For some parents, potty training is a terrible time. It drains your patience level and can cause tempers to flare. When I found out I would have a fourth kid, flashbacks of training a child to use a toilet haunted me. Then I remembered, I am awesome at potty training. A poo-poo whisperer if you will. Teaching a fourth kid to poop and pee in the toilet will be a breeze. Or wiz if you will. My first kid was potty trained by the time he was 2. My next child was potty trained by 18 months. And my third was trained by a whopping 16 months. My wife and I are that darn good.
It isn’t fair if I keep my potty training ability to myself. Here are my potty training tips.
1. Don’t force it. I have been around parents that get bent out of shape with their kids about the potty. I am a firm believer the child decides the right time. You can keep a pot in the living room all you want, but I don’t think it will make any difference. All it will do is make your guests uncomfortable as you strip the toddler down during the big game and shout at him to take a dump.
2. Make it fun. That’s right, pooping is fun. Everybody does it and everybody feels great when finished. Over do the celebration. Sell it like it’s the greatest thing that’s happened since the invention of toilet paper. (More on TP at the bottom)
3. Dance Party = Dance Potty. A lot of time is spent in the bathroom waiting. Turn potty time into a dance potty. That’s right, play music when you enter and do a little dance as the toddler sits down. The sillier the better. If you make it silly, they will return to the bathroom. Encourage the toddler to dance as they sit. The wiggling helps with the flow.
4. Books for the both of you. I think I could have read War and Peace during some of my potty training years. Leave a book for the toddlers and a magazine for you. If you have a superhero fan, rotate in comic books every few days.
5. Poop by example. Okay, I get that this is weird, but kids learn by observing. Monkey pee, monkey poo.
6. Stickers. Take a pee, put a sticker on the wall. Make a poop, put two stickers on the wall. Kids love those stickers.
7. Tell everyone. Everyone you meet needs to know your kid is using the toilet. Hearing the praise will be enough of a reward for the child to keep it up.
8. No pants, no diaper, no problem. Actually, there’s a big problem. The problem will be on your floor. However, I think this is the most effective way to potty train. You see it happen, then you run with the dripping child to the bathroom. Yes, this sucks, but it works. It will be a terrible couple of months, but it is the fastest way to potty train a child. They will eventually realize when they need to make a run to the bathroom on their own.
9. Date nights on hold. You can’t expect someone else to jump in and potty train your kid the way you want. There’s no way a babysitter should have to run back and forth to the bathroom with your kid greasing the carpet on the way. Potty training is your job. If you have to go out, then potty training should be put on hold that day.
10. Comfy toilet paper. Nobody wants to wipe their butt with hard toilet paper. You want the soft toilet tissue. That’s why potty training bathrooms needs to be stocked with Charmin Ultra Soft. There is no way your kid will want their bottom wiped if you aren’t using soft toilet tissue. Charmin Ultra Soft is the softest tissue you will find.
So, potty training in a nutshell… Make it fun, don’t take it too seriously, do a little dance, and use Charmin Ultra Soft.
Disclaimer: I am a Charmin Ambassador and I was paid for this campaign. As always, the words and opinions are my own.
For Charmin coupons, click here.
Oh boy, waiting to see the age of the accomplishment for #4.