Don’t worry. It’s all part of the process. Understanding this can clip miles from the otherwise endless feeling potty training road. In other words, it can help you teach your child to use the potty fast!

Consider things from your child’s perspective – you just asked them to walk right into a learning nightmare. Unless of course you have properly prepared them ahead of time.

Your child might be thinking that life isn’t fair or that you have changed the rules of the game on them. They may act out because they have no other way to express their feelings. Don’t get frustrated, as that can (and often will) only serve to elongate the toilet training process.

Patience at this stage is paramount.

Instead of getting upset, try to answer your toddler’s questions.

Explain where their waste goes, the purpose of going potty, why the potty makes noises, etc.

Sing songs, encourage them, and play games.

Make potty training fun and you will eliminate much of the difficulty.

There is no specified age for to start toilet teaching. However, any time after two years of age, your child should have the confidence, muscle control and comprehension skills to initiate the process. At that point, the hard part falls to you. You as the parent must navigate the process, making it fun for your child and easy for them to accept.

Just remember to take the potty training one step at a time and accept that it is a process rather than an event.

Potty training isn’t something you can escape. You and your child will have to face it regardless of when you decide to begin.

You can do it. We know you can.

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Happy Birthday to us. :)

In the last year we’ve published a ton of helpful content, but we also realize that the amount of posts can be overwhelming.

You might be wondering where the best place to get started?

We’ve rounded up 10 of our most popular posts for you here. We thought that would be an excellent place to start. You can click on the link if you’d like the Potty Training Power free report. Otherwise, click on any of the links below.

Enjoy!

Toilet training can feel so emotionally draining. Read this post if you’d like to know how to put the fun in potty training!

Does it seem as though all your friends know some sort of secret that allows them to train their toddlers to use the toilet in half the time? This will help you know how to potty train your child fast.

It’s easy to make mistakes while teaching toddlers how to use the toilet. We’ve all made them. Read this post to find out which are the 7 most common potty training problems.

Is your toddler afraid of learning to use the potty? How about you? Read this post and no one will ever need to be afraid of potty training ever again!

How do you know when it’s the right time to start teaching your child to use the potty? There is no universal answer to this oh so common question. You can, however, look to these early signs of potty training to get an idea.

The power of praise is a powerful tool to use while in the midst of the toilet training process. Read this post about the most powerful potty training reward and how to properly use it.

Ugh. Let’s be honest, a lot of potty learning is pretty gross. It’s a good thing that proper toilet instruction also comes with a primer on potty training hygiene.

Do you see all the awesome art for Potty Training Power? The artist’s name is David Wright. Here’s his Potty Training Power success story.

No one wants to screw up the toilet training process. Read this post to get clues to tactics for the most effective potty training.

As always, thanks for reading.

You can do it. We know you can!

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Then it happens.

Your child regresses back to the beginning and acts as though you never introduced the potty training process in the first place. You feel like you are back to square one, frustrated, no, infuriated that the sofa has a big wet spot on it. You were not anticipating that among your many to do’s for the day!

What is going on with my child?

Resistance to the potty when already trained, or a decisive regression can not only be befuddling, it can create turmoil in the household. Rather than yell, nag, shame or punish, simply take a deep breath and start with a plan.

• Evaluate your child’s day and behaviors.  Does he have consistent care with caregivers and are they being consistent with your expectations?
• Have there been any changes in schedule, house guests, moving, job changes, family changes etc. Be honest with yourself.
• How does your child react when he has a potty training accident?  Is he pleased with himself or does he seem remorseful?
• Has there been a change in the school. Is there a new teacher or a new classmate that may be getting more attention?
• Is it a case of strong wills or a power struggle?
• Does your child seem to enjoy the attention even though it is negative?

The best solution is to start from the beginning, yes again. Have a heart to heart talk with your little one and ask questions. By talking about the issue you are involving your child in the potty training process and making him responsible for when he does or does not use the toilet. If you need to go back to the incentive chart because your train derailed, then do it.

Sometimes children need to feel in control and so they use resistance to toileting to assert themselves.

