20+ Potty Training Tips and Hacks that Actually Work!
Creating Family

20+ Potty Training Tips and Hacks that Actually Work

March 6, 2019 / 52 Comments

Potty training can be a frustrating process for both parents and kids. I found myself reading and talking about poo more than I ever thought I would in my life. My son is especially strong-willed so potty training him has, at times, been a battle. That’s why I needed to learn every little tip, trick, and hack to make potty training just a little bit easier.

Here I have compiled the 20 best tips and hacks that I have found and tried, as well as some other posts on the subject that. These will all make potty training much easier for both you and your child. It’s important to be prepared and open with your child about potty training. Including them in the process will help ease fear and make it the normal thing to do. And remember to try and find the humor in it as much as possible!

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Before you Start with Potty Training

1. Get lots of potty training books and start reading them before you start training. Having books with characters that they like is also a good idea so that they are more interested. For us, that was Elmo. There are also some great books with Daniel Tiger or other characters as well.

These are my favorite potty training books:



2. Another great way to introduce the idea of potty training is to do some “potty play”. There is a bath toy called the potty duck that I used to introduce the idea. It is a little rubber duck squirt toy and a potty that adheres to the side of the bath with suction cups. You fill the duck with water and have them “pee” in the toilet by squirting the water out. Then there is a bottom on top to “flush” the toilet! My son had a lot of fun playing with this and it was a great way to help him learn through play.

3. Another way to demonstrate through play is to have a stuffed animal or toy use the potty. See how Mickey Mouse uses the potty? Then, let them try. This helps ease the fear that kids often have around the potty.

Time to Start Potty Training

4. Starting with naked time is a tip that most parents already know but how do you make that difficult transition to underwear? The trick is to have them go commando for a while. This eases them into the idea of having something on again and still going to the potty.

5. Put them in control! Have them push their pants down and pull them up. This empowers them and reduces power struggles. It made a huge difference in my son when I started having him do more on his own.

6. Have a bin of toys/activities next to their potty to keep them occupied in one room and close to the potty. If you can’t keep them contained, then I recommend having multiple potty seats in any room you might be playing in. In the beginning, it’s important to always be close to a potty!

7. Make it fun! Add some food coloring to the potty and have them watch as their pee changes the color. For example, if you put blue in, it will turn green when they pee.

Clean Up

8. There will be accidents. It’s part of the process. If you have carpets in your house, then you will need a good urine stain remover for clean up. I used one for pet stains and it worked really well!

 

9. Get some large coffee filters and put them in the little potty for quick and easy poo removal!

On-The-Go

10. Once you start going out of the house, you will need something for on-the-go. You can get a little fold-able cover for the big potty to make it toddler sized or just have them sit backwards on the big potty.

11. If the auto flush in public restrooms scares them, carry some post-its with you to cover the sensor.

12. Give them a little backpack to carry with their potty supplies in it. This is another way to put them in control and let them feel useful. You can let them pick a backpack that they love too! There are lots of different toddler sized backpacks shaped like animals that makes it fun.



13. Carry a wet bag with you when you are out of the house so you have somewhere to keep wet clothes in case of an accident.

14. If there is no bathroom nearby (like if you are out for a hike) it is no problem for boys who can pee anywhere standing up. It’s a different story for girls. To solve this, find a rock or log and put their heels on it, holding them under the arms so that they don’t pee on themselves.

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Nighttime Potty Training

15. For night training, keep a little potty seat in your kid’s bedroom to make any middle of the night bathroom breaks easier.

16. Layer their bed with waterproof mattress protectors and sheets so that if they have an accident in the middle of the night you don’t have to fumble looking for sheets. Instead, just remove the soiled layer and there are clean sheets already on the bed! If you want a disposable option, try using puppy training pads.

General Tips

17. More than anything, stay relaxed! That can be really hard (and might mean having the house stocked with wine and beer) but toddlers feed off emotion. If you get upset and frustrated, they will too. Staying calm and relaxed will help avoid a power struggle.

18. To teach a boy to aim, put some cereal in the potty and have some “target practice”.

19. If you have to go out with a pull-up, put undies on first, the cover with the pull-up. That way if they mess, they still feel it. This is especially recommended for special needs kids.
Brought to you by Sarah’s Sage Advice

20. Not everyone uses pull-ups, but if you do, call them practice undies so the purpose is very clear.
Brought to you by Arrows and Applesauce

To read more about our potty training journey as well as some funny stories, check out The “Joys” of Potty Training.

20+ Potty Training Tips and Hacks that Actually Work!

Here are some more great potty training articles and tips from other moms!

Potty Training Tips by Age

Potty Training Before 2 from Paper Heart Family

Adventures in Potty Training my 21 Month Old and One Year Later update From Little Prince Leopold

Potty Training a 2 Year Old from The Girl Outnumbered

5 Potty Training Tips for a Three Year Old from Jalisa Harris

Potty Training Essentials from the Mother of Late Potty Trainer from Reluctant SAHM

General Potty Training Tips

The 10 Ultimate Tips for Quick and Easy Potty Training Success from Forgotten Lattes
She had a hard time with her oldest and compiled her best tips from her experience!

Potty Training in One Day and Other Myths from Worth Writing For
Potty Training in a weekend just isn’t realistic for some kids. If you are struggling with potty training, this is a great read.

And Just Like That Our Little Lady Was Potty Trained from Noteworthy Mommy
Tips from a mom who had an easier time potty training her little girl.

5 Tools to Get your Toddler Interested in Potty Training from The Cinnamon Mom
Getting a child interested and excited before starting makes a huge difference.

4 Secrets on Potty Training your Child from Teach.Workout.Love
General potty training tips and products to buy.

Potty Training Videos and Books for Toddlers from Healthy Happy Thrifty Family

How to Potty Train a Boy (Without Driving Yourself Crazy) from The Salty Mamas

Toilet-Training Your Monster – Commando Style from Supermom Hacks

20+ Potty Training Tips and Hacks that Actually Work!

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Lucy At Home UK gentle parenting blogger