potty training… It’s not for the faint of heart.  But it is so worth it.

A few months ago we took the plunge and started working with our son on potty training.  It went surprisingly well…not all rainbows and butterflies, but it worked.  He’s potty trained and we still have our sanity (well most of it). So I wanted to share with you how we potty trained our son in just about 3 days.

Here are are full-proof potty training tips to help you:

Set Aside Time

We set aside about three days to fully dedicate to potty training.  I took a Friday off work and then made sure to not schedule anything on Saturday or Sunday.  That meant no errands, no leaving the house and no visitors.  I wanted my full attention on our son.

No Distractions

Make sure when it comes to potty training that you turn off all distractions.  Try to keep your phone off and down.  Keep the TV off or down low.  Also, keep your little one in a blocked off area so they are in eyesight at all times.  We ended up blocking the kitchen and the hallway off so I could easily keep an eye on him.

Go Naked

This was probably the hardest part for our little man.  He doesn’t like to be naked.  So we comprised – no pants, but he did wear shoes and socks (HA!).  He looked silly, but it worked.  He was more comfortable and that made it a lot easier.

Set A Timer

Make sure you encourage your child to sit on the potty chair on a regular basis.  Set a timer on your phone to remind you to take your little one to the potty every 15 minutes.  Even if they don’t go, that’s okay.  Just start making it a habit to sit on the potty.

Put Out Towels

We ended up leaving our potty chair in the middle of the family room so that it was always close by.  Then I took large bath towels and laid on the floor around the potty chair.  That way if we had an accident it was no big deal.  Clean up was a breeze and I made sure to leave the washing machine empty so I could easily toss in any dirty towels or clothes.

Make It Fun

So for us, to encourage him to sit on the potty chair we played games.  I created a flour sensory bin that he played with while sitting on his chair.  That way he was right there when he needed to go and he knew that sitting on his chair meant getting to play with flour.  And because of the towels that we already put on the floor… cleanup is a breeze.

Find A Reward That Works

A reward system is a great tactic to use when learning to potty train.  However, you need to find a system that works for you and your child.  We started out with M&M’s and once I discovered that someone was sharing his rewards with the dogs… that stopped.  Next we turned to freeze pops, but when he earned 5 before 10am that stopped.  We ended up playing his favorite song on the big TV from Youtube.

Find something that works for you and that will encourage your child to learn how to potty train.

Be Patient

Above all else be patient.  It’s not easy to learn something new or to learn how to listen to your body for the first time.  Don’t get upset or yell or be impatient with your little one.  If you become upset when they make a mistake then they will more than likely not understand.  It will slow their process and make the whole thing more difficult for everyone involved.