The Potette On the Go Potty 2-in-1 Plus is an invention of pure genius… even if I didn’t believe it at first.

The idea behind this potty seat is very simple. The compact seat has two legs that flip out from the sides to create a little free-standing potty. Then, you place a plastic liner in the center that stretches over the sides and hooks around the legs.

In the center of each liner is an absorbent pad that soaks up liquid.

At first, this just struck me as weird – like scooping up after a dog with a plastic shopping bag. That was until…

…My 2 year old urgently needed to go potty when we were at the playground. There is no bathroom there, and she wouldn’t have made it all the way home without an accident.

Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty to the rescue. I broke out the potty seat, set it on the ground, and she was back to playing in under one minute.

After my toddler finished going tinkle, I popped out the liner bag, tied it, and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

We used the Potette 3 times that day and other moms at the playground all wanted to know where I got it.

Here Is The GENIUS Part

The Potette would be a winner with just the benefit of creating an on-the-go potty wherever you need one. But, they went one step further.

The legs of the Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty will flip out to the sides like wings and turns it into a potty seat for use on top of a full size toilet seat.

This one single seat gives you the benefits of both an on-the-go potty that works anywhere and also a traditional potty trainer seat.

The Potette was extremely helpful during our holiday travels. We carried one potty seat and always had a potty option for our 2 year old daughter.

To be fair, the Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty isn’t perfect. It can take a little effort to get the legs to snap into position. But, the simplicity of the whole thing keeps it small and light.

The Potette
also sits pretty low to the ground when used as a portable potty. Not a huge issue, but some kids may not like it (no problem for my daughter.)

If you have ever found yourself desperately looking for a bathroom while your toddler dances around shouting, “I need to go potty”, then give the Potette 2-in-1 On the Go Potty a look.

It’s perfect for people who like to camp, travel on long car trips, or just spend lots of time outdoors.

Potty training stickers are a great idea to reward your toddler for successfully using the potty. But, when potty training our oldest daughter, I discovered a very cute and clever kind of potty sticker – it goes inside the potty!

Tinkle Time Re-Usable Potty Training Stickers are placed inside the potty. Under normal conditions, the sticker is black and no image is visible, but when your toddler tinkles in the potty, the heat from their tinkle makes an image appear on the sticker.

When my daughter started potty training, we gave her reward stickers whenever she sat on the potty, to encourage her to sit… but she wasn’t using the potty. But, when we added the stickers inside the potty, it became a game for her. Our stickers were pictures of farm animals and she would jump up after going tinkle and say, “I can see the piggy.”

The amazing thing was how fast she switched from just sitting there to actively trying to go tinkle. It happened as soon as we put the sticker in the potty.

We also re-enforced her success with reward stickers as well – one for tinkies and two for poo-poos.

If your toddler is sitting on the potty regularly, but won’t actually go to the bathroom,  take a look at Tinkle Time Re-Usable Potty Training Stickers. They might just be the thing to jumpstart the process.

Potty training one toddler is a challenge. Potty training multiple children of the same age is like gearing up for an Olympic event. It involves more equipment, more training time, more mess, and parents who posses exponentially more patience.

You are bound to come up against many roadblocks. On the upside, you will have the advantage of peer pressure. Siblings can have a huge influence on each other – especially when it comes to toilet habits, so you’re already one step ahead!

However, it won’t be all sunshine and roses. You still will have some significant hurdles when potty training. Much advice is the same as with the individual child, but some applies specifically to multiples. Here are a few tips.

One potty chair won’t be enough. Training is stressful enough as it is without asking your multiples to share the potty. When a child has to go, it’s nearly impossible in the early stages to ask them to wait their turn. You could be taking steps back instead of forward.

Let each child have his or her own potty chair. Potty training is about the individual child, so have the chair represent them and give them a sense of ownership when they have their own piece of furniture that no one else can use.

Because establishing a routine is the best way to potty train your child, you may want to make it a fun game for your multiples. This will make it easier on you and make it a pleasant experience for them.

