Miss K just turned 3 not long ago. I’m pretty sure the pace of life quickens with every successive child. Who is this girl standing next to me, handing me plates as I serve out the birthday cake? She corrects me whenever I address her as “Baby Girl”. I am no longer to address her as such, because she is, as she declares, no longer a baby.

No longer a baby, and well and truly ready for potty training. Mummy just needs to get through Christmas before she can wrap her head around how to potty train, (for the last time, yay!). Thanks to her older three brothers though, I am sorted out with the essential equipment required for potty training.

For my fellow parents who are also wrapping their heads around how to potty train, here is my list of tried and tested essential equipment required for potty training. Her three older brothers managed to be potty trained within a week. I would not have survived that week, and those weeks before and after, without these potty training essentials.

1. Nappy Pants. In the weeks / days, leading up to the week of serious potty training, we use nappy pants to get our kids used to undressing themselves before sitting on the potty for a brief amount of time (a minute or two). It didn’t matter if they actually did anything on the potty, it was more about them being at that stage where they could undress themselves, and sit for a time on the potty. We would also use nappy pants whenever we went for long trips in the car. It just isn’t possible to stop for a toilet break sometimes, when you’re on the road.

2. A Potty. We tried a few to begin with, and the one that has lasted the test of time, has been a simple one that we found on sale. It has a sturdy base, is easy for the child to sit on and has a splashguard. I also love that we can remove the “potty” part of it, for easy cleaning.

3. Child’s toilet seat. There are so many out there on the market. When we bought ours, I looked for one that has steps to help the child climb onto the toilet seat themselves. I also wanted one with handles to add to the child’s stability.

4. Bucket with cold water and washing powder. There will be wet and soiled clothes. To have a bucket ready to soak the dirty clothes into, makes things easier during clean up.

5. Disinfectant and paper towels. There will be accidents. Stock up on disinfectant, paper towels (and disposable gloves, if you’re a bit “quirky” like me).

6. Extra clothes. During the first few days of toilet training, I dress my children in a t-shirt, loose shorts and underwear that they can take off easily themselves. If we’re going out and about, I over pack a supply of underwear and shorts. When I was potty training my twin boys, the amount of extra clothes wouldn’t fit in our normal diaper bag, but I’m so glad we lugged around those extra sets of clothes.

7. Portable potty. While we’re on the subject of being out and about with newly potty trained children, I can’t stress enough how useful it is to have a portable potty with you. Ours, pictured above, is missing the plastic liner that comes with it. I’ll need to stock up on those for Miss K. It’s so much easier to use a portable potty, than try to find a toilet when a newly potty trained child needs to go.

8. A cushion with a “secret” plastic lining. I’ve left the best till last. This has to be one of the handiest things to have on hand when potty training. The “secret” plastic lining is simply the inside of the cushion, wrapped in a plastic bag. While potty training, our kids would sit on this special cushion whenever they were on the couch or a dining chair. If they had an accident, we would simply wash the cushion cover and throw out the plastic bag. No biggie. Couch and chairs are saved.

Potty training season is almost amongst us. Do you have any tips on how to potty train? What are are your potty training essentials?

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The post How To Potty Train: Essential Equipment by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.

I have officially been at both extremes when it comes to getting my kids out of nappies and starting potty training.

With my twins (the eldest of my batch of four), I was beyond eager to potty train them. I was a mum that placed my babies on the potty before they were one. I look back and laugh at myself. Hilarious. I’m sure there are some kids out there who can be potty trained before they are one. My twins were not one of those. They could walk (and run and climb) by nine months, but they weren’t even talking yet, when I ambitiously placed them on their respective potties, in my vain attempts to toilet train them by one-ish. Again, I look back at myself and laugh. Hilarious.

Then there’s Miss K, my youngest of four. She showed all the signs of being ready for potty training by the time she was two-ish. Unfortunately, it was I who wasn’t ready to start the whole potty-training process again, having just done it with Mr E (lucky middle child) just the Summer before. I was, and still am, in that frame of mind that just thinks, with all that is happening right now in our lives, having Miss K in nappies is easier.

Miss K is fast approaching three. Having already potty trained three children, I mentally go through my checklist of signs of potty training readiness. I have to admit, she is well and truly ready to begin potty training:

1. She is over 18 months of age.
2. She can tell me when she has done a poo.
3. She is able to sit on a potty or toilet for five to ten minutes.
4. She can take off some of her clothing items by herself, e.g. shoes, socks and pants.
5. She can understand and follow simple instructions.

However, if potty training her three brothers has taught me anything, it’s this – yes, the child has to be ready for potty training, but so must the parents.

I had her three brothers all out of their nappies within week of them starting potty training; (potty training them properly, when they were ready for it). That week is an exhausting week. Day one and day two, in particular, are trying. There are accidents, and accidents, and accidents. Being more or less homebound for those early days to contain the mess, added to my madness. However, choosing days that weren’t busy, days when I was ready and had time to focus on pretty much nothing but potty training, was key to our potty training success.

So, while Miss K loves being in her nappy Training Pants, and shows all the signs of potty training readiness, she has to wait for her Mama to be ready. I am looking forward to our Summer school holidays. To days when I can rest from what has been an utterly exhausting year; having returned to the workforce on a part time basis; juggling mummy duties and that professional life. I will be ready… just a few more weeks. It’ll be the last time I’ll have to potty train my child. Wow. That’s pretty special. I’ll keep you all posted.

What signs of potty training readiness did you use with your children?

K: 2 years, 11 months

E: 4 years 3 months

N&M: 6 years 5 months

November 2014

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This post is part of a Nuffnang native advertising series.

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