Best-Ever Potty Training Tips

Turn Potty Time Into a Magic Trick

Boost the fun factor of using the potty with a Slap a blank sticker onto the base of a portable potty, have your toddler pee in the potty, and then let him watch as an image of a train, flower, fire truck, or butterfly appears! After you empty, clean, and dry the potty, the image disappears, ready to be used again and again for up to six weeks. Too good to be true? We tested it on a formerly reluctant potty trainer, 2-year-old Gwenyth Mencel, who now shouts “Butterfly, butterfly!” when it’s time to hit the potty.

Patience Is a Virtue

When I thought my daughter was ready (around 26 months), we went to the toilet every 10 minutes—even if we were out. We slowly worked up to 15 minutes, 20 minutes, etc., and after a day or two, she could pee on her own. Poop was a different story—I had to goad her with M&M's!
—Elissa Murnick; Fairfield, Connecticut
My son mastered peeing on the potty pretty quickly, but nailing #2 took some extra effort. At first we had to watch for his "cues" to tell he was trying to go poop and then bring him to the bathroom. Because it took a while (sometimes more than a half-hour) we started reading to him to make the wait more fun. But above all else, patience, patience, patience is the key!

The Naked Truth

Once my kids were interested in the potty concept—around 2 to 2 1/2—we let them run around naked before bathtime and encouraged them to use the potty. Then I let them go sans pants at home for extended periods of time (they did really well remembering to go as long as they didn't have any clothes on). After they mastered naked-potty use, we worked our way up to clothes (first just underwear, then eventually pants). This method was extremely painless—very few accidents or setbacks.