Guys, we’re going to start potty training. We’re just going to rip the plaster off and let our little one run around for a weekend without a nappy. Most parents whom I’ve spoken to about potty training have recommended this method. Thankfully, we’ve got wipeable surfaces all downstairs, which makes it easier in a way to help master potty training without doing too much damage to our home.
So what are our plans for potty training? How are we going to do it all logistically?
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We’re starting it over a weekend where we’re doing nothing
We’ll probably already have started potty training by the time this post goes live. As of the first week of August, that’s the date we’ve set to try out potty training and for the removal of the nappies.
I wanted to pick a relatively quiet weekend, and it just so happens that my mum is staying over for the Saturday whilst my husband is out for my brother’s birthday celebrations. It’s probably going to be a challenge with a newborn in tow, but seeing as we’re in the poonami trenches with that one, what’s a little more poop and pee?
We’ll start with no nappies/pants
We’re starting with no nappies or pants. I do have some training pants from UpAiry which I want my little one to wear once we’ve got a few days under our belt, but for the weekend specifically, it’ll be no nappies or pants all day until he goes to bed.
From what I’ve gathered from other parents, it’s the best way of getting them used to realising that they need to let the parents know that they need a number one or two. It also saves on a bit of washing to begin with too.
Our toddler has got nursery once a week over the summer holidays, which is actually a good time to do it whilst the weather is warm and while there might not be as many kids in the nursery as usual. It means the nursery staff can also work on helping him go to the toilet too.
We’ve got a potty we’ll transport and two ladder potty seats
For potty training, we have two ladder potty seats, which I think our toddler will probably use more as he gets a little older. For now, we’re likely to focus more on using the transportable potty that we currently have in our bathroom. I would like to get a travel potty just so we can be prepared for when we travel and he’s potty training. This will likely be during the second/third week of September.
Chocolate stars will be the reward
We know that kids (and adults) do best when they’re given rewards for their efforts, and potty training is no different. Our toddler loves chocolate, so we thought we’d offer him chocolate stars as the reward. I plan to buy a few bags so we always have some stars on hand with each successful pee and poo he does in the potty or on the toilet.
We also have a reward chart which I may start to use more actively as we dive into the potty training week after week. I think this will also be a good way of incentivizing him to tick off other things on the reward chart too, like tidying up after himself, having a bath or going to bed early.
The nappies will stay on at night
A lot of parents we’ve spoken to have left the nappies on at night as it seems like that’s the last part of potty training to master. We’ve got waterproof bedding ready for when we leap, but for now, the nappies will go on at night.
Puppy training pads will go on our sofas
It’s going to be hard to keep our toddler off the sofa, especially if and when he’s watching television over the weekend. With that being said, I plan to buy some puppy training pads that will go on our sofas to hopefully avoid any sofas getting pee or poo on them. Of. course, there’s likely to be accidents here and there, but if we can avoid them for the most part, that will be helpful for the sofas we’ve yet to pay off on finance!
Do you have any potty training tips? Let me know in the comments below.