It seems odd they would enjoy the negative attention getting behavior, but in their minds any attention is better than zero attention. And we all know an accident gets our immediate attention. Therefore, make sure that you involve your child in the changing process in a clinical manner, praise him when he does the right thing, and be firm in communicating that this is not okay, and we that you’ll get back on track by using the chart.

The chart is tangible and a visual that makes your child accountable while keeping everything in perspective through use of a graph showing the actual number of accidents.

When your child has language, discussing the issue and your expectations is perfectly reasonable. Your child needs to be reassured that sometimes we all slip. Think about all the people who diet and vow to never put those extra pounds on again. We are human and part of that process regardless of the reason for regression needs to be addressed with a concrete plan to squelch the unwanted behavior with the successful behavior.

You can do it. We know you can!

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

You’re smart, so you know that diving into toilet training without first preparing is like diving into a pool without any water.

OUCH!

Preparing for potty training before you begin can help to minimize your struggle and maximize your results.

By readying your family for the potty training process, you will help to ensure that it is smooth sailing all the way. Follow these simple steps for the next seven days, and one week from tomorrow you will be starting on your potty training adventure with confidence.

Day One: Establishing the Right Mindset

The most important thing to do on the first day of preparation is to play up the toilet training positives! Let your child know how much fun learning to use the toilet  is going to be.

This is your chance to make positive toilet training a self fulfilled prophecy. Build it as a great experience before you get started.

Approached from the proper perspective, potty teaching is an ideal time to bond with your child. Done right, potty training will strengthen the character of your relationship.

You can use this first day to set the stage.

Accentuate the positives. Say things such as, “Wearing underwear is going to be so much fun!” “You’re going to be such a big boy!” and “Yay! You can flush, just like Mommy and Daddy!”

Make sure you don’t do anything during the first day to disparage their diapers or in any way make your child feel like a baby. Rather than making them feel small, let them know that they’re on their way to being BIG.

Day Two: Acknowledge Their Grown-up Behavior

Keep doing everything you did on day one, but now recognize their grown-up behavior at every opportunity. Don’t come out of nowhere demanding sophisticated behavior, but do give them positive feedback whenever possible.

Sharing toys, cleaning up, drinking from a cup without spilling, using appropriate manners, etc. Try to catch them in the midst of any behavior which reveals their emerging maturity.

Celebrate and repeat!

You want your child to

A) Draw the line between getting bigger and using the potty

And

B) Crave that particular positive praise.

By first discussing how much fun it will be to feel more grown up once potty trained, then telling your child that they can do it, you are planting the seeds that will start to flower the following next week.

Day Three: Introducing Potty Training Jargon

It doesn’t matter which words you use, so long as you’re consistent.

Some parents prefer silly words such as stinky, pee-pee or poo-poo. In our house we use the word fluff for flatulence. Some parents prefer proper vocabulary such as urinate or defecate. We use number one and two.

There is no right or wrong way, but you must be predictable in your usage.

Continue to do everything you did the first and second day, now adding new language into the mix. Your objective is to make your child feel comfortable.

This means they should feel natural with bathroom discussion and informing you of their needs.

Next week, when you’re in the midst of potty training, you will want your child to tell you when they have to go to the bathroom, rather than telling you they have a dirty diaper.

Preparing them with language is part of preparing them for potty training.

Day Four: Go Shopping

The key purpose of day four is to help your child feel as though they are directly involved in the potty training process.

Parents generally face the most resistance when their child feels that potty training is something that has been thrust upon them. This is an easy pitfall to sidestep if planned for ahead of time. By including your child in the selection of potty training materials, you will be helping them to anticipate what is happening rather than simply requesting that they comply.

Think about it –– there is a big difference between bringing a potty chair home, then putting it in the bathroom and saying, “Time to potty train!” and “Let’s go to the store and pick out a potty training chair together!”

Head to the store and pick out a potty training chair. Get one that is durable and won’t easily tip. Let your child put the chair into the bathroom and take ownership of it.

Allow them to decorate the potty chair with stickers or write their name on it; whatever it takes to make them feel as though it belongs to them.

Continue to build anticipation. Say things such as, “Next week we’re going to learn how to use the potty instead of using your diaper!”

Dave Five: Modeling Desired Behavior

From day five forward, consider taking your child with you every time you need to eliminate. Though this may feel like an invasion of privacy, it could greatly reduce the stress on the potty training process.

