Common Potty Training Mistakes

Let’s be honest, potty training is hard work. We all feel like we’re making mistakes at some point. As parents, it’s easy to get frustrated and impatient with this hard but necessary challenge. If you’re anything like me, you looked to others for advice, but sometimes you just need to know what the common potty training mistakes are so you can avoid them and forge your own path. Are you the researcher? The advice seeker? Or the wing-it parent? Regardless of what type of parent you are, remember that they won’t go to college in Pampers so it’ll all work out. Promise . 

 

I remember potty training my first born and everyone’s advice and opinions were so contradicting. I know most parents, including myself, have regrets or the “I could have done….”.  I’m going to let you in on what I wish I would have known when potty training my oldest. 

 

Check Out: Potty Training Tips For Boys

Here are some common mistakes I see across the board:

 

#1 Starting too early

 

Kids show when they are ready. Watch for cues like taking a diaper off when they are wet, telling you they need to be changed, and wanting to sit on the potty even when they don’t have to go are all signs they are ready. Make sure you’re ready to commit. There is going to be an extra mountain pile of laundry, stopping what you’re doing to take them, and not showing your frustration. I know diapers are a pain but starting to early can result in both being frustrated and giving up. 

 

#2 Giving up is another common potty training mistake 

 

Sometimes it just feels easier to slap on a diaper and stick with what you know but it change is never easy. We often give up when things get hard. Well, let me tell you, potty training is hard, messy, and exhausting. Expect kids to miss, have accidents, throw a fit when being told to go. Please, don’t give up. Make sure you’ve been watching their cues maybe changing your approach may help!

 

#3 Making sure you have the proper potty training tools and approach for your child

 

Each child is different. The three-day method might work for one but another child may need a reward system. One might like a potty chair, one might like the big toilet. Watch to see which makes your child more comfortable. Doing this will ensure it’s not a chore for the child. Making it a chore takes all the fun out of it and you might get rebellion.

 

To not make it a chore, make it a happy thing! Clap, high five, praise, happy dance whatever they would like will make it fun and more exciting to go. Letting them pick out their own underwear is another great idea. 

These are all common mistakes but they are the mistakes that make it the hardest. Watch for those cues, don’t give up, make sure you’re fully prepared. It’ll never be perfect, but you with the right approach, right time, and not giving up it’ll be easier on both you and your child. What do you think will help your potty training journey run smoothly? Did you already potty train an older child and have these mistakes? Let’s make this easy on both you and your babe by avoiding the common mistakes.