When you are trying to train multiples, don’t let them go diaper-less unless you have someone else there to watch them. You will likely find yourself doing little more than cleaning up accidents if you go it alone.

There is bound to be a bit of chaos in your house with toddler multiples, so it’s probably going to be a bit difficult for you to get them to notice their body’s signals that it’s time to use the potty. Let them bring toys or books into the bathroom with them when they need to sit on the potty and focus.

What if you have one child who is interested in potty training and another one who isn’t? This is where you need to be a little less enthusiastic about the process. When one child goes on the potty, DO give him or her praise, but dole it out and then move on.

Absolutely DO NOT make the other child feel inferior because his or her sibling is successfully using the potty. There is a certain amount of competition that naturally exists with multiples anyway. Don’t intensify that competitive spirit. They’ll go eventually, just be patient.

You may also want to stay away from treats for using the potty in this situation. Toddlers have a difficult time understanding the sharing process, so when one child gets something that the other one doesn’t, you may be faced with some pretty big temper tantrums and resistance.

You may also be faced with some regression issues with one of your children. Don’t push in this situation. Your child may be having some real emotional issues with the idea of separation from their diapers and each other. Until both are ready, step back and let your children lead the way.

Structure is very important – especially with multiples. We’re not just talking about potty time but all the time. Make potty time a daily ritual that is fun!

You may want to separate the kids as much as you can during training. Lessening the intensity that exists naturally between them will help all of you. Give them some one-on-one time and let them listen and focus better with your undivided attention.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you get too involved in the process, you may find your children resisting. When someone else is around to buffer the situation, you’re much more likely to have a slightly easier time.

Try not to get frustrated and angry at resistant kids. All you can do when one or the other resists is to back off. If you push them too much, their natural urge will be to resist and you will have more problems than if you just let it go for awhile. They’ll get it eventually.

Ultimately, to achieve peace, yours and your children’s, let them take the lead. If they want to go on the potty, fine. If they want to wear diapers, that is okay too. They have to work out their ambivalence and all a mom can do (and this is the hard part) is wait patiently until they do.

Girls are generally a bit easier to train than boys, but the funny part is that when you are training boys, there are many more tricks to getting them to successfully use the potty.

The same training methods apply to special needs children as to other children. More record keeping may be necessary to find patterns such as in the time between eating and drinking and need to eliminate.

If advised by consulting physicians and specialists to toilet train the child, a great deal of patience and a longer time frame may be necessary. Many other skills accompany even simple routines for children with physical or mental impairments.

As a parent, you are the only one who knows your child’s abilities. You can gauge whether or not they are even near being able to grasp the thought or tasks involved in potty training.

Just like with all other children, you need to be sure that your child is fully able to understand his or her’s bodily functions and what to do with those feelings when they arise. You have to let your child dictate to you when the time is right.

Once you reach that point, use the same techniques we’ve outlined throughout this whole book. Just because your child has special needs doesn’t make them all that different from every other child. As you are well aware, potty training special needs children just requires a little adaptation.

You need to do a clear task analysis of each process that trainers and parents often take for granted. This may involve actually writing down every step taken in order to go to the toilet. The tasks might include some of the following:

• Recognizing when she/he has to go to the bathroom
• Waiting to eliminate
• Entering the bathroom
• Manipulating clothing closures
• Pulling pants down
• Sitting on the toilet
• Eliminating in the toilet
• Using paper correctly
• Pulling pants up
• Flushing toilet
• Washing hands
• Drying hands

You may notice that many of the signs outlined above are the same as any other child who is ready to begin potty training. Your special needs child is no different. You need to be aware of what to look for before taking on this difficult task and then start with the right attitude for both you and your child.

To see if your child is ready to learn toilet training, answer the following additional questions.

• Can the child follow simple directions? (“Come here.”)
• Can the child sit in a chair for five minutes?
• Can the child wait at least 1-1/2 hours between elimination times?