Children learn by what they see, not just by what they’re told. They will always look to their parents for examples.

Telling your child when you have to go to the bathroom will help to reinforce the link between feeling and doing. It may seem silly, but tell your child what is happening while it is happening.

Complete the process by reminding your child that next week they’ll be old enough to start trying as well.

Don’t stop with yourself!

Day five will carry the most impact if both parents are in it together. Mom and Dad should BOTH be modeling the desired behavior.

Children learn most from the same-sex parent. Your son will learn most from Dad and your daughter most from Mom. Ideally everyone in the family is working together toward the same result.

Day Six: Teaching

Get a doll, any doll, any doll will do.

You will first “teach” this doll to go potty while your child is watching, then ask them to mirror the lesson on their own.

Like the modeling that took place in day five, this might feel a bit silly. Believe me, your child will be watching every thing you do.

Explain to the doll how to use the potty. Teach them how to flush and wash their hands afterwards. When finished, ask the doll if they understood everything. Then say, “What? You want me to show you one more time? Okay!”

Your child will probably giggle, but they’ll be eager to see it again.

Repeat the steps as many times as you’d like to. Then hand the doll to your child and allow them to demonstrate their knowledge on their own.

This step will give your child the confidence they need to start the potty training process by doing rather than learning. If they feel they already know what to do, then they will be a lot more inclined (and excited) to do it.

Day Seven: Final Preparation

The primary goal of the final day is to get your kid super duper excited about the potty training that will take place on the following day. Pull out all the stops. Make them feel like tomorrow is Christmas.

For you it will be.

Rinse and repeat the best steps from the previous seven days. Keep discussing the potty. Acknowledge their grown-up behavior. Continue to take them potty with you whenever you have to go. Allow them to model with the doll as often as they wish.

Warning: This will probably be a lot!

Prepare your charts and stickers. Show them the calendar and tell them that tomorrow’s the big day!  Say goodnight to the potty before they go to bed.

Successful potty training lies in large part with the preparation. Don’t skip these steps, take the time to properly prepare over the course of the week. Make potty training a quick, painless process, rather than the endless struggle it is for many parents.

You can do it. We know you can!

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Are you worried that your toddler’s stubborn will is stronger than your own resolve?

Don’t fret. Prepare instead.

Potty training is a special time in your child’s development, when you can easily deepen your connection and strengthen your bond. But this can only happen if you approach it  from the right mindset.

Otherwise, you run the risk of stumbling into an endless battle of wills, with two tiny armies, each unwilling to surrender.

Potty training can’t be avoided. Sooner or later your child will learn to use the potty, just like all the other big boys and girls.

Eventually you will win, but at what cost?

Done well, potty training is an enjoyable time, loaded with glee and laughter, growth and learning. Done poorly, potty training can turn into a long struggle where the finish line seems like only a suggestion.

Don’t let this happen to you!

These are the 7 most common mistakes that parents make when teaching their children to use the toilet. Avoid them all, and your potty training experience will be both fun and fruitful.

1) Initiating Potty Training During a Stressful Time for Your Family

Are you in the midst of a move, introducing a new member to the family, or in the middle of a major life transition?

Your child is sensitive, and even small changes can feel BIG to them. Learning to use the potty is a significant step in their learning process. Beginning at a time when they’re already feeling tender is potentially setting yourself up for a long and difficult road.

Rather than starting from nowhere, plot toilet teaching on the calendar and include your child in the planning. Make sure it fits into your life. Choose a time where you will face minimal outside factors which can negatively impact your progress.

Potty training is best when it’s smooth sailing. Stopping and starting will always make things more difficult. By minimizing the variables, you will hit the finish line faster, with fewer bumps along the way.

2) Starting Too Late

The optimum time to start potty training is different for every child, yet there does seem to be an ideal window. Start too early and communication can be difficult. Start too late, however, and you can be in for a power struggle like you’ve never seen, and will probably never forget.

The older your child, the more likely they are to display the strength of their iron will. At two years old, a child is just learning to understand their place in the world. They are getting to know their likes, dislikes, and best means for expressing their needs.

