Information about the different potty training equipment regular mamas have found useful in our helpful series of potty training tips.
To potty or not to potty – that may well be the question when it comes to potty training. Some families prefer the convenience and mobility of using a potty while others prefer to start off straight on the toilet. Today we are asking our panel of experienced mamas about their potty preferences, as well as;
What essential ‘equipment’ did you need for toilet training?
- A potty (for home), pull up nappy pants (for outings) and patience!! CO
- Time, and a whole lot of underpants. Oh, and a a few old cloth nappies in easy to reach places in case I needed to clean up a puddle or two. KF
- Underpants! A potty to take to the shops, park, etc. SH
- With my youngest, we got steps for the big toilet because she is so fiercely independent that she was doing things the exact same way that we do! SH
- A spray bottle of carpet cleaner, lots of cloths and patience. We bought a potty that was fun to use. It played songs and had a flush lever that made a flush noise. This was all well and good but I ended up turning off the noise as it was very distracting and they both preferred to play with the songs, levers, etc than actually doing their business! TW
- Not a lot. Knickers, a potty and lots of wet wipes! AH
- None, really. I encouraged them to use the big toilet straight away but that was a personal thing where I HATE potties! SP
RELATED: Potty training time is also a great time to work on good hygiene. Grab our free, printable handwashing chart.
So to summarize, if you are about to start potty training, you might like to check this handy list;
- Potty chair (if you will be using one)
- Lots of underwear. Underwear with your child’s favourite superhero or TV character can be a hit
- Wet wipes/baby wipes
- Pull up nappy pants
- A step for to use with your toilet
- A toilet seat insert/seat reducer
- Flushable wipes
- Cleaning supplies
- Rewards if you’ll be using them
Next up in our How to Start Potty training series is – nighttime potty training: tips for staying dry overnight. Alternatively, if you missed it, head back to the start of the series for How to Start Potty Training: Is My Toddler Ready?
With thanks for sharing so generously to Shae (Mum to 3 girls), Tanya (Mum to a pigeon pair), Amanda (Mum to 2 girls), Kate (Mum to 4 – two of each), Cath (Mum to 1+1) and Sarah (Mum to 2 boys and 1 girl).
Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
We have been through a lot of popsicles trying to teach my son to poop. We all have needed them to make it through.
I basically stayed home for two weeks, committed the toddler to a period of nudity (it was summer) and got rid of all awake time nappies/pull ups/training paints. And she was pretty much trained by the end of it.
I found when the time was right the most essential tool I needed was “courage”. Courage to step out that door with my son in underwear. It helped knowing I had a change of pants, underwear, wipes, towel and plastic bag in my handbag for any accidents!
I had to toilet train twins- one boy and one girl. What I did was wait until summer, took their nappies off and let them walk around bare (at home that is!) and I put two of those little portable toilets for kids by the door in the family room so they could reach it quickly whenever they could. My girl was terrific, she sat on her “toilet” all day because she thought she was just so grown-up, lol! My boy was the exact opposite, he just wee’d wherever he stood for the first day or so until he got the hang of what it was all about. It was quite an experience, but they were ready for it. I just had to prepare myself for cleaning up lots of accidents and emptying their little toilets constantly, but it was worth it.