Recognizing the signs that your child is ready for the potty is the best way to know when it’s time to begin. You are no different than any other parent at this point in your child’s development. Sure they might a little older, but you still have to help your child travel this road with as little disruption and distraction as possible.

When you are focused on the job, they’ll be focused on the job too. That will make the job easier on both of you!

What about multiples? When you have twins or even (gasp!) triplets, the issue of potty training becomes even stickier. But in actuality, you are going to have an easier time than you might think.

Life changes can be difficult for an adult, so they’re even more difficult for a toddler. When changes occur during a child’s life, often their way of dealing with it is to go back to a time when they were taken care of and didn’t have to take control of things like their bodily functions.

Some of these events may include:

• Starting school or day care
• Moving to a new home
• Divorce or separation
• Birth of a new sibling
• A parent going to work outside the home

Please realize that this is not unusual and many children experience this type of setback. However, the setback is usually temporary and can be rectified within a reasonable time frame and actually quite easily.

At this point, if there are no other problems, you may just need to offer reminders to use the potty so that the bowel movement is done there instead of going on the floor. This is easy if he or she has BMs at about the same time each day, but even if he or she doesn’t, you might have him or her sit on the potty for 4-5 minutes right after waking up and after meals. Those are times when most children are likely to have a bowel movement. Even if he or she doesn’t go, you can offer praise and extra attention simply for the fact that they tried.

Treat accidents lightly and avoid negative reactions. That means cleaning them up matter-of-factly and reminding your child that they are supposed to go in the potty. This is not a situation that generally requires any kind of punishment.

Be sure that you “don’t overreact.” You want to be careful that you don’t reinforce the behavior, since any negative attention your child gets for doing this can reinforce it. And you don’t want to make it a power struggle. With strong-willed children, reinforcing unwanted behavior will make them want to continue doing it. Yelling or punishment is reinforcing. Even though it’s negative, it’s still attention, and that’s what they want.

Figure out why they are regressing. Talk to your child in a matter-of-fact way and ask them why they don’t want to use the potty anymore. Children are very honest, and they will probably be “itching” to tell you!

If you feel you need to discipline, learn more about using effective discipline. Discipline isn’t to be confused with spanking or time outs. Discipline is when the parent does what they plan and have said they would do. They follow through and remain consistent in encouraging desired behaviors. Routines will help during regression as well. Go back to where you were when you first established your potty routine and put it into play again. Stay positive and re-introduce the motivations you did before they were fully potty trained.

Talk to your child and listen to them even when you are not addressing them directly. Discuss their responsibilities for their waste and the consequences for not following through on those responsibilities. Be clear and matter-of-fact. Minimize your words during clean-up and stay calm. If you let this process become emotionally charged, that’s where the focus will be and that is ineffective and negative. Make it clear that this is their responsibility and simply instruct them about what needs to be done during clean-up and then when they have to go potty again.

Often, distractions are a big part of regression. Some children get so involved in projects, books, TV shows, etc. that they “forget” to go and it just doesn’t make much difference to them if they are involved in these activities. For example, if they are watching “The Wiggles” and getting completely involved in dancing to “Do The Monkey” that they don’t go to the bathroom, make them go before the show is on and tell them that way they won’t have to worry about making an accident. If they have an accident after that, turn off the program until they can control their behavior.

Taking away something from a child when they have done something that is not a desired behavior can be a powerful motivator. Some parents think it’s mean and unfair, but we’re talking about a child here. They have to learn somehow, and this method works – mean or not.

Always follow up any discipline conversation with hugs and at least one “I love you”. Remember that your child wants to please you. If they think that you might withhold love, you could have the opposite effect of what you want. Your child needs to know that you love them but are not happy with their behavior. This happens throughout raising a child, so practice it often.
As we’ve said before, learn why your child has stopped using the potty. It is easier for a child to learn the mechanics of going to the bathroom, but not so easy for him to accept some of the emotional issues that may come along later. And not all children are capable or willing to discuss it.