By the age of three, most toddlers understand how to get their way and are far more skilled in the art of manipulation. Tactics learned in the terrible twos are now sharpened, and can leave you feeling helpless, hopeless and downright defeated.

What is difficult at three can feel impossible at four. This is why it is always better to start too early then too late.

3) Setting Unrealistic Expectations

There are multiple pieces to the toilet training process. Many parents add stress to the situation by expecting everything to happen all at once. This can make a child nervous and lead to under-performance.

There is not a potty training switch you can flip to finish their training. If you want a positive, expedient experience, it is essential to understand that toilet training is a process and not an event!

Not only must your child learn to control their body functions enough to use the restroom in private, they will need to learn to do it in public as well. This is in addition to mastering their bowel movements and going for long periods of time without any accidents.

These are all things your child must learn before their training can be considered complete.

Yet you cannot expect it to happen all at once.

Potty training is something that is best done step-by-step. Parents who expect success happen at the speed of light, are only setting themselves up for disappointment. Though it is possible, it is rare that toilet training is entirely finished in a few days or a weekend.

Parents who understand this, and exhibit the appropriate patience, will go far in establishing a safe, comfortable environment for their child to find their own potty learning prosperity.

4) Not Doing Enough to Properly Prepare Your Child

Potty training isn’t YOU vs. THEM. It is a joint effort between parent and child, where your goal is to teach them a basic but necessary life skill.

As with any other skill you would want your child to learn, you must properly prepare them ahead of time.

Think of toilet training as teaching your child to swim. If you took your child to the pool without discussing it ahead of time, then told he or she that they need only to jump into the pool and that everything would be okay, you might succeed in getting them to comply.

But more than likely, you would face strong resistance in the form of crying, wailing, and whatever else lies in your own child’s personal grab bag of disagreement.

If you were to emotionally prepare them, however, by discussing how much fun it is to play in the water, citing their friends and peers who already know how to swim, while reminding them of the many family adventures you can have once the task has been mastered, then you will be far more likely to get them to see them splashing a whole lot sooner.

5) Expecting the Same Results for Every Sibling

People are all different.

Though we all share similarities as humans, there are countless things which make us each unique. Most important when it comes to potty training – we all absorb information in slightly different ways. What works for some will rarely, if ever, work for all.

It is essential that you treat each child as an individual. Yes, there are strategies that carry over from one child to the next, the best of which are fairly universal.

Proper modeling, appropriate patience, suitable rewards and realistic expectations will all go a long way toward successful potty training, but feeling frustrated because what worked for your daughter is not working for your son is like beating a brick wall and expecting it to budge.

If you understand ahead of time that each child is unique, and that there is a strategy that will work best for your child, then you have already won half the potty training battle.

6) Confusing Bed Wetting and Potty Training

This is a common problem facing many parents. Many people don’t realize that their children may continue to wet the bed at night, even after they are finished with potty training.

The two issues are sometimes, though not always, related.

For many families, wetting the bed is something that can continue well into toddlerhood. This is okay. Just because your child is wetting the bed at night, doesn’t mean that they are not potty trained or are incapable of remaining dry throughout the day.

As long as your child can control their bodily functions during the day, and can consistently go for long periods without any accidents, then you can consider them trained.

Knowing your child is potty trained, even though they are still wetting the bed, can help you to focus on the bedwetting issue. This will allow you to celebrate on their toilet learning success without confusing the issue.

7) Lack of Patience

Though this one goes hand in hand with #3, it deserves an entry all its own!

A lack of patience on the parent’s part can often send the potty training process down a broken road of frustration. Even without language, children are highly sensitive to their parent’s emotions.

They will feel your anger, disappointment, frustration, irritation or feelings of defeat. Sometimes, even if you believe they are well hidden.

Align your expectations ahead of time and you will minimize the chance of this happening.

Your child will probably have numerous accidents, take longer than you would like, and frustrate you to no end. At some point you will wish you never started. But you must draw a deep breath and keep right on going.

Patience is the single most important ingredient to potty training, and can define how you remember the experience. If you wish to look back with fond memories rather than shudders of horror, simple patience could make all the difference in the world.

You can do it. We know you can!

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Believe me, I get it.

