Potty training is an essential part of helping a child mature and grow up. Unfortunately, not every child is the same in how long it takes, or in what methods work. Being prepared with the right tools can make the process go much faster, and can make it easier on both you and your child. For some children, it may take only one or two tools, while another child may take several methods before being successfully potty trained.
Training Toilet
One of the most important tools in potty training is a training toilet. For some children the regular toilet in your bathroom can be intimidating, and even scary. Instead, there are many potty products on the market that are specifically made for children in colors, characters and sizes that may make your child excited to sit on it. For children who are already interested in the adult toilet, there are many products on the market that act as a padded seat with a smaller opening, that can be attached to your regular toilet. It is important that the child is comfortable with with any toilet you choose.
Training Pants
Training pants are another important aspect of potty training. The goal of potty training is not only to get the child to use the toilet, but also to transition the child from diapers to regular underwear. Unfortunately, even with a child who is successfully using the potty, accidents can happen. To prevent accidents from staining furniture or creating a mess, training pants employ similar technology as diapers, but allow the child to easily take off and put on the training pants when they need to use the potty.
Videos
Potty training videos may also be helpful in getting your child to use the toilet. Sometimes it takes the child seeing another child or character in the video that they like using the potty to both understand the how the toilet works and to give them a desire to use it. Potty training videos can be individualized to either a boy or a girl to make the video even more applicable. Some potty training videos even come with a stuffed animal of the character in the video that you can give to the child before you start potty training. This allows the child to grow an attachment to the character in the video, possibly making them more interested in it.
Books
Potty training books can also be helpful when trying to toilet train a child. Like videos, books give instructions using colorful pictures and fun characters to get your child excited about potty training. Unlike a video, a book can easily be taken into the bathroom with the child so you can read it to them while they are sitting on their potty chair.
Rewards
Rewards for using the potty can also help motivate a child to become potty trained. Rewards don't necessarily have to be expensive. Depending on the age of the child, even small dollar-store toys may be enough motivation to keep your child trying to use the toilet.