If your child wants to talk, be there for him or her. It may help you decide how to proceed if the accidents continue. If he adamantly does not want to talk, respect his feelings.

Maybe he or she is afraid. It was fun during the early stages, but now that they are trained, their little brains could start to introduce unfounded fears in their psyche.

Common toilet fears include fear of seeing his poop go down the toilet and losing that part of him, fear of getting hands dirty when wiping, fear of seeing or hearing a toilet flush, fear of painful bowel movement. Other reasons may include lack of desire to stop playing to go, loss of the excitement of this new ‘game’, associating toileting with ‘growing up’ and deciding it is more comfortable to just stay little.

There are some cases where children use toilet issues to express anger and aggression. For this, seek professional help.

A reward chart or chart where you place stickers for the days when he doesn’t have an accident can also be helpful. As can reading some of the potty training books for children. Since he has been potty trained for so long, this is likely not a time to go back to diapers or pull-ups. You should also avoid anything else that makes him feel ashamed for having accidents. Remember that it is normal and common for children to have set backs with potty training.

If you have come to the realization that the accidents are not stopping and you have given your child the chance to work through it by themselves, you need to take a step back and look at all the information you have compiled throughout this process. Return to the days when you were just beginning potty training and start from square one.

You have choices. You need to decide how much you are willing to do in order to work this problem out. Do you want to obsess about it for weeks on end or just downplay it and let your child work his or her own way through the problem and get back to no-diapers or pull-ups?

Each child is different. What works for one may not be successful for another. That is why you need an arsenal of tools and tricks to get your youngster interested and keep him or her with the program until you have achieved that goal of independence.

Some children really want to continue toileting. Sometimes the parent is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the child with his toileting routine. If you decide it is best to try to keep your child on track, then gear up for retraining in a positive, loving and supportive way.

Prepare yourself for what can become a long, frustrating time. Your attitude is important – keep it fun and upbeat if you can. Never blame the child. Even the most even- tempered, devoted and selfless of parents have found their limits tested.

Frustrations can be minimized by planning to spend extra time with your child (preferably at home) observing when and why the accidents occur. Expect to deal with accidents and try to find a way to avert them. Could your child simply miss all that attention he used to get for toileting successes? If you find yourself becoming too frustrated with the situation to cope in a positive, loving and supportive way, consult your pediatrician, read and take parenting classes.

Do not allow a significant other, mother-in-law or neighbor (however well-intentioned) to interfere with your parenting choices. Pick your battles, and realize this one in particular can be a tough one.

If you decide to go for retraining you need to be prepared to follow through in a positive way. Read up, get support. If you decide this is not the best time to try to work through it that is OK. You and your child should decide together how to handle accidents. Whatever you decide, this is just one of many parenting decisions we must make with no clear-cut answer. It will work out no matter how you proceed, as long as you have the child’s best interests in mind.

Above all, just have fun with this process – both during potty training and during regression. As you know, your child is growing rapidly before your very eyes. Focus on enjoying this age and stage with your child.

If you can keep a good attitude through all the trials, you will have given your child much more than basic toilet skills. Your child will learn he or she can trust you. They will know that they are important. They will learn how to communicate better. He will understand how you can help him when he is troubled. He will learn you will always love him, even when he messes up. That is what is really important.

If any concerns come up before, during, or after toilet training, talk with your pediatrician. Often the problem or problems are minor and can be resolved quickly, but sometimes physical or emotional causes will require treatment. Your pediatrician’s help, advice, and encouragement can help make toilet training easier. Also, your pediatrician is trained to identify and manage problems that are more serious.

While we’ve already addressed the issue of constipation above, we still feel like this deserves a chapter of its own. Physical problems can be confusing for your child. They know they should be going on the potty, but their body is just not cooperating.

If you suspect a physical problem, of course, your first line of defense is to take your child to his or her physician. My sister was having trouble with hard stools during her potty training. Her doctor prescribed strong stool softeners and my mother made dietary changes and eventually, the problem was rectified.

There are a number of things that could be going on when your child’s body just isn’t cooperating with his or her mind.

