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In this segment Part 1 - we're going to be talking about potty training!
Welcome to Miss Jen's Potty Training Boot Camp y'all. Let's get this potty started! Get it? Potty? (cricket sounds)
Here we go!
As you may know I've been a nanny and a child caregiver for over 39 years. I've been doing this a long time y'all. I have potty trained a lot of babies, a lot of toddlers. I've even potty trained some "older" kids - we'll just say that. Kiddos who just had a little bit more trouble potty training than the typical average toddler.
Rule number one I always say this first because it's very important to me: Positive Reinforcement! I can't stress this strongly enough! Positive reinforcement is going to get you better results faster! It is absolutely paramount to approach potty training with positive reinforcement. We don't want any negativity associated with potty training. We don't want to have punishments, repercussions, no spankings, no scolding, we don't want to have any negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement!
By positive reinforcement I mean things like offering a reward every time there's a potty success. A special toy that you've purchased for a milestone for potty training milestones. Go to the dollar store and pick up a few small cheap little toys or trinkets that they can open or "unveil" every time they have a potty success. Stickers, toy cars, small baby dolls, little rubber duckies, window clings. But be sure to only give these rewards if they really did potty. I mean if something came out! Don't just reward them for sitting on the potty and then going "okay I did it, okay where's my goodies, give me my snack or my cookies or my toy" This has to be a potty success, something has to come out.
If they're just learning to listen for the sound of the drips coming out, tell them "let's get three drips, just give me three drips out" they will actually concentrate on trying to make drips come out - it's really cute. For a three-year-old I always say give me three drips. "Hey you're three years old I need three drips!" if they're five I say "Hey you're five years old, give me five drips" that's just one of the things I do to get the potty... to get the potty started! To get the child on the potty so that they will at least try to go pee pee and let that out and relax their bladder and let the pee-pee come out (or number two)
If you reward your child for just going into the bathroom taking off their little pants and sitting on the potty but then nothing comes out you're sending mixed signals, you're going to confuse your kiddo, they're going to think that they're getting rewards just for taking their pants off and sitting down on the throne. They need to have something come out of their body pee-pee or poo-poo to get that reward. We can't necessarily reward them for just trying. It has to be a potty success. Consistency is the key here.
It is paramount, you have to have a routine, you have to have timers set, go by the clock, every hour on the hour. Or if you know that they've had a lot to drink, every half hour. Whatever your child's specific schedule is, stick to it. Set an alarm with a song that's happy, like one of their favorite cartoon theme songs or their favorite tv show songs. Don't make it a beeping alarming, beep alert sound that will cue to them that there's something about to happen, something alarming. Make it a happy song "Oh there's my favorite song! There's my favorite cartoon characters theme song"! That will help them associate it with fun and happy things and music and their favorite characters or tv shows. It's supposed to be happy!
Positive reinforcement could be anything from toys and rewards, to a snack or a treat. Maybe their favorite little candies or chocolates. Maybe even encourage snacks that they like. Like goldfish or pretzels, salty snacks will encourage thirst, therefore encouraging drinking, therefore they're gonna need to go potty more... you see where I'm going with this? If they're drinking more they're having to go to the restroom more and that means more trips to the bathroom, practice makes perfect.
Repetition Repetition. Repetition. The more they go into that restroom to try to go potty hopefully the more chances they'll have at potty success. Positive rewards are golden. Whatever your child likes most. m&ms, pretzels, goldfish, dum-dum lollipops, smarties, those are nice little treats that you can dole out one at a time, just small. Okay say they had a pee-pee success they get one little smartie. If they have a poo-poo success maybe they get three or five. Whatever you think is fair on that one. I would save the longer lasting candies and treats for a number two success. Those are the big rewards. Hold out on those big rewards for the "big potty" if you know what I'm saying. If you're not keen on giving your little ones chocolate or sugary snacks try to go with carob, that's a good chocolate replacement. It looks like chocolate, tastes like chocolate. I think it has less sugar and no caffeine that kind of thing. It's more natural.
Or maybe try those little yogurt melts those little tiny... they look like a chip drip but they're yogurt and they melt away. Those are natural sweet healthy alternative to a candy and sugar. Like I said I like to save the big rewards for the poops! They've earned it. Get some little tiny cookie bites or animal crackers or I think chips ahoy makes some really cute little mini cookies in a little canister. I call them poo poo cookies. "Yay poo poo cookies!" Kids will push and push to try to get their favorite cookies or snacks or treats or or toys. So be careful not to let them sit there too long pushing and pushing if there's really nothing there and you know there's nothing in there. Constipation might be a reason or just they're empty. They don't have anything ready for you yet, so don't push the issue. Don't sit there and make them force it they're gonna hurt themselves, they're gonna strain, they're gonna end up with hemorrhoids. Okay that sounds horrible for a little four-year-old or two-year-old but that's how it starts right?
