This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanRippleStyle #CollectiveBias
I think most mamas would agree, the day your kid is officially potty-trained is one of the best ever. Some milestones can make you a little emotional or nostalgic, saying goodbye to diapers is definitely not one of them. Since the girls are three years apart, we had that process all behind us by the time Avalon was born, & oh, we were thankful for that! I definitely was not prepared for how hard it would be and think I will do a much better job round two. I thought I would share some of the things that we found most useful, things that we used during potty-training and still find essential now, almost two years later. This is definitely more geared towards little girls, so please comment & share on what I missed for our boy friends, too! 🙂
A little background on our experience, we did the three-day method with Waverly right after she turned two and for the most part, it worked (you can read about it here). I definitely wouldn’t have called her 100% potty-trained at that point, but she understood the concept and would use the potty at home. She still wore diapers when we went out for a couple months after, but then randomly one day we ran out of diapers so we ran up to the store to buy some (without one on), she asked to go to the potty there and it was done. She has been diaper-free during the day ever since, and very proud of it!
Obviously choosing a potty is the first step, we use one that actually sits on the floor but have used the seat covers at friends houses & they work just as well. She might even like them more because it makes her feel like more of a big girl, I find that lately she likes to just use the big potty anyways.
We also have a portable potty, which we got during potty-training for when we were out (if the big potty scared her), and have used it some, but not a lot. I’m not sure if it’s worth the money but it did save us in the parking lot when we were out for errands a couple weeks back & Waverly couldn’t make it inside, so there’s that. 😉
Of course, we read books on books on books about little girls going to the potty, which were so helpful. We still read them now, Waverly knows the words for the most part and will read them to her babies or to Avalon. We also had babies with potties, as well as potty DVDs. For incentives, we used stickers & then a big reward after a couple days of successes, Waverly has always loved stuffed animals (that she makes go to the potty!), so that has always worked for her. And of course, the big girl panties!!! We let her pick them out & BY FAR, her favorite are the days of the week panties. She has loved them for at least a year now (it’s hard to get her to wear anything else), she wants to know what day it is everyday before she gets dressed!
Another essential, then & now, the Cottonelle® Fresh Care Cleansing Cloths, we really couldn’t live without them. They are the only cloths we let Waverly use, since they help get everything cleaned up down there, but also break up after flushing, so we never have issues. They are also alcohol-free and super convenient, with a one-touch dispensing tub. You can get these cloths at your local Sam’s Club. This megapack is great so you can keep refilling, they are so versatile that we keep a pack in our diaper bag and both upstairs & downstairs at our house!
I hope this is helpful to other mamas, or future mamas! For those who have a little one who has already been through this, what are some of your essentials for potty-training?! Did you find the experience challenging, or easier than you thought it would be? Please share!
Happy Friday Eve, friends! XO
We held off potty training until Noah was older and while it was the milestone that gave me the most anxiety it actually went way smoother than I could have expected! And we use the cottonelle wipes too. Tried a different brand at first which were horrible. Love them for cleaning dirty bums 🙂
We tried potty training Cam in August (just after his 3rd birthday) and it was awful. I spent 11 days it felt like he was farther from is on day 11 than on day 1. Ugh! I gave up. After we moved into our new house a few things happened with sickness and an incident at preschool and he potty trained in a day. It was amazing! 3.5 must be his time. Ha ah!
I have mixed emotions about the travel potty too- we have one but have never used it but you bet I ALWAYS bring it when we go on long, car trips j-u-s-t in case 😉
What a good idea!!! I've been struggling with cleaning "everything"…. so I am definitely going to pick some up!!
This is such a great idea for potty training assistance. I love the cleansing cloths for my boy and we always have them on hand. [client]
Hi! I want to share with you my experience with potty training. When my daughter was 15 months, we started the potty program. It was full of reward, because in a week she was doing no 2 only using the potty. But, after about 3 months, she had some nasty problems with diarrhea and she refused to use the potty. She would start crying only if I showed it to her. And this continued until I decided to stop and take a break. I read all that is available online about potty training, but I was desperate, I didn't know what to do, until a came accross a guide that saved me. I followed the steps and in 5 days my daughter was fully potty trained, no1 and no2….This was 6 months ago and since then she had again diarrhea, but she never stopped using the potty.
Pottytrainingdaily.blogspot.com