Consider the possibility of an allergy. Lactose intolerance (the inability to digest milk or milk products) is the most common, but other foods can cause allergies, too.

How much sorbitol is your child consuming in sugarless candies and gum? Sorbital is a new culprit in chronic loose stools. It also is found naturally in pear juice and apple juice, which could make a difference if a child drinks lots.

Watch for signs of urinary infections. These include pain or burning sensations while urinating, straining to urinate, color changes in the urine, foul-smelling urine, frequent urination that produces very little, or a split stream of urine. Other signs could be abdominal pain or a fever of an undetermined origin. Such infections are not uncommon in small children.

Be aware that even after a urinary problem has cleared up, the child may still remember and fear the pain of urinating, and this may complicate potty training. Reassure the child and don’t be impatient if it takes him or her a while to get over the fear.

Check a toilet-trained child who starts to have many urinary accidents, as well as a significant increase in urination for diabetes.

Remember that diarrhea can cause problems with bowel control. Persistent diarrhea is usually a symptom of a physical problem, and it should be treated by a doctor.

Remember that constipation could be keeping your child from wanting to move his or her bowels, because it is painful. If it’s not chronic, you can help by keeping the children company while they’re sitting on the toilet, lubricating the anus with Vaseline, or even helping hold the “cheeks” apart to make it easier to move the bowels.

Dietary changes can also help. Chronic constipation can put pressure on the bladder and cause daytime, as well as nighttime, accidents in which case it’s time to seek medical attention.

Some parents with special needs children wonder if there’s anything out there that will help them toilet train their child too. There actually is some advice we can offer in this venue as well.

Here are some toddler potty training ideas and thoughts that fall into that general miscellaneous category. While they might not be part of a specific strategy, many will be a good fit for you and your toddler. In here is a plethora of information!

Watch tilting toilet seats. Some seats have a tendency to fall quickly when put upright. If the seat tilts or must be supported by hand, change it. The seat must be stay up so it doesn’t fall down and strike a boy’s penis when his is urinating standing up.

If your toddler likes to unroll the toilet paper, try this. Before you put a new roll on the roller, squash the roll so that the cardboard roll inside is no longer round. This way, it will not unroll as fast. Also, little ones who are potty training will not get too much paper per tug on the roll.

The secret to potty training is a no pressure atmosphere where children believe they are in control and making the decisions. Parents and providers guide their decisions and make it fun.
Play potty while training a stuffed animal or doll. Use your child’s future underwear on the animal. Because the underwear is big, it will be easier for your child to teach pulling pants down and up.

Play house and pretend with your child. You be animal’s mommy. Feed the animal, make it run to the potty, pull pants down, sit, maybe read a book to it, praise it for trying/accomplishing, wipe, pull pants up, flush and wash hands. Play again.

Let your child be Mommy and take the animal through the steps with you offering corrections if needed. Listen carefully here to the words your child is using. Then, you can use those same words later while you are the real Mommy again! Repeat. Devoting time here with excessive repetition may bore you but provides great instruction for your child. Introduce some fun songs and dances here to make it even more fun!

When potty training, I always try to laugh which is sometimes very hard but at other times takes no effort at all.

Try using a doll that wets. That’s a tip that renowned psychologist Dr. Phil suggests. Dr. Phil says that using an anatomically correct doll that wets helps you to demonstrate for the child how to go potty.

You may want to start emptying poopy diapers into the toilet rather than just throwing it away. By doing this, you are showing your child that this is where the poop belongs and he or she will be less resistant to letting go of that during the toilet training process.

Remember that the emotional makeup of a human being is extremely complex. It’s not realistic to expect that just because a child is small in stature, he or she will have a small range of emotions. And handling all these strange feelings and sensations is doubly hard for a child because of his or her undeveloped wisdom and lack of information.

Watch for interference from others. Siblings can set a child off by playing on fears and expectations; friends or even teachers may say the wrong thing.