But the thing is, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t so, potty training isn’t going to go away. You don’t see many 10-year-olds walking around in diapers. At some point, they’re going to have to face the music and get your kid to dance.

With potty training, just like anything else, it is often that first step that’s the hardest. Once you get started you’ll soon find yourself in the middle of the process. At that point it’s just a matter of time until you find yourself at the end.

It might be difficult.

It might be horrible.

You might see a site of your child’s view never expected to see.

You might want to run from the house screaming.

You might find yourself more frustrated than you ever expected to be in your entire life.

But you must get started.

The other option is simply letting it go. Many parents do this in the hopes that potty training will get easier once the child is more effectively able to communicate. The truth is, the more language a child has, the more they are able to assert those things they do not want to do.

Many parents who wait until their child is three years old to start potty training, quickly come to realize the error of their ways. Initiating the potty training process when your child is just two years of age, means you are starting before they have learned to assert their will or sharpen their skills of manipulation.

People who say you can potty train your child in a single day, or even a weekend, are only telling half-truths. Though this can be done, for many parents the reality is a bit longer. But it won’t be a shorter time or an easier process because you put it off. More often than not, the reverse is true.

Swallow hard and take a giant step forward. Start potty training your child today so you can find your freedom tomorrow.

You can do it. We know you can.

Potty Training Power… AWAY!!!

Even if your child is giving you nothing but grief (and they very well might be) and you feel like giving up – please don’t!

If you do give up now, the teaching your child to use the potty will only grow more difficult later.

By surrendering to their wishes, you are teaching your child that they can have things their way, so long as they’re willing to commit to a bit of crying. They’ve probably been pulling on the arm of a slot machine for a while now, by throwing in the towel you are finally giving them the jackpot they’ve been waiting for.

The next time you try to start potty training, they’ll know that as long as they keep pulling on the handle, eventually they’ll hear the DING! DING! DING! of their winnings.

Toilet training can feel as though it is endless, yet so do many other things that are difficult to do. Consider the last time you started a diet, or maintained a steady regimen at the gym. It was difficult at first, right? But eventually you were able to turn your actions into a routine until you saw the benefits of your effort.

The key with potty training, just as it is with diet or going to the gym, lies in consistency.

It is important to create and recognize your momentum. Teaching your child to use the toilet is a process and it won’t happen in just one day. By being mindful of the process and keeping your eye on the prize, you can see the small growth that both you and your child are making.

Keep the encouragement coming, never take your eyes off the finish line, and know that sooner or later this will all be behind you.

Ask any parent, potty training is far funnier when looking through the rear view.

Give up on the toilet training process today and you will probably regret it tomorrow. Grin and bear it, and in no time you’ll be really happy you did.

Ditch the diapers today and find your freedom tomorrow.

You can do it! We know you can.

Potty Training Power… AWAY!!!

There are a million and one reasons for potty training your child. From social concerns to simple hygiene, to helping your child acquire the life skills they need to take their next steps, toilet training is an important step in the developmental process.

The best thing you can do is simply get started.

