Potty Training 101

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By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Potty training can be a little bit of trial and error. One method may work for one child and not for another. That’s why we created the Potty Time program to support whatever method you use. It is so easy to use on the My Signing Time app – on the go watching for anywhere in your home or away.

In this list of tips, our wonderful Signing Time fans share their thoughts on what worked best for them. They are listed in no particular order and we do not endorse a particular product. Enjoy the inspiration and the smiles as you get ready for your own potty training adventures!

      • Invest in a good mop… and lots of cleaning products
      • Use lots of rewards!
      • Use a potty seat.
      • Start early – some mentioned as early as 10 months just to get used to the potty.
      • Use products specifically for potty training – dolls, potties, DVDs, etc.
      • If you get frustrated, stop! Try again later.
      • Go cold turkey and just use underwear.
      • Use pull-ups.
      • Keep ‘em naked.
      • Use cloth diaper trainers.
      • Sign the necessary vocabulary (POTTY, WIPE, FLUSH, WASH).
      • Read books about the potty.
      • Use a potty with bells and whistles, perhaps literally (some like a potty with an actual flushing sound, too).
      • Use sticker charts.
      • Use a favorite character product (stickers, potty pictures, books, DVDs) such as Elmo, Dora, or Hopkins.
      • Find what they love – some kids will do anything for an M&M, race car, etc.
      • Offer the potty at every diaper change.
      • Use one of the vast numbers of potty training advice books or websites.
      • Use children’s books about potty training that are gender specific.
      • Use Elimination Communication.
      • Sing!
      • For boys: let them sit backwards on the potty and move to standing when they are ready.
      • Let the child lead – they have to be ready physically and verbally.
      • Pick underwear with a favorite character.
      • Watch Potty Time on a smartphone or tablet in the bathroom while sitting on the potty.

      • Read stories or sing songs with your child while they are on the potty.
      • Use a timer to cue when it is time to try to go.
      • Take photos of your kids at each step in the potty training process and make them their very own potty book.
      • Sit babies on the potty and make a pssssss sound.
      • Praise, clap, hug, praise!

      Click to download the chart below or visit PottyTime.com to get this Potty Time Chart and other helpful resources.

       

       

2 thoughts on “Potty Training 101”

  2. Dawn, let us know how it turns out! We would love to see some examples (you can e-mail me if you’d like – see our Contact page). I especially loved this suggestion as it also provides a great (and easy!) technique to encourage early literacy. You could even take it a step further and add text. I would suggest getting some mailing labels and writing a few simple words, then attaching the label to the photo and putting it in your book. It could say something very simple like, “Suzy is washing her hands!”. What it does is begin to introduce the concept that words have meaning and are describing a picture… and it’s never too early to encourage literacy and language together. 🙂