Have your child draw a picture of a bathroom. Ask for explanations of anything you don’t understand. You may get some clues about worries or fears the child has been repressing.

Seriously reconsider the use of pull-ups or diapers during this process. Throwing away the diapers can help make for effective potty training more than you can know. When you make a big production of it, your child will know that it’s time to let go of that part of their lives.

When you use pull-ups, it feels like wearing a diaper to your child. You, in a way, are giving them permission to use that pull-up as a diaper and wet in it. Your child will have to learn what it feels like to have wet pants. That way, they’ll learn.

Do not spend weeks and months see-sawing from diapers to pull-ups to underwear. This is so confusing to toddlers and it simply destroys their feelings of self-esteem. (It’s okay to use pull-ups at night for a few weeks while your toddler is working on their physical control, but do not use them during the day.)

If your child has been sitting on the potty for 5 minutes with no results, give it up. Try again at another time. Having them sit there that long is plenty of time to see whether or not they will be able to expel their waste. Keeping the child on the potty longer than that will just cause frustration and boredom!

An additional potty training tip is to make sure to put clothes on your child that are easy for your child to pull down or remove themselves. Even though those cute shorts may be easy for mom to put on her child, the shorts may just be too difficult for your toddler to pull down. Try to look at things as your toddler would: that’s the best potty training tip you can find.

When buying training pants, if you are choosing cotton, let your child pick out his/her favorite ones (Rugrats, Batman, Barbie etc.). Cotton training pants will let your child feel the wetness and will train faster. The downside is that they are messier!

Disposable training pants are easy for cleanup and on the go but it may take longer to train if your child does not feel the discomfort of wetness. If you buy cotton, buy more than one three pack. You will go through these quickly and you want to have plenty in the diaper bag and dresser.

Toilet training can get messy so be prepared and expect that there will be many mistakes. Your child is learning a very difficult skill. Clean up any accidents without anger or showing disgust. Do not make negative comments.

Make a big deal about using the last diaper or let your child help you throw out the diapers in the trash can. Shop together for new underwear! Dress your child in clothes that are easy to take on and off.

Do not punish your child by keeping him/her in wet or soiled diapers. This is counterproductive and will not teach your child to use the potty. Do not pressure or nag your child to use the potty. The harder you push, the harder he/she will resist! Only remind your child to use the potty when he/she is showing signs that he/she has to go.

Be prepared to spend a lot of time in the bathroom with your child!

Spring and summer are great times to toilet train! Let your child go without his/her diaper and watch them notice their own bodily functions. If they can see exactly what is coming from where, they’ll have a better idea of what they are supposed to do!

Make sure your child’s diet has plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and juice.
We cannot stress this part strongly enough: DO NOT make your child sit on the toilet against his or her will.

Make sure your child’s wardrobe is adaptable to potty training. In other words, avoid overalls and shirts that snap in the crotch. Simple clothes are a must at this stage and children who are potty training need to be able to undress themselves.

Be sure all of your child’s caregivers follow the same routine you have established. Let them know what you’re doing and how your handling any issues you are encountering. Ask them to use those same techniques when your child is with them so your child won’t be confused.

Do not think that just because your child is in day care that toilet training is impossible to do. Studies have shown that as long as you are in constant contact with your day care provider regarding your procedures, you can succeed at potty training together!

When you keep them informed about what you are doing to help your child become toilet trained, they can much easier implement the same procedures while with them and reinforce everything that you have been focusing on!

Don’t get all caught up in the negative connotations that many adults have regarding the human body. Toilet training is a part of a life-long process of learning about the body and its functioning.

Adults’ attitudes toward genitals and the natural process of toilet training have an important influence on the child’s developing feelings about her or his body and taking responsibility for bodily needs.

Make certain the child has observed a parent or trusted adult using the toilet. Answer questions in a relaxed manner. Toilet training accomplished in a calm and positive way is an important support for life-long appreciation of human sexuality.

