Potty Training 101 | Top 5 Potty Training Tips

As I mentioned in the most recent In Our Home post, we embarked on our version of "Adventures in Potty Training" in mid-January.

Did I really want to potty train Nora? NO! Honestly, I secretly wish potty training was an optional parenting activity.

Unfortunately as we all know, it's not. So potty train is what we did!

Before getting started I did some research into various potty training techniques and decided on using the 3 Day Potty Training ebook guidelines (thanks Sarah for the recommendation).

Of course, like with so many things in parenting, not everything was covered in the book. I wish it worked that way but unfortunately it just doesn't.

So in an effort to "give-back" to the online mommy community, I thought I'd add a few of my Mommy Potty Training Tips to help encourage those of you who will be potty training in the near (or not so near) future.

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Steph's Top 5 Potty Training Tips ::

1) Find another "Mommy SOS Friend" who has recently potty trained a child.

I had NO idea how important it was going to be for me to be able to text and/or call a friend who has "been-there-done-that."

Thankfully I had a couple of friends who immediately texted me back when we were 2 hours into the potty training experience and I was ready to throw in the towel.

Find someone who has potty trained a child within the last few years that can encourage you in the very tiring process of potty training. It will be a huge blessing to you... I promise.

2) 25-30 pairs of underwear is not a joke.

Upon reading that I'd need 25-30 pairs of panties/underwear for our 3-day potty training adventure, I literally laughed. In my mind I figured that I do laundry at least once a week so even if she went through 2 pairs/day I wouldn't need more than 14 for the week.

Let's just say Nora wet all 14 pairs of underwear in the first 2 hours on day 1.

Lesson learned. You'll need 25-30 pairs. Really.

3) Potty Training can be VERY discouraging (especially the first 2 days).

This is something I wasn't aware of, but I learned quite quickly. Rather than have unrealistic expectations, I figure I'd rather you know the truth.

Alan and I literally went to bed after Day 1 and asked one another "Why are we doing this?!"

Rather than get discouraged, and worse yet - to show your discouragement to your child in the middle of potty training - always remember that your job as a mommy during these days is to be as encouraging as possible.

Yes - that means a potty dance. Yes - that means a potty song. You'll be the official potty training cheerleader of the family for weeks (which makes tip #5 all that more important)

Just know that you'll more than likely be discouraged at first, but your child will get it... eventually.

4) Plan on getting take-out (or making pre-made freezer meals).

Although this is covered in the ebook, it was a suggestion (much like the 25-30 pairs of panties) that I thought was a little extreme.

Not so much.

In an effort to minimize the distractions during the first 3 days of potty training, it is suggested that you plan on getting take-out or that you have something in the freezer that you can make that takes little to no effort on your part.

Let's just say we had more take-out than we've ever had in our 7 years of marriage during those 3 potty training days. It was a necessity.

5) Awake before your children and allow enough time to shower and have a cup of coffee.

I'm a huge advocate of rising before your children (as I posted about in more detail in the post Mommy Planning Mornings). But take it from the mommy who happened to forget to set her alarm on Day 1 of Potty Training - you're going to need to at least feel like you've beat everyone to the punch when potty training.

A shower and a hot cup of coffee will do wonders on these days.

Bonus Tip :: Get yourself a Boon Potty.

This suggestion is mostly because I just like the Boon Potty so much.

And today could very well be your lucky day! Scottsdale Moms Blog is giving away a Boon Potty to one lucky reader. And you don't even have to live in Scottsdale to win!

Click HERE to see how you can sign up for your chance to win!

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Post-Potty Training Update ::

Thankfully Nora did great those first 3 days and we're currently almost 100% potty trained. She does very well when we're home but it's when we're out that she has a harder time.

My guess is that the accidents when we're out can be attributed to a combination of her high energy personality mixed with her desire to be with people (and not miss out on anything).

It was a long road but we made it (and are making it). And you can to!

Is there anything I'm forgetting? Comment below with any additional tips you might have that will help any readers who are looking for potty training advice.