We are preparing for a special three days in our household, Potty Training Bootcamp!
To share our experiences with you, I am going to do so over the course of three blog posts.
Part 1: Setting the Mood: Read the 3-Day Potty Training Manual and get your child excited about going on the potty!
Part 2: Potty Training 101: Be prepared before you begin and get support during the 3 Days.
Part 3: The Days After Potty Training: How to prepare for the first few weeks after potty training.
Part 1: Setting The Mood
First things first, you need to decide if your child is ready to potty train. Here’s a great video from Mama Natural that gives a list of 7 signs to look for in potty training readiness. You also need to decide which method you are going to follow. We used the 3-Day Potty Training method which is an ebook that you can read in about 45 minutes from start to finish. This woman has done her research and I am not going to sit here and try to tell you exactly how to potty train when there is a simple, cohesive guide to follow. I have had friends who have gone on their own training their child which has worked. Personally, I liked following a program and knowing that in three days, my child will be potty trained (we used this method with our oldest and it works!) I have also had a handful of friends who have used this method with success (including two families with twins!)
Once you are ready and you think your child is, now it’s time to set the mood. Fill your library bag up with children’s books about the potty and going on the potty. I spend about 1-2 weeks reading these books before we actually do the three days. The books we have read are in the Amazon display above. We also used the Elmo’s Potty video with our first child. My second child was just introduced to tv about a month ago (we almost made it to age two, she is 23 months, which is always my goal but with a five hour trip up north alone with my girls, I didn’t hesitate to use the dvd player!) and she has no interest in sitting and watching a show.
Another way to set the mood for potty training is to use MUSIC to motivate your child. I found a ton of fun songs to sing along to on Youtube all about using the potty.
Finally, this is my favorite part of getting your little one excited about using the potty. Head out to the store and let them pick out their very own big kid underpants! My little one picked out a pack of Hello Kitty underpants and she was super geeked about it!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of my Potty Training Series!