Hi everyone.
I'm Melissa from CloudMom.com and today I'm doing part three in my series on potty training.
And we're gonna be getting into the nitty gritty of how you actually do the thing and
potty train your kid.
So before we get into my five-step plan for potty training your kid, I just wanna mention
two good things I think are good to do in terms of pre-potty training, getting your
child used to the notion of pooping and peeing in the potty.
And the first one is, just really get in the habit of bringing your child in with you to
the bathroom when you pee and if you can when you poop.
It's all in the family.
This is a really important part of being a parent.
Try to get rid of your shyness, do this in front of your child.
And if you're too shy to poop in front of them just bring them into the bathroom and
show them the poop in the potty, and if they're not scared by the noise of the toilet and
the flushing, even have them flush the toilet.
Second thing that's really great, take the diaper full of poop into the bathroom with
your child, dump it into the potty and do the same thing so that they get used to the
whole notion that this is where we go to the bathroom when we're big.
Okay, so once you've decided that your child is showing signs and that they are ready to
potty train, here is what you're gonna do and you have your equipment which I go over
in show two.
Here's what you're gonna do, I'm gonna use slides just to make this really, really clear.
Here comes slide number one.
First of all, you want to establish a potty sitting routine.
Those days of popping on the diaper and dashing out the door are gone.
Now you need to get in the habit of sitting your kid down a lot.
Don't ask him, "Do you have to go?"
Just sit him down.
So that means in the morning at least every hour before you're going out and definitely
before your child is going to bed, okay?
Moving on.
Number two, keep it light and fun.
When your child sits try to make it fun by giving him books he likes to flip through.
You might even keep a stack of books in the bathroom or you can sit with him on the floor
and read to him.
So instead of saying, "Let's make potty."
Just say, "Let's sit.
Let's sit and see what happens."
Never ever ask him to poop or to pee or push him.
You don't wanna do that.
You just wanna make him feel good about the fact that he's sitting down on the potty and
you can be there with him to make it even more fun.
Okay, moving right along to step three.
Be very careful where you go.
This is not the time to go to a big park with no bathrooms close by.
If you are not close to home, pick cozy small places with child-friendly bathrooms nearby.
You wanna make it really close and easy to get your child to the potty when you need
to, okay?
Next, I'm getting my slides together here.
Never leave the house without at least two changes of clothes, underwear and a bottom,
you don't need the top.
Wipes are still good to carry also for any cleanups of poop accidents.
I just actually throw these change of clothes into a Ziploc bag and if I don't have a diaper
bag I just throw that Ziploc bag into my bag.
So that's what I do.
And here is the five thing and this is really important, in case of an accident don't show
anger or frustration.
Just say, "That's okay, we're getting there."
Remember, your child will in fact pee and poop about five minutes after you sat him
down and that is why it's called potty training, okay?
So this is a guide for beginning to potty train your child.
I've got two other important things that I wanna mention that I wrote down in my notes.
Okay.
So, if your child is already at preschool, it's really true when they say to dress them
in super comfortable clothing that's easy for him or her to get off.
So no more suspenders and no tricky things with waistbands or no more belts.
Not for now, okay?
So you wanna make sure, and you also want to send him in to school with plenty of changes
of clothes.
And, just from personal experience, in my personal experience with each one of my kids
when I finally decided to do the thing, the first few days were definitely the hardest.
We had a lot of accidents and spillage all over the place and I found it really hard.
I really just found it easier for me to stick at home, close to home.
I know other people that did this outside.
It was just really easy.
They had a backyard or in nature or whatever and they kinda just didn't worry about it,
and they spent a lot of time outside.
It was a very natural process.
But regardless, this is not the time for long road trips, visits to people who are particular
about their homes or being in places where it's hard to find a bathroom.
So you have to leave all that and just concentrate on what you're doing.
Hope that these tips will help you.
If you have other things that you did when you finally embarked on potty training with
your kids, please share them with me and other moms by commenting on this blog on CloudMom.com.
Stay tuned for part four of my series and thank you so much for watching.