Happy Friday, friends!! So, if you’ve been reading my blog then you know I posted Part One of the Potty Training 101 series last week! If you missed it, check it out here! This is the follow up with tips on how to train your toddler towards being dry when you leave the house and go down for naptime and bedtime. I originally had planned on writing this post shortly after I potty trained Harper, but baby prepping got in the way of that. Actually, I’m glad I waited because this is the part I was very unsure on and he stays dry all the time now. I know I’m not the only Mama wondering about these things, so I’m excited to share them with you. Here’s how to help your kiddo stay dry when you’re running errands and move towards staying dry while he/she sleeps.
GETTING OUT OF THE HOUSE:
1. Make sure you get them to potty before you leave the house.
This should help you get to where you’re going so you don’t have to stop for a potty break along the way.
2. Go ahead and have piddle pad in the carseat.
The headache of having to take off the carseat cover and wash it disappears when this is put in. This sucker can hold more than 1 cup of liquid, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it if there’s an accident.
3. Pack two sets of undies, two outfits and an extra pair of shoes.
There will be an accident or two. It’s better to be overly prepared than not. The shoes I found out the hard way. Once that accident happened I just left flip flops in the car.
4. Take their potty with you.
This was the best piece of advice I was given. I can’t tell you the convenience of it! I’m a bit of a germaphobe when it comes to public restrooms. When I’m talking about taking my kid in there who wants to touch every. single. thing. Ummmm….the car potty sounds wonderful! Basically what I did was make him potty again once we got to wherever we were going and before we left. This is also helpful if you’re driving down the road and there’s nowhere to stop. {This is super easy if you have an SUV that has space in the trunk. I just left it in my trunk and would sit him on there so he wouldn’t have to get out of the car. Another option would just be put it on the seat and sturdy them.} The key to this is parking close to a grassy area so that you can just dump the pee in the grass. Worst case that it’s poop, I kept diaper bags in my car. This is also where the Clorox wipes come in handy. I wiped that sucker clean after every use and would dispose of it in the bags.
NAPTIME + BEDTIME:
1. Get ya some pull ups.
Pull ups are the closest thing to undies I could find that would hold liquid. I only used these at naptime and bedtime. When the time came to lay down, I would put them on him and tell him they were his naptime/bedtime undies and to try to hold it to potty until he got up if possible. Obviously there were wet pull ups the first several weeks when he woke up, but you’re moving them towards the right direction.
2. Give it some time.
So this is the part of potty training I was very uncertain about. I had not read or heard much as far as how to get them to stay dry through naptime or bedtime or how long it would take. As each day passes, their bladder will learn control better and better. It wasn’t long before he was staying dry through nap and a few weeks later, dry through the night. Once he was staying dry for a couple of weeks through naps and the night, we let him sleep in big boy undies. We’ve only had two accidents since then and that was only because he had drank too much water before bedtime.
This is definitely the method I swear by and will always recommend. Overall, there were definitely stressful moments and accidents to clean up, but it went by in a flash and I couldn’t have hoped for a better potty training experience!
I hope this is helpful for those of you wanting to potty train soon! If you’ve already potty trained your little one, what worked for you?
Patience is key when potty training! Great tips here Ashlie.
Yes! Very much so! Thank you and thanks for reading! :)
These are great tips! My daughter is only 7 months, but my sister is about to start training my niece – I am sharing with her and keeping for the future : )
Awesome! :) Hope it helps her. Thanks for reading, Lindsay!
Thank you soooo much for this! My son is going on 4 and I am afraid of being “that mom.” Any advice for potty training a child with special needs? My son has speech apraxia and possibly on the Autism spectrum which makes potty training incredibly tough for my little dude.
You know what? You guys have to do what’s best for you. Moms need to stop judging and be more supportive of each other. Every family is different and parents differently. You guys will work out the potty training when the time is right and he’s ready. I wish I could help you in that area, girl! Prayer definitely helped me get through the really frustrating moments with my son. If I were you, I would just do a lot of research and maybe find some other mamas that have experience with it too. Good luck, mama! He’ll come around. :)
We are just talking about potty training our 21 month old. One day she is interested the next she is not. I am going with the flow. These are great tips for when we are ready to adventure out. Can the piddle pad be safety used in the car seat?
Absolutely! That’s what I did! It’s so important that you follow their lead for when they’re ready. She’ll come around! :) Yes! I love the Piddle Pad. It’s got little slits on the side for the belt to come through. You basically just put it under their bum and you’re good to go!
These are really great tips. I never would have thought about the piddle pad in the car-seat….genius! I also love the tip of bringing the potty seat with everywhere. My twins aren’t quite ready, but when they are we will be using your tips.
Thank you and thanks for reading! I hope they help y’all when the kiddos are ready! The piddle pad is great! Definitely a lifesaver if they can’t make it to the potty in time.
You should add in for the parents that are hesitant to bring potties that there are now bags to use with potties!!! And biodegardeable!!!!! Best invention ever!!
What?! That’s amazing! That would’ve really helped me out! Thanks for letting me know! :)
Thanks for sharing! As a mother of nine, I have been through the potty training stage a few times! However my baby just turned 16…so I have forgotten a few things! With a new foster baby (8 months old) we will have to start this again. I appreciate the tips and they will definitely come in handy!
That’s amazing that you guys are going to foster! What a lucky baby! :) Thanks for reading!
These tips are great, and I pretty much followed them to a tee when I was potty training my kids. I wish I had gotten the piddle pad though. That’s genius! Thanks for sharing.
It is a lifesaver! Of course, they’re always coming out with something new to use! :) Thanks for reading!