Disclosure: A huge thanks to Pampers for sponsoring today’s post and encouraging me to learn and share tips on potty training. All experiences and opinions are always 100% my own as this post is written by me in its entirety.

Children are as different as fingerprints. No two are alike, especially not my little ones. Our latest adventures with Em and teaching her to use the potty has taken us one step forward and fifteen steps back. Okay, I might be exaggerating just a bit. I thought for sure Em would get the easy hang of potty training just as easily as my eldest. Nope, NOT happening. Which is why I am thankful to have Pampers Easy Ups on hand for accidents.

While J-bird was already using the potty by age one and a half – and “they” say boys are late learners – Em is now just a few months past three years old and still not full grasping potty training. I know, I know, when they are ready they will. Just kinda wish she was ready already, especially since I am. With Preemie not too far behind I’d love to have them both out of diapers already. We’ve taken all the recommended steps in preparing Em for her transition from diapers – stickers, rewards, big girl panties, Pampers Easy Ups – we’ve even gone the naked route.

I’ve come to a point where I have pretty much run out of ideas, so I decided to call on my girlfriends for a mommy & me potty talk play-date. I needed fresh ideas and viewpoints because I’d like to see Em begin to use the potty exclusively by end of summer. In the meantime we are giving her the space she needs to learn by using Pampers Easy Ups, it avoids frustrations and confusion when she has an accident and doesn’t make it to the bathroom in time.

Confession: Recently during a trip to Disney World we were watching a live theater show and Em who was wearing an Easy Ups training pant, said she needed to go to the bathroom. The show was nearly over and I quietly asked her if she could wait, she said yes – but within minutes was saying she had to pee…I did the unthinkable, or so I thought, I told her to pee Easy Ups training pant. OMG, what have I just done??? Did all the potty training we’ve done just go down the toilet – that is all I kept thinking. I felt sooooo GUILTY. And just as quickly as the guilt set in, it dissipated when I saw another mama actually put training diaper on her kid who clearly needed to go too!!! Wrong? Likely….but its life, its real and you do what you gotta do right?

Definitely not the highlight of my parenting career, but since that time I’ve spoken to many mamas that have also carried with them training pants for their toddlers to use in a time of need. They had lots of tips to share, some I was familiar with, others were brand new to me. So I wanted to share them with you and at the same time let you know that you are doing a great job! I will never judge you for rewarding your child with chocolate donuts when they finally do number 2 in the potty!

Here are some of the potty training tips shared by the mamas:

– Let your child pick out the kind of potty they would like to use

– Always keep Pampers Easy Ups on hand

– Create a reward chart and have plenty of stickers available – and a place to put those stickers

– Use cheerios for aiming into the potty (for boys)

– Find a book that you can share about using the potty like You and Me Against the Pee co-authored by Dr. L. Jana, MD

– Let your child guide and tell you when they are ready

– Bribe them – seriously, it works! Candy, chocolate, any kind of special treat!!!

– Have play-dates with friends that are already using the potty – monkey see monkey do – what one does, they all do!!!

 

Here are some of the tips I learned and shared from Dr. L. Jana, MD with the mamas:

– Promote potty learning:  Refer to using the potty as “potty learning” instead of  potty training. 

– Take a teamwork approach. The main goal is to help your child learn. You and your child are a team, and as a team you can get ahead faster.

– Stock your deck. Take the time for a special shopping trip with your little one to purchase “big-kid” underwear, step stool, potty seat and training pants.

– Embrace success. Children LOVE and thrive with positive reinforcement. Celebrate your child’s successes with plenty of hugs and accidents with words of encouragement.

– Watch for the signs. Using words to express themselves, toddling their own way to the bathroom, hiding behind the sofa or evening going out of sight to poop so no one can see them.

– Start making connections. Read encouraging books, like You and Me Against the Pee! (co-authored by Dr. L. Jana, MD). Allow your toddler go with you in to the bathroom (I know, I know) but this will help them become familiar with the routine and comfortable with the idea of using the toilet, and not being afraid of or intimidated by it.

Now that school is out and the little ones are home for summer break, it’s a great time to take advantage of potty readiness if your child is showing some of the signs above. Learning to use the potty is a huge milestone and it can be stressful for both parent and child. We were making the mistake of putting a diaper on Em at night, instead of continuing to use the Pampers Easy Ups overnight as well, likely creating our own setbacks. Their absorbent core holds 25% more than other leading training pants, and with up to 12 hours of protection can create fewer leaks, during the day AND night. overnight. With fun characters toddlers love like Thomas & Friends® designs for boys and Dora the Explorer® designs for girls, learning to use the potty has never been more fun! The Pampers Easy Ups are available in sizes 2T/3T through 4T/5T and has super strechy sides which make them easy to take off and pull on just like real underwear, without the mess and worry of accidents.  

Visit the Pampers Website, follow Pampers on Twitter and Facebook. Look for my party social shares by searching #PampersEasyUps! Let Pampers know what you think about their Pampers Easy Ups by filling out this quick review at Pampers.com to earn rewards redeemable for kid-friendly items.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored campaign in collaboration with Pampers. However, all opinions expressed are my own. I received product samples like the ones mentioned above, with additional compensation for hosting a Pampers First Viewing Party. Regardless, I only share products that I truly believe in and use for my family, that I feel will be a good fit for you the reader. *Based on sales data. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.