More Potty Training!

So I've been getting a lot of potty training questions lately, in my personal life.  

I don't think there is a "secret" or what works for me will work for everyone.  

However if there area few tips I would give it would be this:

1. Make the potty a comfortable thing early on in life.

2. Don't push potty training and be ok taking breaks.

3. Once you know both you and your child is ready, don't turn back.

{But again if you THINK they are ready and there are more accidents then not, see #2.}

4. I'm a huge believer in phases of potty training: 

planned visits, undies at home, undies on short trips, etc.

5. Be in tune with YOUR child, not your friends or sisters.

6. Wait for that magic spot where the planned potty visits turn into them taking initiative.

* This was also when she started waking up from naps dry for us.

7. Have your child "feel" the wet when they do have accidents in their undies so they can learn what it feels like.  Remember this have been their normal for almost two years.

8. Make going on the potty a BIG deal! I'm sure my in laws, parents, and sister get tired of Addi calling to say she went on the potty.  But this girl loves getting high fives and hugs, so it works for us.

9. If you're traveling, it's ok to put them in diapers.  We did this in phases:

diapers outside of the house all the time, undies for half hour to hour trips, diapers on car rides over an hour then undies once we arrived, etc. 

*A great tip I read was whatever you do when they're asleep do in the car.

10. Accidents are generally not defiance, but potty training takes a lot of one-on-one times.  So if you're child is craving that time and not getting it, accidents might happen more often.  Re-evaluate and see if there just isn't enough time for you to devote to potty training or if you can commit to a little more time. 

We had to wait to find that sweet spot in our schedule.  Right now is in between the business of summer and the holidays, so it worked perfect.  But I said before hand if it doesn't "naturally" happen I would wait until after the New Year and everything settled down.

I hoep this is help to some, but I also love reading what I wrote about one child for the next.  

I know they are all so different in how they learn.

Her boot just looks so cute in undies!

P.S. #11 Accidents WILL happen.  That's how they learn.  Addi had two with in 15 minutes of each other on our test car ride.  We were 30 minutes from home {after 2 hours in the car and three potty stops later.} Now, she remembers them, talks about them, and has definitely learned from them.  

Happy Potty Training!