Our Potty training guide and Diary Day 1

The summer is nearly over, although the last week has been a little cooler the weather is still quite warm - the perfect time to start potty training and that is exactly what we have been doing so over the next few weeks I am going to be telling you about our potty training journey and any problems we might encounter along the way so I hope it helps you as much as it helps me to understand what I might be doing right or wrong and most of all how Adam takes to it!

first things first, potty toilet, seat pants, pull ups, Where do you start? although its great to start thinking about the equipment you are going to need, I think the first thing I need to think about is Adam ready, here are my tips to find out if your child is ready?

1. Can they communicate there toileting needs even if it is just a few simple words like "wee wee" or "Poo Poo" or you can even use wet and dry, whatever is easiest for your child but the main thing is they can tell you there toileting needs.
2. Are they able to help with there clothing? after all sometimes us parents cant be there for them all the time.
3. Do they know what the toilet/potty is and will they sit on it? 
4. Do you have time to spend with your child over the next few weeks to help them and are you as a parent ready?
5. last of all is it a convenient time, big life events such as a new baby, illness, or a move of house can make your child unsettled make sure when you start there isn't anything else going on that is going to cause distraction.

So how did you find the check list? I have a tick for all of my points above so I am sure Adam is very ready. next up equipment what equipment are we going to use?

There is so much around in this market I think you should go with what your child is most comfortable with and the equipment doesn't have to be state of the art, I know there are all singing and all dancing potty's available but realistically a simple one is fine ours was £4 from Morrison's
I have also got a toilet seat and step from when Liam started toilet training and the dry like me pads and of course some pants in which Adam has picked himself hopefully with some incentive, you could also get the pullups - now like I have said it is each to there own however I found when Liam was potty training he got confused with the baby pull ups and got on much better with the dry like me training pads.

Here is the equipment in short (down to personal and your child's choice)

• Potty
• toilet seat and step
• Dry like me Pads 
• Pants (plenty of pairs)
• Pull ups
• A reward chart 

there we have it my first helpful tips hopefully to get you started and remember once you start try and carry on as children are easily confused in the early days once you start training. The potty has been in the living room for a few weeks so Adam could get used to it my way of thinking was if it has always been there he wouldn't be frightened, also with Adam because he is still very small he cant get on and off the toilet himself - which has brought me to the idea that to start off with, or until he grows a bit we will be using the potty.

Day 1 Potty training diary,

Today I decided we would face potty training head on - but in the home I have been planning this week for a while, this week we wont be leaving the house very much only to go round to the local shop I want to see if we can try and crack it and as today has been very warm I have left Adam without his nappy on, introduced him to the potty and told him if he needs a wee or poo to sit on the potty.

With the potty firmly in place and sight in the garden - we waited....... and much to my amazement he didn't say anything he just went and sat on it! I am a very proud mummy! 

He has now used the potty a few times and when he did myself and Liam clapped he looked very pleased with himself, he has also gained himself several gold stickers. We have had a few accidents which is to be expected - he was genuinely upset by them but I am glad he has been using the potty too - tomorrow I will be introducing him to pants to see how he gets on with another obstacle to over come, for night time he will be wearing his nappy as once potty training is firmly established in the day hopefully the nights will become easy.

How is your little one getting on with potty training? I would love to hear your story's, for more information and to see what other mums are doing you can visit www.drylikeme.com