Here are 103 reasons for potty training your child

1. It’s terrible to feel like a prisoner in your house, just because you’re worried about accidents.
2. Because one in diapers is one too many.
3. Your child can do it and you secretly know it.
4. 18 months is the average worldwide age training.
5. Your best friend almost has her toddler potty trained and you’d like to beat her to the finish line.
6. Poop stinks.
7. If you have to clean up one more accident, you’re going to start running in circles and babbling incoherently.
8. You’re spending more on diapers when you are on retirement.
9. Do you really need any reasons for potty training?
10. Your toddler is letting you know that they think they’re the boss.
11. Your child thinks accidents are funny and you do not.
12. There’s a spot in the carpet that is turning decidedly yellow.
13. Do you really need any more reasons for potty training when your mother-in-law is nagging you?
14. Your child poops in their diaper every time they want attention.
15. When you were your child’s age, you’d already been potty trained for a year.
16. Your cat requires less maintenance than your toddler.
17. Getting your child into preschool can be a great thing for their social development.
18. Really, isn’t one butt enough to wipe?
19. Those cute close they’re wearing will be a lot cuter when they don’t have diaper bulge.
20. Toilet training is funny in retrospect.
21. Once they’re potty trained, you can teach them more about hygiene — a great lesson to learn!
22. How much did you spend on diapers last year again?
23. Can’t lives on Won’t Street.
24. If a dog can do it so can your toddler.
25. The Brown beneath your fingernails doesn’t match your nail polish (One of the TMI reasons for potty training!)
26. You don’t need to be reminded about what you had for dinner last night.
27. It’s bad enough you have to clean the litter box.
28. You’d like to drink lemonade without thinking about your toddler’s last accident.
29. Each diaper holds way too much information.
30. Don’t let your fear of change stand in the way of their evolution.
31. You are tempted to spike your kids milk with Imodium.
32. The process will help your child will help to teach them about privacy.
33. Potty training your child will help to teach them responsibility.
34. Your child is asking why the dog doesn’t have to wear a diaper.
35. You should be able to flush a bad smell.
36. Your flower garden is doing just fine and you don’t need any more fertilizer.
37. Your child can say, “I need to be clean.” They can say, “I have to go.”
38. You’re tired of changing the subject any time toilet training comes up in discussion.
39. It would be nice to eat chocolate again without getting grossed out.
40. Really, corn? Again?
41. Once they’re potty trained, you won’t have to take them with you into the bathroom anymore!
42. Life has enough stress without considering reasons for potty training. Just do it already!
43. Your spending too much money on scented candles.
44. You’re tired of everyone looking in your direction whenever there’s a bad smell.
45. You’re tired of feeling like a sherpa whenever you leave the house.
46. You’re tired of the guilt.
47. You’re sick of Googling, “Reasons for Potty Training.”
48. You’re dreaming in brown and yellow.
49. There are a million better ways to use your time, and you can rattle off 987,631 off the top of your head.
50. You’re thinking about potty training while watching your favorite shows.
51. The process is a LOT funnier when seen through the rearview.
52. The hardest step to take is the first.
53. Your child will walk taller.
54. Sometimes you just have to swallow and get started.
55. You already taught your child how to build with blocks, say please and thank you, and wait their turn. Now it’s time for something bigger.
56. Your child will smile wider.
57. The average age for the completion of training in the 1940’s was 18 months.
58. The average age for completion (in this country) is now climbing toward three years.
59. They can do it and you can help them.
60. They have to learn sometime.
61. You will add more minutes to each of your days.
62. If it was somebody else’s child, you would be thinking they should be trained already.
63. Having a child who is ready to be potty trained but isn’t is like having several extra pounds that need to be shed.
64. You’re running out of excuses because you already have 63 reasons for potty training.
65. The sun will seem brighter, the sky will seem bluer, and food will taste a little bit better.
66. Because what they want and what they need are two different things.
67. Because they need to be trained and you want it to happen.
68. You should’ve started yesterday.
69. Your evenings out will be so much better.
70. It might be more fun than you could possibly imagine.
71. You’d like to go back to your old definition of the word accident.
72. The last thing you want is for your mother in law to be right.
73. It’s important to teach your child to try.
74. Life is undeniably better once you’re finished.
75. You’d rather wash underwear than throw it away.
76. Everything is possible with a solid routine.
77. Your child can be the example.
78. You can finally get some new furniture.
79. You can hear the other mommies whispering.
80. You could get popcorn the last time you went to the movies because you the money was earmarked for diapers.
81. You’re tired of telling people that you spilled coffee on the carpet.
82. The cat is starting to mark his own territory while competing with your toddler.
83. You’re sick of washing underwear in the sink.
84. It’s bad enough you’ve got a constant leak in the kitchen sink.
85. You’re tired of spontaeous eye-irrigation.
86. Really, isn’t “extra absorbent” kinda sorta gross?
87. You’re embarrased when your kid’s carrying a load in public and people looking at you funny.
88. Your kid saw a box of depends at the store and asked how come you don’t wear them
89. When you are having a Sh@^^y morning you really don’t want it to be literal.
90. “$#^& happens” is an expression you’re really sick of.
91. If you have time for a massage, you have time to potty train.
92. You almost got in an accident the last time you smelled their accident in the back seat.
93. Public grunting is embarrassing.
94. Your child’s self esteem will double.
95. If you don’t, you’ll be the last one in play group.
96. All the other kids are doing it.
97. Diaper commercials are holding you hostage.
98. “I did it!” are the three best words ever.
99. You can say goodbye to those squishy poops that squeeze out of the diaper and up your child’s back.
100. You miss eating chocolate ice cream.
101. You only need to see your meals once.
102. Think of all the things you could have, or money you could save, if you weren’t throwing it away on diapers.
103. Unless your job requires it, you shouldn’t have to wash your hands more than 15 times a day.

