I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pull-Ups Big Kid Academy. I received samples for this review and a promotional item to thank me for participating. #PullUpsAcademy #MC
I recently attended the first-ever on site event, the Pull-Ups Academy, at Kimberly Clark headquarters in Wisconsin. It was an exciting opportunity to meet with other moms, bloggers, potty training experts and of course, the Pull-Ups team. We all got a behind-the-scenes tour and learned a lot about how the Pull-Ups Big Kid Academy can help parents with the potty training process.
The Pull-Ups Big Kid Academy trip has given me a lot to think about as I begin the potty training process with my youngest son. There are many potty training helps and resources available to parents today that were not out there when I potty trained my oldest child just a few years ago. You just have to know where to look.
Potty training is one of childhood’s biggest milestones and a major step towards Big Kid independence. PATIENCE and CONSISTENCY are key to successful potty training. Parents should keep in mind that a toddler learns and experiences tons of new things every single day. The potty training process is just one of many different things going on in their world.
I put together a list of 5 things parents should know about potty training. It includes things I wish I would have known when I started potty training my kids, combined with the things I learned at the Pull-Ups Academy.
1. Every child potty trains differently.
A potty training method that works for one child may not work for others. Children are motivated by different things. For example, my oldest son loved adding stickers to his Potty Chart. My second child did not care for charts or stickers, but was happiest when we praised his potty success with cheers and hugs. A child may take days, weeks or even months to fully potty train.
2. How to tell if your child is ready for potty training.
Is a child ready to start potty training? Check out The 10 Signs of Readiness to find out. Then ask yourself, are YOU ready to start potty training your child?
3. Get the right gear.
You’ll need a few potty training essentials to get started. A potty seat, Pull-Ups training pants, and a rewards system. Help build your child’s excitement by letting them pick out their Big Kid potty seat, training pants and rewards. Rewards can include just about anything that motivates your child. Things that worked for my kids include: stickers, M&Ms and gum, words of praise, hugs and silly dances/cheers.
There are currently 3 kinds of Pull-Ups including: Learning Designs, Cool Alert (available online) and Night Time Training Pants. The Learning Designs Pull Ups are gender-specific and feature new designs: Doc McStuffins for girls, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Lightning McQueen for boys.
4. Potty training? There is an app for that!
Download the free Time To Potty App (available at iTunes and Google Play). I love the app’s Smart Timer that reminds me to take my child to the potty. It helps me be consistent with our potty times. This app actually learns a child’s potty habits and automatically adjusts the time between potty breaks. Every time you take a potty break, your child unlocks a reward (interactive games, puzzles, music and coloring pages).
Potty training is a process. Things may be going along great, then suddenly seem to fall apart. Don’t stress. It happens all the time! It is okay to take breaks from potty training and start again when you feel your child is ready. Parents need to have realistic expectations. Research shows a quarter of children take 12 weeks to fully potty train (daytime). It is completely normal for night time potty training to take longer.
Remember that your child will eventually get the hang of going to the potty. The potty training experience can be a great time to have fun and bond with your child. Enjoy the journey!
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Are you about to start the potty training process? Do you have any potty training tips or tricks to share? I’ll be hosting a Pull-Ups playdate soon to share these potty training tips. Be sure to watch for the blog post recap.
