My Potty Training Essentials

I can’t even believe it but the time has officially arrived! I don’t know where my tiny little baby went but we are now officially beginning the adventure of potty training! Potty training can feel like such an overwhelming and intimidating challenge but I don’t think it has to be. I wanted to share with you guys a few of the things that have been really helpful for me in making this process a bit less overwhelming and share the method we are using for potty training. Also, if you are wondering if your child is ready to potty train I found a really helpful list for Potty Training Readiness if you'd like to read it.

I know there are a few ways to potty train but we decided to rip off the Band-Aid so to speak and just do “naked potty training”. Basically we gated off our kitchen and let Ayla run around in a dress with no diaper on. We spend the day reading books, painting pictures and playing with some plastic toys that were easy enough to clean off if they got a bit messy during the process. On nicer days we have been playing outside in the back yard which leaves me feeling a bit less stir crazy. Ayla has loved to play with the water table but I wouldn’t recommend this until you have a day or two of potty training under your belt. I learned the hard way that if she’s already wet from splashing in the table she doesn’t care very much about getting more wet when she has to go to the bathroom. We have been using the sticker method for rewards which works great for Ayla because she loves stickers right now. She gets one every time she uses the potty and she just thinks it’s the best thing ever!

There have been a number of accidents along the way but Ayla is definitely starting to get the hang of it. Aside from going in the potty, I think Ayla is most proud of her transition to wearing big girl undies. For bedtime and occasionally for longer trips out we have been using Pampers Easy Ups. What I love about them is that they are designed to look and feel like real undies (they are super soft unlike a regular diaper) but have the leak protection you need. They are more of an “underwear training pant” than a diaper. They have a 360 degree stretchy waist band to fit and feel like real undies. They also have a dual leak guard barrier to prevent leaks that can occur when on the move. I think Ayla’s favorite part is that they are covered with an adorable Hello Kitty print (or Thomas the Engine for boys). Ayla just loves them which has made the process so much more fun for her. It’s no surprise that Pampers Easy Ups recently won the 2017 Best New Product Award which was voted on by 10,000 real parents and chosen as the best product. These Easy Ups have made life a lot easier during this potty training process. There are a few other products that have also been helpful for us during this process (especially while going out!) so I compiled a list of all my “potty training must haves” with links to most of the items below. Hope you find it helpful!

1.Pampers Easy Up’s– We have really loved our experience with this brand so far and I would absolutely recommend them to any parent in the potty training process. You can find them here: Pampers Easy Ups for Girls or Pampers Easy Ups for Boys.

3. Stickers- We may have cleared out the sticker section at target but its been so fun to have an assortment of stickers for Ayla to choose from.

4. Fold up potty- You need to check this out. Public bathrooms totally creep me out so I have loved this fold up potty seat. It fits right in your purse or diaper bag and is great for using in public restrooms. You do have to be careful as it can slide around a bit but it has been such a life saver. Find it here: Fold up Potty

5. Dolly potty- For girls we love the Melissa and Doug baby doll with a potty and for boys we love the once upon a potty doll with potty (its a little boy doll). I think its important developmentally for children to be able to act out the skills they are learning through play. This has seemed to really help her feel motivated to use her potty. I help her ask her “baby loopsie” if it needs to use the potty. We drew a “sticker chart” for her doll and use a marker to color a sticker for her every time she “goes potty”. If your looking for a potty for the baby dolls you already have you can find a cute baby potty here.

6. Waterproof car seat- our car seat is not the easiest to clean so we decided to invest in a Summer Infant Total Coverage Car Piddlepad. It’s one of the best 10 dollar purchases I have ever made from Amazon! This has been a lifesaver. Its soft and absorbent on the top and then there is a waterproof plastic liner on the bottom. We bought two so I could keep one in her stroller and one in her car seat.

7. Training Potty- We went with the Ubbi training potty. It's just really easy to clean and its pretty adaptable. You can take the seat and use it on a real potty or use it as a training potty. The bottom of it becomes a helpful step stool for your child to use once they are done with potty training which is great to find a product you can continue to use long after potty training is over.

I hope some of this has been helpful for you! Thanks for reading and thanks to Pampers for sponsoring this post.

XO,

Kelly