Potty Training Tips (Potty Train in Three Days)

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.