Helping your child make the transition from wearing diapers to using a toilet can be trying for parents and their children. While there is plenty of advice available to parents, it is not always easy to sift through what is worth trying. So how do you determine the right approach for you and your child to take in tackling going to the bathroom? Read on for some of our favorite potty training tips to help your kid transition out of wearing diapers.

Be Patient

Patience is one of the simplest potty training tips but is often one of the most overlooked. Many children learn how to pee in the toilet relatively easily but learning to poop in the bathroom often takes a bit longer. If your child is having trouble with pooping in the potty, consider taking a measured approach that includes looking for cues that they need to go and find a way to make it fun for your child while you wait for them to poop. It is also advisable to take your child to the bathroom frequently and then gradually work up to longer durations as their accidents become fewer over time.

Start When They Are Ready

It can be easy to put unnecessary pressure on your kid by trying to force them to potty train before they are willing. Starting when they have an interest in ditching the diaper in favor of going to the bathroom is one of our best potty training tips. But how can you tell when your child is ready to take that next step? Some signs they are ready to begin using the bathroom include telling you they have to go before they do, as well as, wanting their diaper changed immediately after they pee or poop

Make a Game Out of It

Another one of our potty training tips to help provide a stress-free transition for your child is to turn it into a game. Consider setting aside a guy’s or girl’s weekend where you and your child both sit around in “big kid” underwear and see who can go the most often at a specified interval. You can even offer prizes for the winner or for each time your child successfully uses the toilet. This is a fun way to encourage them to go to the bathroom but don’t forget to put down towels or plastic to protect furniture, carpet, and other items in the event of an accident.

Baby Steps

Don’t be afraid to work up to the real thing; many toddlers can find using the toilet to be intimidating. Additionally, the use of an actual restroom facility may require a step stool which can set your kid up for failure since it takes more time to get in position. Start with a child’s potty and keep it somewhere your child is most frequently like a living room or play room. As they begin to use it, gradually move it closer to the bathroom and when they are ready, switch to using a kiddie lid for the toilet.

Public Restrooms

Many children are intimidated by the automatic flushers that can be found in public restrooms and who can blame them? One of our favorite tips for dealing with automatic flushing toilets is to put a post-it note over the sensor before your child uses the bathroom, so they are free to go to the bathroom without having to worry about it flushing while they are sitting there. Once they are done, wiped, dressed and ready to go, just remove the post-it to allow the auto-flusher to work as designed.