Skip to main content

Start the New Year With Potty Training

Start the New Year With Potty Training

(This was an article Hehe wrote originally for Family Education, you can view the full article HERE.

Sometimes we make potty training much harder than it needs to be. Don't set your family up for potty training failure, make the resolution of successful potty training this year. Here are the top tips you will need to potty train your child in as little as two weeks.

Here are some tips for successful potty training this year:


Introducing the Potty
Be intentional about introducing the potty consistently. It’s helpful to set a time to specifically offer the potty such as waking up in the morning or going down for a nap. 

Go Slow
Do not force your child to sit if they are scared. You will make them more afraid or cause them to refuse. When they are ready, you can place them on top and help them sit.

Model
You can (and should) model using the toilet for your child. You can show them that you are safe. Throw in some language development by narrating what you are doing like, “I’m sitting on the toilet so I can put my pee in there,” and “Time to flush!” After washing your hands, you can offer to your child by saying, “You do” or “Your turn” for younger children or “Do you want to try?” for older toddlers.

Normalizing the Potty

Fill your home with books about using the potty. There are plenty out there. The more your child hears “bathroom words” and sees toilets, the easier they will begin to accept the idea of using the toilet.

Be Cautious
If you are potty training your child for any reason other than they are ready, you are risking your child’s success. Remember, your job is to be their cheerleader and their safety net. You are there to reassure them that they are safe and to cheer them on with each thing they try.

Teach Boundaries
It’s your responsibility to teach your child healthy body boundaries. This includes safe people and who they can trust with their body. It is always best to use anatomically correct terms so that children are never confused and are always able to identify if there is a problem.

Nap Time
Children still need diapers at nap time. Anytime their body is asleep, they are more likely to have an accident since they are relaxed. If you notice that they are consistently having dry diapers when waking up from nap, you can have a conversation with your child about napping in underwear.

Self Work
Keep yourself in check during this process. Just like everything else, potty training will look different from child to child and from family to family. Let your child lead and be receptive to their cues, body language, and words. You are your child’s best cheerleader and you get to decide if this is a pleasant or stressful journey for your child.

Check out the FULL article with breakdowns for each tip, here.

Don’t forget to check out our newest adventure The Birth Lounge, listen in to The Birth Lounge Podcast, and follow us on Instagram at @tranquilitybyhehe! 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vagina Whispering: Everyone's Doing It

Meet The Vagina Whisperer [This is also an episode of Friday Free Talk on The Tranquility Tribe Podcast on iTunes. Listen  here .] Hey Tranquility Tribe!  I’m so excited to bring you this episode of the Tranquility Tribe podcast!  Today, Hehe talked to Sara Reardon, also known as the Vagina Whisperer.  As you may be able to guess from her nickname, Sara is an expert in all things vagina, which means that this episode is full of super essential and often understated topics! Who is the Vagina Whisperer? Sara Reardon is a physical therapist who currently practices in New Orleans.   She specializes in men and women’s pelvic floor health, and she is passionate about speaking up when it comes to treatment and prevention of pelvic health issues.   By bringing humor to the often sensitive topic of staying healthy “down there,” Sara helps to unpack countless vagina-related topics that many women have experience with but few are comfortable talking about.   In addition t

8 Questions to Ask During a Doula Interview

8 Questions to Ask During a Doula Interview  Ever see something on the internet that makes you cringe... Do you ever see anything on the internet that makes you cringe so hard that you want to scream? I can name a couple: the incessant bickering on FB, the mom's groups that everyone thinks they are a medical doctor or a licensed psychologist, and don't forget about the person who post what they are doing when they are doing it every single day (I also worry about their safety!). Whew, it's exhausting.  Over my time as a doula, there is one thing that still makes me cringe just as hard now as it did the very first time I experienced it. There is nothing worse than an expectant parent who shows up to an interview with printed questions from the internet. The worst questions are the ones that highlight the fact that this person truly has no idea what a doula can truly do to transform their birth experience. The questions of "How long have you been a doula?&quo

Alcohol in Pregnancy

Alcohol in Pregnancy Today I wanted to chat alcohol and pregnancy. I sometimes see or hear expectant parents make jokes like, 'I wish I could have a glass of wine'. And I just wonder to myself, is this a place for me to say, 'You can'. Actually, the research says that it is okay. Or are these people like truly joking? I feel like this is a discussion we should have. Now I think if we're gonna understand drinking during pregnancy and postpartum, we first have to break down how your body breaks down and absorbs alcohol. And a lot of people have this misconception that you drink alcohol and then it's just zooms to your baby. Or you drink alcohol while you're breastfeeding and your baby just gets a serving of alcohol with the next feed. It's just not like that. You ingest the alcohol and it goes into your digestive system and then it goes into your bloodstream and then your liver is actually going to filter the alcohol. Some alcohol can pass into the p