Young children feel pleasure when they urinate or have a bowel movement. They may want to play with their urine or feces. They also may want to examine their own or other children’s genitals when using the toilet.
This is normal experimental behavior. It is a good time to teach correct names for body parts and body functions. The goal is to teach children that all parts of the body are good, and body functions are natural.

Some of the best advice comes from people who have been there and done that.

Girls just have to sit on the potty to pee or poop. Boys need to sit for pooping, but most will stand when peeing. Because of this small biological difference, encouraging and helping your boy child use the potty can actually be an easier task!

Here are a few ideas for you to think about:

• Aiming takes practice. When a little boy starts urinating in a standing position, be prepared to wipe around the toilet and on the seat – and often!
• Show the boy how to point his penis down to avoid spraying the room whether by sitting down or standing up.
• Teach the boy to aim accurately by having him sink floating objects in the basin. This can be a corner of an envelope or a piece of toilet paper, but we think it’s much more fun to float Cheerios or Froot Loops and aiming for the hole.
• Drain the water from the toilet bowl and paint a red target with fingernail polish or a red grease pencil on the porcelain toward the back. Have him aim for the bulls-eye.
• Urinating into the “blue” toilet bowel water will turn it green. (This works with girls, to, but it’s harder to see.) You can also use food coloring in this process. Red or blue food coloring will turn orange or green when the urine hits it. This can be so much fun when your boy watches his own bodily fluids perform magic tricks!
• In the summertime, and in the privacy of a backyard or woods, let a boy practice his aim. Note my above story regarding Conner “peeing on a tree”!
• Let fathers and sons have a “peeing party.”
• In the winter let a boy “write in the snow.”
• If a little boy wants to stand but needs to be a bit taller, stand behind him and let him stand on your feet.
• Be sure the toilet seat can’t fall down on a young boy in these early stages. Have your child check to be sure that the seat is up securely before he urinates.
• Start teaching your son NOW that the toilet rim needs to be placed down after he’s finished.

If you have been trying to encourage your child to go on the potty and they just won’t cooperate, don’t worry – you’re not alone! Some kids just don’t embrace the whole potty training experience. But there are some things you can do to help them along their way!

First, ask them why they don’t want to use the potty. Sometimes, misconceptions or real fears stand in the way of successful toilet training. You may find that you child is simply intimidated by the whole process and wasn’t sure how exactly to proceed.

If you get a response like this, you are in a prime position to help. You can start to teach your child how and when it’s time to use the potty without the fears or trepidations that they might possess inherently.

What else can you try? Look at these time-tested tricks:

• Turn on the faucet. Some parents find it helpful in early training to try turning on the water faucet in the bathroom as a stimulus to urinate. Hey, if it works for adults it will work for kids.
• Try the “warm water” trick. Once the child is sitting on the potty, fill a large bowl or small bucket with lukewarm or tepid water. Place some new “potty” toys in the bowl and set the bowl of water in front of the child. When the child places his/her hands in the lukewarm water to play with the toys, they may nearly instantly go.
• Place targets in the toilet. This tip works best for boys. Many parents put objects in the toilet so boys have something to aim for. We’ve addressed this before, but having an “aim” to shoot for can be a huge motivator! This challenge taps into their natural interest in hitting targets. Inexpensive and biodegradable targets include Cheerios, Fruit Loops, and squares of toilet paper with drawn-on “bulls-eyes.” Some parents have been known to use glitter or sprinkles. One even pours a little bubble bath in the toilet and tells her child to make bubbles.
• Sing a song. Singing a song for your child will help you pass the time and keep them interested in staying in the bathroom. Some parents go so far as to create a potty song to make their child feel more comfortable in the bathroom. Try this parent’s technique. This song is sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. It goes like this: “Tinkle, tinkle, little pee, in the potty you will be. Poopy, poopy stinky-o, in the potty you will go.”
• Let your child run naked. Allow your child to run around naked when you are at home. Having to deal with the urge to eliminate will be much more noticeable to your child when there is nothing to catch it in but the potty. We are big fans of this technique. When children are feeling less constrained by things like clothing and diapers, they are more apt to try and get rid of their waste in the toilet.
• Try a pee-pee tree. For a resistant boy who refuses to go anywhere but his underwear or training pants, as part of the outside bare-bottom drill, paint a target on a tree and show him how to water it. Again, we’ll remind you that this worked wonders with Conner. Well, we didn’t have to paint a target on a tree, but he took great joy in watering his friends that gave him climbing opportunities.
• If any concerns come up before, during, or after toilet training, talk with your pediatrician. Often the problem is minor and can be resolved quickly, but sometimes physical or emotional causes will require treatment. Your pediatrician’s help, advice, and encouragement can help make toilet training easier. Also, your pediatrician is trained to identify and manage problems that are more serious.
• Seek advice and support online. Talk to other parents about their success and failures on online discussion boards. Post a message, ask a question, and exchange information about potty training. It’s a great learning experience!

