Potty Training Made Easy

It seems I’m no good at potty training.

The entire process went poorly with G. At the time, I chalked it up to inexperience on my part and resistance to change on his part. Some kids are more difficult to potty train than others, I told myself.

And then it was time to potty train B. I’d say it went slightly better than it did with her brother. Part of that is because we had more experience under our belts, and part of that is because I got a little bit wiser.

Before I had kids, I wasn’t going to be a mom that bought Pull-Ups® Training Pants. I thought they were an unnecessary step between diapers and underwear. I thought they just prolonged potty training and confused the child about what the goal was.

I was wrong.

It turns out toddlers thrive on consistency and diapers don’t teach potty training skills like Pull-Ups do. Plus, they look and fit more like underwear, giving your child the independence to slide his pants on and off.

By the time we started the potty training process with B, I’d learned my lesson. With her, Pull-Ups were a big part of the process, and they were also why it was easier on all of us. We used Pull-Ups to help B make the transition from diapers to underwear. Thanks to Pull-Ups, B felt like a big girl because we no longer had to change her diapers, but J and I didn’t have to worry she’d have an accident while we were in public.

Pull-Ups are super easy to put on and take off; the stretchy sides make them way more convenient than any other options we tried. Even though we’re grateful we discovered them in time to take a lot of the stress out of potty training B, that doesn’t mean the process was without hiccups. She’s a super stubborn kid- strong-willed, we like to say- and she can’t be easily coaxed into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.

All of the mistakes we made potty training G and B have solidified my desire to do a better job when it’s time to train baby number three. Luckily, I found the Pull-Ups website, and it’s full of resources to help make the transition from diapers to underwear as smooth as possible for both parents and toddlers. Specifically, I found three resources I’m absolutely going to take advantage of next time around.

Helpful Potty Training Tools

Potty Training Personality Quiz

At first I thought the quiz was going to be a little gimmicky, like a teen magazine quiz. I took it, though, and the results were super eye-opening for me. B is a bear personality, which means she loves to play and interact with others and wasn’t too concerned when her diaper would fill up. That description is so accurate considering I can’t remember a single time she asked to have her diaper changed.

Along with explaining how kids with B’s personality type operate, the quiz results have a ton of helpful information about teaching your child how to know when she has to use the bathroom, potty training games to play with them (why didn’t I think of that?), and potty training away from home.

Potty Training Games

Pull-Ups also provides potty training games. The games are fun activities for you to do with your toddler and they all revolve around potty training: Introducing him to the potty, getting familiar with the bathroom, timing trips to the potty. There are even fun charts and trackers so your child can visualize his progress.

We use charts to track other behaviors in our house, so why did it never occur to me to use one for potty training? That’s definitely a tool I’m going to make use of next time around. Because she loves to earn stickers and rewards, I know B would have been a huge fan of a chart.

Dollar General Digital Coupons

I blog a lot about saving money and I’m always open to new ways of making that happen. Digital coupons from Dollar General are a great way to do that.

Dollar General is one of the only stores in my tiny town that carries baby and toddler products; the fact they offer coupons is a huge perk. Signing up for those coupons is super easy:

1. Sign up here or Text JOIN to 34898 to begin saving.
2. Create an account and load which coupons you would like to use.
3. Visit your local Dollar General to redeem coupons at checkout.

You can even save $2 on Pull-Ups with a Dollar General digital coupon.

Let’s face it: potty training isn’t a cakewalk. It’s a pretty big deal for everyone involved, but it doesn’t have to be the horrendous experience it’s made out to be. With patience, good timing, and a little help from Dollar General and Pull-Ups, it can even be fun.

What are your best tips to make potty training easy?