Time to potty train. This is incredible. My baby is growing up — they’ll finally be able to do it all by themselves! I can take off the training wheels and say goodbye to changing diapers forever. A dream come true right?
Or is it?
My experience was not so smooth. Yes, I spent less money on diapers, but the tradeoff was investing more time cleaning and washing a seemingly endless stream of soiled underwear (ick).
Accident after accident – on the way to school requiring me to clean the car seat, in the crib, on the couch, at the dinner table, bath time fun turned into code-brown nightmares.
Was I doing this thing right?
To me, potty training felt a bit like breastfeeding — in the fact that seemingly everyone was willing to offer unsolicited advice, and I of course was always made to feel like the dumb-dumb.
“We just started telling him his older cousin pooped in the potty, and he started doing it!”
“I took away his favorite toys when he had an accident, trust me he got the idea pretty quickly!”
“She just told me one day, mommy, I don’t want diapers anymore.”
What were these fairy tale stories coming from my family and friends?
This piece is about my little girl, and our journey from diapers to potty. A bit of great advice from our pediatrician, and the awesome gear that helped boost her confidence in the bathroom.
The Gear
She just loved the fact that ‘toys’ were coming to help her use the potty. Unwrapping boxes and getting new things is exciting for children (let’s be honest, it’s exciting for mom too). The fact that there were these new special items just for her made her world.
1. Jool Baby Potty Training Ladder
I don’t know what it is about the step stool ladder, but this became an instant favorite. The idea of ‘getting to use the adult potty’ just lit my daughter up.
Typically, when something arrives that says “assembly required” I immediately feel the heartburn set on, but this mini ladder required 6 easy color-coordinated steps – I had no issue putting it together.
Once set up, the baby ladder is sturdy enough for a toddler but lightweight enough to maneuver around the bathroom.
The ladder has become my daughter’s product of choice, as she appears to enjoy the confidence that comes along with doing it ‘just like mommy and daddy’.
2. Jool Baby Real Feel Potty Chair
Oh. My. Word. A miniature little potty for toddlers, this product was also a dream.
Complete with its own handle to hold toilet paper, my daughter no longer had to run across to the bathroom (half naked) to get her hands on the roll of toilet paper next to our adult toilet.
There is a built-in compartment in the back for storage. I decided to put some of my favorite baby wipes inside to keep those hands clean (because things get dirty quickly during potty training).
This puppy even has a flush mechanism which gives an encouraging word after each use. “Hooray! You did it!!”.
With the Training Ladder on floor one, and the Real Deal potty on floor two, I now had the house covered for our novice to quickly locate a bathroom.
3. Folding Travel Potty Seat from Jool Baby
But what about during travel? What the heck do I do when the family is on the go and my baby needs to go?
The Folding Travel Potty Seat is another one of my most liked products. Portability to the max. It folds up super compact to fit into my diaper bag, and it comes with me everywhere – very hand when she needs to use the bathroom in any new or unfamiliar settings.
I’m also a germaphobe of sorts, and I like to believe this product helps keep bacteria found in public restrooms off my little girl’s hands, skin, clothing, etc.
4. Portable Potty Training Chair from Jool Baby
Another item for the family that travels, this item is perfect when there really are no public restroom options (or perhaps due to sanitation and long waits, you find yourself in a situation where the training chair is preferable to the public restroom option).
Our family likes to travel and go on hikes, I somewhat pride myself on not letting the kiddos slow down my need for adventure. But this whole potty-training thing was threatening to derail that whole idea. I just couldn’t let that happen.
The Portable Potty Chair was really the last piece of gear that completed our journey. I bring it with us on longer treks, and I’ve even set it up for use in the back of the SUV on long road trips when restroom options are nowhere to be found.
Sometimes my girl will request this chair if she doesn’t like the look of a particular rest stop, it’s more cozy to go here than deal with the hustle and bustle.
Portable is in the title of the product for a reason, this thing folds up super small. Not only does it fit in a diaper bag, but I have no issue concealing it in my purse as well.
5. The Pant by Coterie
Listen, it’s not a diaper, they are pants. Well, I guess technically it’s still a diaper.
There are times when all the gear in the world can’t take the place of just putting a diaper on your child and not worrying about accidents. I get it, some parents prefer to make the switch and never go back, but that just seemed too difficult to manage for our family.
I figured it was time to step up the diaper game and transition to a more active diaper that my child could easily pull on and off like a pair of underwear.
Yes, I also purchased some cloth underwear, with the obvious goal being to use nothing but undies – but there are situations where having a diaper handy saved the day.
This diaper is one of the coolest I’ve found. I already love Coterie, but had never tried The Pant. It slides up and down little toddler legs like a pair of real undies, making it easier for them to use the bathroom by themselves (along with helping them gain confidence).
One bonus feature is that you can also open the diaper by pulling the Velcro straps like a normal baby diaper.
Am I late to the party or is this a thing? I’ve seen other pull-ups that strictly go up and down – Coterie The Pant has this magic second way to remove. Innovation that counts.
Sometimes, when there is a bigger mess, sliding diapers up and down is a tall order. It’s like trying to sneak through a laser grid in Mission Impossible – carefully removing so as not to get any nastiness on baby’s legs or feet, while they inevitably refuse to cooperate and stop wiggling.
I didn’t even know when I purchased these there was a second way to take them off. One day I just instinctively tried to unstrap ‘em like a regular pair of diapers – voila, works basically the same way!
It really is incredible how you can take them off and roll them up like a regular diaper, but they also slide like undies, keeping my child feeling like a big girl. Very cool product that made the transition easier!
The Advice
The best suggestion came from my pediatrician, who saw this as an opportunity to encourage our little girl. Instead of getting upset and angry at her accidents, he wanted me to reward her when she went into the potty.
And it doesn’t have to be some huge reward, like a trip to Disney World – our family started with the smallest of prizes. We bought a big calendar and a bunch of stickers, giving our precious little beginner a sticker every time she used the potty.
It became a huge success! Once she filled a week up with daily stickers, she was rewarded with a toy from the toy store.
Week one – all filled up and one new Hot Wheels race car set (don’t ask me why, she just needed to have it).
Week two – she kept talking about the beach. After a second week of going in the potty every day, she got her trip to the beach.
By week three she pretty much got the idea. I incorporated a few other stickers as rewards for good behavior at the dinner table and for sharing with her brother.
If you are frustrated with other potty training methods, I would certainly recommend this encouraging approach!
Wrap Up
In the end every family is different. This has been my experience but please don’t feel judged if yours is not the same.
Feel out what works best for your new little potty adventurer – if you want to push them to go earlier, do it. If you want to wait until they tell you they’re ready, then wait.
I honestly felt so much pressure from family and friends to make the move, and I in no way want to pass on that stress to my lovely readers.
There really is no right answer in my opinion. Get advice from others and try to stay consistent, but don’t feel like a failure should your child backslide or not get it entirely. Every child is different and they will become potty trained eventually.
Keep your head up and keep on encouraging! The day when the diapers and the need for help in the potty will one day be a thing of the past, and who knows, you might actually miss it.