We hope these 103 reasons for potty training have been helpful. You can do it, we know you can!

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Each method is popular for different reasons, but the important thing to remember when doing your homework is that you must identify which method and suggestions work best for your child.

There are core strategies most methods share, but one size does not fit all when it comes to potty training.

Children grow and develop at different rates. If you have more than one chid, it can be shocking how different each child, is in spite of the consistency in parenting style.

When potty training children, choosing the right method can be the key to success. You want to train your child so you can ditch the diaper, hit the potty seat and smile at the success of your parenting.

Here are three ideas to remember in the process.

1. Inch by inch. Capitalize on your child’s desire to learn and grow.  Reading books related to toilet training as a family, picking out the potty seat  and underwear together reinforces the process and goal in mind.
2. Unnecessary Pressure. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on your child to succeed.  If your child is afraid of the seat or toilet, let him sit on it fully clothed daily for a few minutes, then work towards taking the diaper off so he can sit like Mom and Dad. This is a journey, not an event. Part of the process is introduction and planning for pre-training. Children need to feel as though they are part of the process, rather than thrown into the situation with the expectation that he will do exactly what he is suppose to after you read a couple of books and buy the potty seat and underwear.
3. Maintain hyperbolic excitement when potty training. Children desire our approval and this is a motivating tool to use when potty training. However, keep it real because you aren’t going to be able to maintain the confetti throwing party and treat train every time. Praise genuinely and give your child a moment to admire his success to promote the pride you both feel.
4. Approval and Praise. Nobody wants to be a failure. It is job one to ensure that your response is not visibly exasperated, frustrated, or punitive when your child makes a mistake.  Replace saying, “That’s not right or you missed again” with “We will try again, mistakes happen.” This keeps the child encouraged and teaches mistakes are part of learning.
5. Combat of the wills and will not. Oppositional behavior is sometimes a part of potty training children, as developmentally that is where many children are at behaviorally. This is because they are discovering their independence and the power of their own will. Do not get into a power struggle about going potty. You will lose every time and be frustrated beyond belief. If you minimize the issue in front of your child then you are making it apparent that the training is for him, not you. The power is in being tenacious and consistently providing the opportunities until success is achieved.

There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your child take his steps no matter what they are.

Remember, you are your child’s first teacher.

It is the encouragement and safety net we provide when potty training children that allows them to make mistakes and propel their achievement in whatever goals we set together.

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!

Why not do everything we can to make the process an enjoyable experience, same as we would if we were teaching our child to read or write?

Though I can think of a few children’s books that discuss going to the potty, I don’t know of a single one that does it in rhyme.

And though the PTP Power System comes with Number One and Two it!, I still think there’s not nearly enough potty training poems in circulation.

I hope this little ditty can curb the appetite until the bookshelves are lined with potty training poems packed with pee-pee and poo-poo!

Many smiles – Please enjoy!

Pee-pee and poo poo. First dry and then wet
Oh this toilet training, I wish I could forget.
This screaming and crying, these tantrums and fits,
I wish someone told me that potty training’s the pits!

I want to be finished, I’m sick of the fight,
But oh how I hope that I get it all right.
What’s that you say? You have a solution?!?
With lots of advice and then swift execution?

Well, that sounds fantastic, please point the way
I’d like to get started, hopefully today!
I’m looking for help. I didn’t know what to do
I’m so very grateful that I happened on you

Once I was worried, but not anymore
In just a few days I’ll have no pee on my floor!
Potty Training Power… Up, up and AWAY!!!
The system has saved me and rescued the day.

Stay tuned! We hope to have more potty training poems in the future!

Potty Training Power… AWAY!!!