Figuring out how to potty train a toddler is no easy feat, but it can be much less of a challenge with these 14 potty training essentials.
As a first-time mom who is new to potty training a little munchkin, you may be wondering what potty training essentials will make the process easier for you (and everyone involved).
If you’re feeling uncertain about precisely what you need to successfully potty train your toddler, you’re in the right place.
In this post, we’ll explore 14 necessities that will help get you through your potty training journey with your child smoothly (and sanitarily).
This post is all about potty training essentials.
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No-Brainer Potty Training Essentials Before You Even Begin:
1. Communication
First, it will be essential that you establish some decent communication between yourself and your toddler.
Decent communication does not necessarily mean that they need to speak clearly and fluently or even at all. A means of communication that lets you know that they can understand you and the things you show them should suffice.
For instance, one of my toddlers would only say hi, yeah, and no, but his actions showed me he understood. He would intently watch and observe the behaviors and mannerisms of others and then mimic them.
These actions were enough for me to know that he could be taken to the bathroom, shown the potty, given a demonstration about how to use it, and then be likely to mimic the process that he just witnessed.
2. Potty Chair
Of course, you will need a little potty chair for your toddler so that they have their own personal-size mock toilet on which to practice.
I love the potty chairs that look like legitimate toilets that have been miniaturized. And this one is extra convenient because baby wipes can be stored super conveniently in the top toilet tank lid.
3. Pull-Ups
You will need pull-ups to help your child adapt to the new concept and procedure of pulling their bottoms up and down so they can sit on a little chair and do their business.
After having grown accustomed to being able to pee and poop directly in their pants whenever they need to, these little diaper/underwear hybrids will help them get used to how underwear is supposed to work while still providing diaper protection in case of any accidents.
Clean and Sanitary Potty Training Essentials for Every Potty Session (plus accidents):
4. Wipes
After your toddler uses the bathroom on their new potty chair, I recommend wiping off dirty little booties with wipes instead of toilet paper.
At this point, wipes are going to provide a better and more thorough clean for your youngster. Toilet paper can wait until they’re more advanced.
You can use either flushable wipes or stick to using traditional baby wipes. But beware. The standard baby wipe is not meant to be flushed and can clog your toilet.
If you want to be able to let your little one potty into their potty bowl and conveniently dump and flush the contents of the bowl in one swoop, then flushable wipes will be your friend.
Otherwise, I would recommend keeping a small trash bin or little baggies nearby so that you can have convenient access to disposing of the dirty non-flushable baby wipes.
Your small trash bin or little baggies will also come in handy for disposing of soiled pull-ups.
5. Cleaning Supplies
Keeping Clorox Wipes close to your potty training station will help you keep the potty chair and surrounding area clean and fresh after each use.
If you want to take it a step further, you could keep a cleaning kit close to your potty training station for the same purpose.
It will allow you to maintain the bathroom’s cleanliness as a whole and be prepared to spot clean pee and poop residue in the potty chair or any potential messy accidents.
You may also want some disposable gloves to help you handle the job. I definitely do.
6. Detergent and Fabric Softener
The sooner you can clean the items, the better. They’ll be less likely to get permanently stained.
During the transition from being a diapered baby to a potty-trained toddler, you’ll want to stay stocked up on detergent and fabric softener so that you can stay on top of cleaning any clothes and linens that end up getting soiled during this process.
Positive Reinforcement Potty Training Essentials for Every Potty Session:
7. Reward
Be sure to praise your little one’s successes and acknowledge what a big boy or girl they are becoming.
It’s helpful to provide them with a reward for every successful potty session to make them feel good and encourage them to keep up the excellent work. This way, they’ll keep striving to advance themselves throughout their potty training journey.
Provide rewards with a sticker chart, game, candy, or anything else you know your child would be excited to receive.
Reward Ideas:
8. Patience
Your toddler is essentially just a walking, possibly talking, baby. Everything is still so new and unfamiliar. Give them time and understanding as they try to grasp this new phase of their little life.
9. Encouragement
Aside from a reward system, high fives, gleeful cheers, positive words, and standing ovations go a long way to elevate your little sweetheart’s confidence – not to mention they’ll absolutely adore it!
Inevitable Potty Training Essentials to Fully Conquer Potty Training:
10. Toddler Underwear
To fully establish and completely conquer potty training, you will need to ditch the Pull-Ups and never look back (unless they’re having a diarrhea issue – in those cases, I put a Pull-Up on them as a safety precaution).
A point will come when your child is quite likely to realize that a pull-up is nothing more than a glorified diaper and possibly regress to just using the bathroom in their pants instead of on the potty.
To get your toddler to understand and embrace their new lifestyle using the potty entirely, they will need real underwear instead of Pull-Ups.
White underwear is a nice option because you can bleach it back to looking brand new.
11. Washer and Dryer
If you don’t have access to a washer and dryer, you will want to get a set of your own.
When your toddler transitions from Pull-Ups (glorified diapers) to underwear (big kid underpants), some accidents are guaranteed to occur as your toddler adjusts to their new underwear situation. They will no longer have the protection that Pull-Ups provide if an accident occurs.
Accidents will occur during this time, and it is much better to tend to them sooner rather than later.
I had no interest in relying on coin laundry and having to always have quarters on hand or not be able to get into the laundromat because it was too close to closing time or the doors were already locked.
If and when my toddler soiled something around the house, whether it be blankets, clothing, or couch covers, I needed to know I would be able to tend to the mess and get it cleaned immediately. I did not want a house full of stinky, soiled linens and whatnot.
I took on an additional job specifically to purchase an apartment-sized “portable” washer and dryer. They are smaller, cheaper, and created to hook up to a sink and indoor dryer vent kit in place of washer/dryer hookups.
NOTE: I say “portable” (in quotes) because it implies that it’s really easy to move around as if there are wheels or something, which is what I had expected. But there’s NOT. You can move it around (I did it regularly); it’s just not as easy as the name implies.
12. Potty Training Seat and Step Stool
Lastly, as your toddler becomes a more advanced potty user and eventually a bit larger, you can let them graduate from using their potty chair to using the household toilet with the help of some aids.
A potty training seat will help prevent your toddler from falling into the toilet and provide an appropriate fit that’s just right for their size.
And until they get tall enough, they’ll also need a step stool to help them make their way up to the toilet seat comfortably.
Extra Accessories to Promote Potty Training Success:
These items are NOT AN ABSOLUTE MUST, but they can help boost your toddler’s potty training productivity.
13. Potty Training Guide
This potty training guide will help provide a clear plan of attack for exactly how to potty train your toddler and comes with features that can make potty training play-related to make it more fun and engaging for little ones.
14. Potty Training Watch
You can use a water-resistant potty training watch that gives your child gentle reminders to potty with music and lights.
This watch can motivate toddlers and encourage independence since it reminds them to go instead of the parent.
Plus an Extra Accessory for Little Boy Potty Training Success:
15. Potty Training Urinal
You can use a potty training urinal for little boy potty trainers to help them get comfortable and familiar with how to pee standing up and in public restrooms.
A urinal can be an excellent addition to the traditional potty chair, so your little boy has a more well-rounded understanding of what pottying experiences will be like for him.
And there you have it, fourteen potty training essentials that will make potty training your toddler much more effortless. Put all of these things to use throughout your potty training endeavors to make for a more tranquil and prosperous toilet training experience.
This post was all about potty training essentials.
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