Potty Training is one of those parts of parenting that feels so daunting and unknown! After successfully potty training three kids, I wanted to share the method I used, the potty we have, and some tips and tricks! I am by no means an expert but it has always gone somewhat well for us and my kids have all picked it up quickly.
Method
- Book: The book I listened to/method I’ve used is OH CRAP. I bought the Audible version when I potty trained my first and when I’m about to potty train each kid, I listen to it on 2x speed as a quick refresher. I love how she divides it up into blocks so you know where to go back to if something doesn’t seem quite right. I also love that she doesn’t do any kind of reward system. Going pee is a primal behavior and something they shouldn’t be rewarded for doing. She compares it to giving a gift because they learned how to walk… Why are we rewarding a behavior that they should be doing naturally? I really do love her entire approach!
- Age: Jamie suggests potty training between 20 and 30 months. I did both of my girls right at 24 months and my son at 30 months and it went great! She believes anytime after that actually makes it harder in the long run. If your child is over 30 months old, I’d start sooner rather than later! Actually, just listen to the book. I will let Jamie explain why haha!
Products
- Potty: Here is a link to THE POTTY WE USED. The first couple of days, you want the potty to be as close to the child as possible so you can sprint over when they start to pee. We will even take it on walks and just put it in the bottom of the stroller.
- Portable potty: If you are on the go often, I suggest ordering this PORTABLE OPTION. We have a couple of road trips coming up and I always have this on hand in the car in case she can’t hold it.
- Sippy cups: While potty training, SIPPY CUPS are on us at all times to keep liquids going in her. We did Body Armour and water the first couple of days to try get her body going!
- Tank tops: With the Oh Crap method, you actually don’t put underwear on them for the first week or so. The feeling of something on them will urge them to pee to so they are pantsless for a little while.. With my daughter, I bought THESE TANK TOPS and ordered them in a size up so they cover her bum. It’s almost like she’s not just wearing a tank but not fully a dress (dresses can be hard for them to pull up on their own when they’re learning!) so I’ve loved this long tank top hack.
That’s all I can think of for now! Like I said, I’ll let Jamie from Oh Crap! take it from here 😉
-Liv