One of my favorite tricks "thank you child psychology 101" is to let your child hold their treat or their toy or their poo-poo cookies or whatever it is that their reward is gonna be. Let them hold it while they're sitting on the potty. That does two things: One it triggers "okay this is mine all I have to do is go potty. This is already in my hands, I can feel it I can almost taste it, I can smell these cookies or these m&ms or these skittles." The hard part about that one is: if they've been sitting there for a while and they haven't had a potty success and you know there's nothing coming out... they've got an empty tank... then the hard part is taking that thing out of their hand. Explaining to them "ok, you know what, it's okay, this is still yours, you can earn it still. You just have to wait until next time. We'll put it right here on the dresser or on the sink by the potty and then next time you're ready to go potty we'll leave it right here and it's here for you and you can have this snack or open this reward next time you're ready to come back and go potty!"
I know this is going to be devastating to your child. It's going to seem like the end of the world, they're going to throw a fit, they're going to cry, they're going to be upset. You can't give in on this one mommies! We can't let them win just because they're crying! That's a whole other video. This is tough love here folks. We have to say "I want you to have this toy. I want you to have this prize. I want you to have this cookie or this candy. We can have it as soon as we go potty!... so you know what sweetie, this is yours! We'll come back to it. We'll try again in a few minutes... we'll set our Thomas the Train music alarm on our phone or our Mickey Mouse theme song on our phone and we'll try again in a few minutes okay?" Reassure them that that's their toy or their treat and it's not going anywhere it'll still be there waiting for them close to the potty when they're ready to go try again. That positive reinforcement is going to teach your little ones that going potty equals a treat or a reward - not crying and throwing a fit and throwing a tantrum gets you a reward or a treat. Again, another video altogether.
You know... maybe say something like "Oh you didn't have any potty. Your potty's not ready yet, it'll come out in a little while." or "Oh you weren't ready you didn't have to go, that's okay, we don't always have to go." You know: let them understand that there's not always going to be pee right there they're ready to come on out of that bladder whenever you're ready - whenever it's on demand. We don't want to say "No you can't have that, nope you didn't pee you're not getting a treat. Nope you're not getting anything unless you go potty!" We don't want to use the "no" word the "n" word the "nope". We don't want to have any negative associations with this potty training process! So keep it light; "Yes you can have that treat as soon as you go potty! Yes this is your snack or your candy as soon as you go pee-pee. "Yes this is for you you're going to get to have this. Yes I want you to have this!" Let them know that they're gonna get it as soon as they come back to go potty. Let your little one know that whenever they're ready they can go back into that bathroom and they're gonna get that reward as soon as they go pee pee or poo poo.
They're in control. That's the whole thing! They get to be in control of their bladder and their body and what comes out of it (and when) If any of these tips have ever worked for you I'd love to hear your feedback and how it went. Leave some comments down below. I want to hear what YOUR success story is! We're gonna have your kiddos diaper free and potty trained in no time! We're gonna do this together, I'm here to help! You're gonna get through this mama - with a little bit of patience, some compassion and a lot of love.
💗 Be sure to read Part 2, 3, 4, 5 of the potty training series! Or to see my video of this segment on youtube
The links to Toddler Potty Training parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are down below... __________________________________________________ Toddler Potty Training Part 1: https://youtu.be/goaxRLXdM4w Toddler Potty Training Part 2: https://youtu.be/Fmh6iymN1Ao Toddler Potty Training Part 3: https://youtu.be/Ga7TKnFOoQA Toddler Potty Training Part 4: https://youtu.be/5I-PSudPWYg Toddler Potty Training Part 5: https://youtu.be/wZ2MUhp3M9k
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Miss Jen's Favorite Potty Training products & recommendations:
Toddler Potty Training Toilets:
I’ve had experience working with Toddler Potty Training Toilets that cost $400+ (yes, that’s a thing!) and ones that are only $5 (the cheaper ones usually fall apart quickly). These are MY favorites and most reasonable in price. The kiddos love them - they are close to the ground, comfortable, sturdy and easy to get onto:
https://amzn.to/3wrYVUN
https://amzn.to/3kcp0Vk
https://amzn.to/3jXzwzR
Toddler Potty Training Potty Seat: https://amzn.to/3yDDbXO
Toddler Potty Seat: https://amzn.to/2TNoLoY
Potty Training Insert Seat: https://amzn.to/3dVDrJA
Toilet Seat with Built-in Potty Training Seat for Toddlers:
https://amzn.to/3AMwLax
Potty Training Timer Watch:
Blue: https://amzn.to/3hupSmt
Huggies Pull-ups:
Girls: https://amzn.to/2TXkb7N
Boys: https://amzn.to/3yHmvi0
Night Time Pull Ups - Goodnites:
For Girls: https://amzn.to/2TXlZO7
For Boys: https://amzn.to/3xDII0s
Toddler Underwear:
Girls: https://amzn.to/3xFyI6H
Boys: https://amzn.to/3kdipu6
Potty Step Stool For Kids:
Pink: https://amzn.to/3ks3rk6
Blue: https://amzn.to/36E1zwb
Urine stain remover & odor spray:
https://amzn.to/3BmEr3I