“Moms, what potty training tips would you offer a fellow mom who is just about to start potty training her toddler?”
Well, I paused this question to the Mummy Tales followers on Facebook and Twitter platforms, and several moms shared their tips. I have compiled their responses in this post. I have also added my own experiences -having potty trained my two sons, as well as those of other mom friends of mine.e
If you have additional tips, please add them in the comments section down below. Also, share with that mom who is just about to start potty training her little one, or one who is currently in the throes of it. She sure can learn a thing or two.
1. If you’ve got carpets, remove them because there will be accidents
2. Give lots of encouragement to your child. Don’t let accidents frustrate you and cause you to lose your temper and say things that you really shouldn’t say to your child. Also, don’t feel ‘a certain type of way’ when you are required to clean up their mess. Don’t give negative vibes to the child
3. Be prepared for curiosity as sometimes the little one wants to touch, feel and claim what’s in the potty as “mine”
4. Consistency is key. Usually when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you do is visit the loo. Do the same to your child; once they wake up, let them go to the potty first
5. Which is their favorite cartoon? Usually, there is an episode that features potty use or potty training. For my sons, their favorite cartoons at that time were Daniel Tiger, Elmo of Sesame Street and Barney. So what I did was watch the episodes together with them, and I sang along too! It was so much fun. Sometimes I think they listened more to the lessons shared by those cartoons than they did me. Look below at the links to those video episodes, I’m sure they’ll be helpful to you and your little one
6. As much as possible, don’t diaper them during the day. If they pee on themselves, the wetness will make them feel very uncomfortable such that the next time they feel like peeing, they’ll just go to the potty on their own
7. Invest in a potty that they can use till later. I got one that could be dismantled. The base of the potty could easily be taken out and used as a foot stool. The potty was gifted to my first son by my mom on his first birthday in 2012. It was of good quality, which went on to be used by my second son as well in 2014-2015. When using the base of the potty as a foot stool, they would use it over the sink while brushing their teeth, and in the kitchen sink as they washed their cups, plates and spoons. My second son still uses it while doing chores in the kitchen sink. Eight years later, this potty is still quite sturdy and on-point! My tip therefore is to buy a potty that is durable and which can serve other purposes
8. When out of the house, carry the potty if you can so as not to get into those funny “nataka potty” situations – as in when they completely refuse to go on the diaper
9. Lower your expectations and just wait to be surprised 🙂
10. Put the potty where they can see it and easily remember to use it
11. Keep in stock loads of tissue, plenty of water and nice-smelling liquid soap to make the experience fun
12. Don’t force the child to use the potty. No need to create resentment in them. If you feel the child is not ready yet, put the potty aside for a while. Usually, you will know when they are ready because they will give you cues
13. Consider having a reward system or thoughtful gifts for each milestone such as new colorful inner wear as a sort of encouragement when they get it right after several trials
14. Expensive potties don’t determine how well your baby will do their business in the potty
15. Be patient with your child because potty training them successfully doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t lose heart, it may not happen as soon as you expect, but it sure will someday
16. Get a potty that will make it fun for them to use. Such as a cartoon-themed one, one with their favorite color or one with a creative design such as a car with wheels to boot
So those are my tips for now. Do you have any other tips that you could share? Please do so in the comments section below for the benefit of other moms and dads who could be looking for tips.
If you’d like to buy a potty and are wondering where to get one, you can do so from the Smart Kids Kenya store. They can be reached on 0719 382 462. The shop is located in the Nairobi CBD in case you’d like to physically go to the shop and check out the varieties. Plus much more baby stuff.
Otherwise thanks for reading. By the way, I’ll be posting new posts every Wednesday instead of Tuesdays. In case you missed my post last week, you can click: ‘How I Built and Moved into our own Home without my Husband’s Support’
Mummy Tales is a blog that contains lots of helpful articles that will help you navigate your motherhood journey. Feel free to search the blog for other experiences of Kenyan moms that may teach you a thing or two.
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