Preparing For Potty Training

Thank you Cottonelle® for sponsoring this post.

I can’t believe this baby is already a year old; where has the time gone?! It is so much fun watching her learn to do things on her own and be more independent: she feeds herself these days, she can help get herself dressed, we’ve been practicing tooth brushing, and she loves our nightly bath time routine. And I know it’s early still, but it’s only a matter of time before it is time to start potty training! I’ve started doing some research and here are some great tips on preparing for potty training.

Preparing For Potty Training

Start talking about it

The first step is to just start talking about the whole bathroom routine. Many kids are already aware of what’s happening in their diaper and may even announce it to you (“Mommy, I’m pooping!”), so use this as a jumping off point. Talk to them about the “potty feeling” (or whatever you want to call it) that they have when they feel the need to use the bathroom so that they can start to be more aware of that sensation. Explain that once they feel the “potty feeling” it’s time to go to the bathroom, because poop and pee go in the potty, etc. etc.

The exact words don’t really matter, just make sure that you start talking about using the bathroom so that they understand that it’s a normal process that everyone goes through. And make sure you don’t use negative words like “dirty” or “yucky” when talking about their soiled diapers; you don’t want them to think there is something bad or dirty about the whole elimination process. (Yes, the contents of a dirty diaper can be TOTALLY gross and disgusting, but the point is that peeing and pooping are totally normal and not something they should be ashamed of!)

Show and tell

Your child probably already copies most of your actions, so why should using the bathroom be any different?! You could explain to them how to pull their pants down, sit down, pee, wipe, pull their pants back up, flush, wash their hands, etc., but it’s a whole lot easier to just let them observe you doing it. If that feels weird to you, you can still act out most of the individual pieces of using the toilet like sitting, flushing, washing your hands, etc. without actually taking your child into the bathroom while you use the toilet.

Gear up

When you’re thinking about starting to potty train, it’s important to have the right tools for the job. You’ll obviously need a potty chair, or a potty training seat if your child would rather use the “big kid toilet”, and you should also have a step stool so your child can wash their hands in the sink.

And make sure you have plenty of toilet paper! With Cottonelle® Mega Roll with CleanRipple Texture, there’s more inside than meets the eye. Each holds 4 rolls in 1 to unroll a mega surprise. More sheets in each Cottonelle® Mega Roll means less changing the roll and less hassle. That’s one mega convenience, because you know kids tend to overestimate how much toilet paper they actually need! Grab a coupon from Cottonelle® here!

They also make tons of potty training aids that can help make potty training fun for kids! There are potty training dolls that actually wet themselves, so your child can help teach the doll how to use the potty while they are learning as well, and you can find tons of books about potty training, which will be great for AJ because she LOVES to read!

Get your child involved

Many kids prefer to learn by doing, so as you start explaining the bathroom routine, let them help out! Let them flush the toilet after you use the bathroom, and have them wash their hands along with you. And be sure to praise them for being so grown up when they do it!

Bridge the gap

You probably won’t be in the bathroom every time you change a dirty diaper, but you can help to bring the whole process full circle by bringing your child into the bathroom with you to deal with the dirty diaper after you change it. We use cloth diapers, so this is especially easy for us because we already have to go into the bathroom to rinse out the poopy diapers. But even if you use disposables, you can shake the poop into the toilet and flush it, then toss the diaper itself into the trash can. Let your child watch as you do it so that they start to understand that poop goes in the toilet.

Cottonelle® has teamed up with lifestyle expert Brit Morin to provide families with even more ways to save time and space; check out her potty training tips below:

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I was selected for this opportunity and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Stay tuned to the Cottonelle Facebook page and Brit Morin’s site “Brit + Co” for more great tips and tricks.

Disclosure: I received compensation from Cottonelle® in exchange for my participation in this campaign, and my honest discussion of their products. But all opinions in this post are 100% my own. I would never write a post about something I didn’t think was useful or interesting for you guys, and Practically Functional will only publish sponsored posts for companies or products I love and believe in! 🙂