Potty Training

We asked our lovely customers and experienced parents, to tell us your own tips and tricks on Facebook- you well and truly shared your knowledge!

Thank you sooo much for your top tips.....Two lucky mums won a fab 'potty training kit' worth £40 (see images below).

We've put together a list of the great entries, and the two winners names are Rebecca from Bude in Cornwall who said what many of you recommended : "my potty-training top tip is........rewards charts."  

winner no.2 is Susan W who advised: "potty training tip - when they need to go, they need to go NOW. remember there's very little time between the thought and the deed so have the potty on standby at all times :-) "

Other great Green Baby parents' tips:

Liz M:best potty training tip i could give is stash spare pairs of pants everywhere you are likely to be, change bag, buggy, car glove box, grandmas house, pre school, etc etc! also, doing it in warm weather is a must as carrying around spare pairs of shorts is so much easier than carrying around spare pairs of trousers/warm clothes

Eileen T:Bring your child to choose their own pants! Get them involved!

Gwyn E:wait until they can take their trousers down so they can help

Emma LC:My potty training tip is to have a lot of patience! Accept that baby isn't going to master the art of weeing/pooing on a potty overnight. Baby can tell when you're stressed and it will make them anxious to please you, which is counter productive. When they're on the potty, give them their favourite book to read - it relaxes them, which helps them to go. Plus, they look forward to sitting on the potty.

Sue C:no pressure and lots of praise. 

Tanya O: Reward charts with stickers are great.

Laureen CB: To encourage young boys, you can use cheerios in a potty/toilet so they can have fun practising their aim while encouraging them to use the potty!

Emma A:mum has been getting Will to 'water' her garden, not sure if many of her plants will survive this year though!!

We also asked Ali (our resident Mummy-Expert!) to tells us her five top tips for potty-training in a week.....Step 1: Preparing your child.
A good starting point is to let your little one feel comfortable and show them that you and their siblings use the toilet, this will start to build their confidence. Once you have chosen a suitable potty such as our Beco Potties-designed to give extra support with a high back and are also eco-friendly, let your child see that their favourite toy likes to sit on it or simply let them get used to sitting on it themselves with a favourite book to keep them occupied. Try not to think of potty-training as a negative experience as lots of children actually like it. It allows them to feel grown up and gives them a sense of responsibility.  

Step 2: Nappy off, pants on!
When you feel your child is ready to take their nappy off, allow them to choose a pair of 'big girl' or 'big boy' pants like our favourite Pants to Poverty range. Allowing them to choose their own pants will help the child feel positive about the experience. Once the nappy is off, remember to keep asking your child if they need to use the potty as they are not used to thinking about going to the loo until now. Reward your little one every step of the way even if its something as small as sitting on the potty without anything happening, a quick cuddle for this will reassure the child that they are doing the right thing. Littlerewards such as stickers everytime they use the loo are very effective. (and remember the chocolate button mantra.... one for a wee, two for a poooooo)

Step 3: Leaving the house.
If you can, begin potty training at a time when you will be based at home during the first few days. Eventually your child will begin to learn how to cope with the potty training routine out of the house. When you start the process of leaving the house, make sure you pack the essentials (wipes, several clean pairs of pants and a change of clothes), don’t go anywhere too far away and try to stick to somewhere familiar to you child. If you are able to take the potty with you this is a good idea at first. Definitely try to avoid using a nappy ‘just in case’ as going from pants to nappy may confuse your little one and can be a reason for the process taking longer than usual. 

Step 4: Begin a routine.
Once your child has had lots of practice using their potty, the next step will be getting them used to a routine. Try to get your child using it at the same time every day or at a memorable time such as after meals or before the bath. The regular use will help the child to remember how and when to use their potty. To help yourself get in to the routine, keeping a diary can often be helpful recording when they use it or if they have had an accident. (a quick shower down after an accident with our gentle, organic shampoo and bodywash is perfect for children's delicate skin!)

Step 5: Potty to toilet
Putting the potty into the bathroom is a good step for introducing your child to the toilet. Training with two potties helps too. Keep one in the bathroom and one wherever else you are in the house (the tiled kitchen floor was good, as less mess to wipe up if they 'missed'!) and gradually move them both closer to the ‘big toilet’. Our Becostep is the perfect aid to assist your child from potty to toilet, makes your little one feel 'grown-up' if they are sitting on the big loo.... good luck! x

Return to homepage