The moment has arrived. You’ve decided to start potty training your toddler. Congratulations! This can go smoothly or be super stressful, you can’t really know for sure until you try. Isn’t that how so much of parenting goes? And while you can’t predict how your little human is going to react to saying bye-bye to diapers, you can do a few things to set yourself up for success before you even start.
Potty by Leslie Patricelli
We started reading this book to her a few months before we started potty training. I think it helped get her familiar with the language around going on the toilet and it’s also just a really cute book! It talks about where cats and dogs go potty too and even now Piper still says “Buffy poo poo outside! Piper poo poo on the potty” 🙂 It’s adorable.
Summer Infant Lil’ Loo Potty
There are hundreds of training potties to choose from, but the reason we went for this one is because it has a removable pot. And it’s highly reviewed on Amazon 🙂 So when your little one pees (which will be often) you can just take the pot out and dump it in the “big potty”. Some training potties are all one piece so they can be a little more cumbersome to empty. After the first day or so we actually let Piper carry the pot to the “big potty” and dump it. She loved the responsibility!
Munchkin Potty Seat
Once you are ready to transition from the training potty to the “big potty” this seat is a great option if your kid is on the smaller side. I feel like once they are closer to age 3 they can probably just sit on the normal toilet seat but Piper’s little tush was way too small and she would just fall right in. The handles are great for stability, especially when going number two 😉 Every few days I spray it with anti-bacterial cleaner and rinsed it off in the sink. Easy!
IKEA Children’s Stool
This one isn’t really that important but could be helpful if you have a kid like Piper who wants to do EVERYTHING on her own. This plastic stool is so lightweight she can pull it over to the toilet herself and then stand on it to get on the potty. She still needs to hold my hand but she likes the feeling of climbing up on her own. Plus we use this stool for brushing teeth and washing hands too, so it’s been really useful.
Gimars Foldable Travel Potty Seat
For the first month or so I actually carried the Munckin Potty Seat with me and it was so big and bulky. I didn’t even realize a travel potty seat existed! This foldable one is so convenient for travel and small enough to throw in my diaper bag (it comes with its own carry bag). If we do multiple bathroom stops while we are out I just wipe the top of the seat with a baby wipe before she sits down since that’s the only part that touches her skin. Once we get home I just spray it with some anti-bacterial spray so it’s clean for our next trip. It’s made going to the bathroom on the go so much easier.
If you have any other suggestions for items that made potty training easier please leave them in the comments!
Maxene says
We’ve started training my 16-month-old when she was a year old. For her recent Christmas I got her that very same Munchkin brand toilet insert and we all love it. I didn’t want to have to dump something or have something in her reach where she could place who-knows-what inside of. The one thing we are missing is that book and getting strick on a potty schedule; which I hear is key.
Megan Joy says
Wow good for you! We didn’t start Piper until she was 20 months but we went fast and furious and did it over a weekend. It was stressful but worked for us. Best of luck in potty training!
Amanda says
We don’t have kids yet, but saving this for the future! I can’t even imagine how much of a tall task this is…:)
Megan Joy says
Haha it’s not the most fun part of parenting but it’s always cool to see your kid learn a new skill. You’ll be great when the time comes 🙂
Erin @ Platings and Pairngs says
That portable potty seat is so cute – I would have had no idea that they even existed but I can for sure see how it would come in handy during potty training!
Megan Joy says
I didn’t know either! I’m so thankful I found it because lugging around a training potty was such a pain in the butt lol
Pech says
I never knew there was a travel potty – my niece isn’t old enough to go through this yet but definitely sharing your recommendations with her mom!
Megan Joy says
Thank you for passing it on! I hope it can help! Every kid is so different but this stuff definitely helped make the transition easier 🙂
Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says
That foldable potty seat is genius! I still remember sending my husband out to Walmart in the middle of vacation because we didn’t have a potty for our daughter.
Pro mom tip: Drape a piece of TP over the sensor in a public bathroom so the toilet doesn’t flush and scare your little when she has to pee in public. And good luck potty training!
Megan Joy says
That. Is. Genius. She always gets so spooked when the auto-flush goes off!
Niki says
Thanks so much, Marlynn!