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When I first became a mom, I was terrified! There are so many new things to that you have to experience. However, the one that I dreaded the most was Potty Training. I had no idea what to do or where to start. My mother-in-law gave me amazing advice that totally works and was super easy to implement. Don’t get me wrong, I was still nervous and we still had accidents, but as I’ve talked to other mothers, I’ve found that my kids have great habits from the way they were potty trained.

1. Talk about the potty all of the time. Let your kids go with you when you go. Show them what to do and how to do it. I bought my kids this princess seat and got really excited about it. I showed them how it worked and that they don’t have to be scared about going potty.
2. When they show interest, jump on it! Don’t wait for it to be convenient for you, take the time and show excitement for them!
3. Head out and buy them a pack of underwear. Let them pick out their favorite ones. The underwear can play a more important role than you realize. Once you start potty training make sure to emphasize that their panties can’t be wet. If they get Cinderella underwear tell them that they can’t get Cinderella wet. If she gets wet, she gets cold and sad. If there is an accident (and there will be) tell them that they got Cinderella wet and now she’s sad. It sounds dumb, but folks, IT WORKS!
4. When you start, set a timer on your phone, Alexa.. whatever! for 20 minutes. Whenever the timer goes off, drop everything and take them potty. I did have to shorten the timer to about 10 minutes if my child hadn’t gone potty for a while. Let them sit on the potty for a while, if they don’t go right away, it’s ok. You’ll find that they will have a few accidents as soon as you take them off the potty. It’s ok! They have to know what it feels like when they have to go and when they do go.
5. Now the important part, DO NOT PUT PULL- UPS ON THEM! If you put Pull-ups on them it will undo everything that you have done. Pull-ups feel like a diaper and your child feels like they don’t need to control themselves. Instead, when you put your child down for a nap or for bedtime, place a garbage bag down on their bed, then grab a few blankets and place on top of the plastic garbage bag. It will make it so if you have accidents, you don’t have to wash sheets all of the time. It is a little nerve wracking to do it, but it makes them realize that they have to control themselves and that they will be wet if there is an accident.
6. As soon as they wake-up, take them potty! We all have to go to the bathroom when we wake up in the morning, so do they! This also helps them succeed.
7. Every time they go potty on the toilet, CELEBRATE! Make a big deal for them. Give them an M&M every time they succeed.

These tips helped my children succeed in potty training. After the first night without diapers, we didn’t have any accidents at night. Potty training WILL be frustrating, you WILL have accidents, but within a week you will be diaper free!