early start: That doesn’t mean right away your toddler should just sit on the potty and go! It just means that he has to present the idea early. At 14 months, he starts talking about going to the bathroom and reading books about going to the bathroom. I know some parents think they shouldn’t use the word “bathroom” and just refer to the word “toilet” because it could get confusing later. That is not true at all. By the time they are 2 or 3 years old, trust me, they know the difference, so I wouldn’t worry about this when they are younger. I think little kids like the idea of ​​having their own potty. Just make it special for them by talking about how great they are and the rest should fall into place.

No Pull Ups Required: Yeah, the idea of ​​them is cool and it can be convenient at times, but I think just wearing underwear is the best. Pick times or over the weekend when you will do some serious potty training and just put on some fun underwear (like Diego or Dora). They’ll be so excited because they’re wearing their big boy underwear! You want to make sure to tell them not to dirty their special underwear. In my opinion, pull-ups make it too comfortable for them to pee in. You want it to be uncomfortable and if they pee their underwear, it will be. You can always wear pull-ups when you’re out and about, but I think underwear or even nothing at home is better. At first, there isn’t much time between “mommy, pee” and an accident happens.

awards: Oh yeah, make sure you have plenty of these. “I’ll give you a treat if you pee in the potty.” That will be your famous phrase. It can be anything from stickers to candy. Warning: if you use candy, good luck trying to give out other prizes again! One technique with prizes i.e. you get 1 sticker if you pee and 2 stickers if you poop. Try to make it fun, or else they will feel forced and it will be much more difficult for them and for you. Make sure you keep going, like you would with anything else. If they don’t go to the bathroom, they don’t get a treat.

The method: I think how you do potty training is all up to your child. For some, it will work to do a potty boot camp, where you potty train for 3 days straight. During this time, they should only wear a diaper to sleep. When you’re awake, no diapers and be prepared for lots of accidents! For others, just being patient and letting your child let you know when they’re ready will work. Sometimes a toddler really wants to go potty and feel like a big kid, so that might be enough to get him to do it. In the end, just relax: it’s not like your kid is 10 (at least I hope so) wearing a diaper!

Outside the house: Make sure you are prepared! If you drive an SUV or Minivan, please bring a urinal with you. It can be very convenient and easier for you, instead of finding a bathroom. Keep an extra change of clothes in the car and constantly ask your child if he needs to go to the bathroom. Look out for signs like the infamous pee-pee dance. If an accident happens, try to relax because you don’t want your child to be embarrassed by it.

Evening: The most stressful part of potty training can be bedtime. You may think: how is it possible that your child stays all night? Just leave this part to worry about the last stage. Focus on the day and only have your toddler wear a diaper or diaper at night. When you are finally ready for this stage, make sure there is a potty near the bed. Keep a new sheet and pajamas nearby, in case he wakes up after peeing on the bed. If it doesn’t happen at first, it could also be that you just aren’t ready to hold your urine through the night. Be patient and eventually your child will be fully potty trained.

Children: The best advice for a child is to make him sit down to urinate when he is just beginning to potty train. Just make sure her pee is pointing down! He has enough to think about, and you don’t want to overwhelm him with too much information. As time goes by, you can introduce the idea of ​​standing up to pee. The best thing you can do is watch dad pee in the bathroom. That?! Yes, it makes perfect sense. We lead by example and now you can be just like dad. It will work!

Girls: I’ve heard that girls are easier to potty train than boys. I’m not sure if that’s true, but maybe it has to do with the fact that mom is usually the one to potty train. Something to pay attention to with girls is proper cleanliness. Yes, we all know “front to back,” but introduce it early on, before she wants to do it herself (she doesn’t want any infection).

If you follow the tips above and try not to stress yourself out with potty training, it will just happen. Try to be consistent and remember that toddlers are smart and at this age they want to feel like big kids. Make it special and before you know it, you’ll have a potty-trained toddler.