If you are having an inordinate amount of problems with your child, you may want to consider that there is a physical problem that is inhibiting them from going.

NOTE: If you will be potty training on the road, be sure to read our review of the Potette Portable Potty Seat.

If you need to leave home for an extended period of time for any reason, know that traveling makes potty training much more challenging. While you shouldn’t schedule any long vacations during your expected training period, sometimes things come up and you must travel.

Perhaps your toddler is taking a long time getting used to the idea of using the potty all the time and they aren’t completely trained when you need to travel. That’s where this section would apply as well.

Have your child leave home empty. That means to go potty before leaving and no liquids on the road – well, minimal liquids. Resist the urge to put them in a pull up. He or she is a big kid now. Putting a diaper on him or her now can only confuse.

Take along the potty chair or adapter seat. Little bladders can require frequent pit stops and you want to be prepared. Anywhere you go, look for the bathrooms first. Make note of rest areas along the way where you may be able to stop for a potty break.

Carry extra tissues and sanitizing gel for strange bathrooms. You don’t want to be caught short. I always liked to have an extra roll of toilet paper in my purse along with a huge bottle of Germ-X. You never can be too sure what type of situation you’ll be getting into.

Always choose the handicap or family bathroom. You’ll have extra room if you use the stall for people with disabilities, but the seat may be elevated and your child will need more help.

Shopping malls and many other places are now building unisex family bathrooms specifically designed for parents. These bathrooms are as large as handicap bathrooms, private, and can be stocked with needed toiletries like Kleenex and wipes.

Teach children to line public toilets with strips of toilet paper as an added barrier of protection if toilet seat liners are not available.

Always, always accompany your child into public restrooms. Safety is nothing to take for granted – even while potty training. Never, ever let your child go into a public restroom alone. Don’t even let them go with an older sibling. Have them accompanied by a trusted adult – at all times!

Pack a waterproof sheet, small plastic tablecloth, or heavy plastic bag to cover mattresses, or a rubber-backed bathroom rug that rolls ups easily for travel. Hotel staff will be just as appreciative as relatives and friends.

Don’t be surprised or upset if your child starts to have accidents. Revert to training pants for now; relax and enjoy your trip. Don’t make your trip a battleground. Worry about training or retraining when you get back home.

Watch your child’s diet while on the road. A change in diet during family vacations is likely to bring about a change in bowel habits, either constipation or diarrhea, and a corresponding slump in training progress.
I know this from experience. While potty training my dear daughter, she showed interest in the potty just prior to a trip to Florida with my in-laws. She was doing quite well – and then the road trip began.

The whole entire trip, she was unable to make it to the bathroom in time because she had diarrhea nearly the whole time we were gone. She was completely frustrated and mad at herself for not being able to continue what she had started at home.

Of course, once we got home, it was only a day before she was back in the old routine and completely using the potty consistently. I still wonder if, at that time in her life, she wonders why she couldn’t be a big girl in Florida!

NOTE: If you will be potty training on the road, be sure to read our review of the Potette Portable Potty Seat.

What about that child who just won’t go no matter what you try?