Potty training tips: 5 tricks I learned after my fifth child

Potty training can be one of the toughest things you’ll have to do as a parent. Although I had already trained four kids in the past, my fifth child taught me some valuable potty training tips. Now I’m passing those on to you. Check it out!

I thought I knew everything there was to know in order to successfully potty train a toddler. Boy, was I wrong. When it was time to train my daughter–my fifth child–I did everything right but she still wasn’t trained. This wasn’t my first time. I was confused. Then, she taught me a thing or two. Here’s what I learned.

Tip #1: Wait until your child is ready

You probably hear this all the time because it’s true. If your child isn’t showing any interest in going to the bathroom, don’t force it. Most of the time, mom or dad is ready but not the child. If you try to force your child, they will most likely develop negative feelings towards potty training and it will take even longer. Stop the power struggle.

Here’s some signs that your toddler is ready for potty training success:

Shows interest in other people going to the bathroom
Takes off diaper and seems annoyed with wet diaper
Stays dry after a nap or extended amount of time
Hides when they go poo or pee
Poops on schedule
Can follow simple directions

Tip #2: One gender doesn’t potty train better than the other

People always told me that girls potty train faster than boys. Well, all of my boys potty trained in one day and my little girl literally took months. Each child’s personality is different and each should be treated independently from another. Don’t expect certain results from each child based on past experiences.

Tip #3: It’s okay to go back to diapers

Sometimes you don’t know if your child is ready until you start trying. I started potty training when my daughter turned three years old. I thought she was ready but after a few days of accident after accident with no successes, I put diapers back on her. She didn’t seem sad at all. She was happy to put the diaper back on. That was enough of an indication to me that she wasn’t ready. We tried again a couple of months later with much more success.

Tip #4: Positive reinforcement is always better

It is super easy to get upset when potty training. But putting a child in time out and disciplining them for having accidents may cause them to regress. They are just getting used to listening to what their body is telling them. Sometimes that takes a while. Let them learn at their own pace. Give them lots of praise every time they at least try. I love using a potty sticker chart or putting a special present on display as motivation. My daughter also did really well with her very own portable potty chair.

Tip #5: Continue life as normal during potty training

I used to clear my entire schedule so that I didn’t have anything planned during potty training time. But as a busy mom with four other kids, I stopped doing that with my fifth child. It’s just not a good idea or feasible. If I needed to go to the store, I would bring extra underwear and wet wipes and hope for the best. We even took my daughter on a five-hour road trip. She had some accidents but I think it helped her learn quicker.