Potty training is a journey. And potty training my twins has been a long one, and quite an adventure at that. I know that a lot of people have had success with the three day method, but it didn't work for us. And since I can't keep the boys home for weeks at a time so that we can practice our potty training, I wanted to find a way to continue our work when we were on the go. If you're taking the slow and steady method of potty training too, I've got a couple of tips and a really handy portable rewards system to keep your potty training momentum going wherever you are!
Know Your Child's Potty Personality
One of the big challenges with twins is that you go through developmental milestones, like potty training, at the same time but with two different children. They have different personalities, different abilities, and one method does not usually work for both of them. This has been especially true with potty training my boys.Know Your Child's Potty Personality
Every child has their own "potty personality," and it's important to figure out what will work for your child. The folks at Pull-Ups® Learning Designs® have come up some super cute characters to help illustrate some common potty personalities - one of my boys is definitely a Bear, at peace with everything as-is, and friendly and relaxed when trying new things. My other son is all Squirrel - on the go, couldn't care less about slowing down, and WAY too busy and impatient for details.
The key is to find what works best for your individual child, not what worked for your mom or your sister or your friend's kids. My Squirrel loves when we make potty time into a game while my Bear is pretty go with the flow and just needs some gentle reminders along the way.
What is your child's potty character? Find out here, along with some fun ideas to download specific to your child's personality.
Pack Your Potty Essentials
Potty training on the go doesn't require a lot of extra gear (in fact, the goal is to make your bag a whole light lighter once you're fully trained!) but there are a few essentials that you don't want to leave home without:
- Pull-Ups® Learning Designs® - an absolute must have for potty training away from home. Pull-Ups® are stretchy and easy for my guys to take off and pull up themselves, but with easy open sides that don't tear for when I need to change them. Pull-Ups® Learning Designs® also have 10% more coverage for protection and fit, so we can be confident using them when we're not home. And my boys love that they have Pixar's Cars Lightning McQueen on them!
- Wipes - make sure to have a good supply of wipes, preferably flushable ones for those potty successes!
- Change of Clothes - accidents happen, so having an extra set of clothes is a must.
- Potty Passport - a portable reward system to celebrate your success!
Take Your Rewards With You With a Potty Passport
Even though they have different "potty personalities," both of my boys respond to having a chart to track their progress, though the incentive at the end is totally different for each of them. But, since we're on the go a lot of the time, I wanted to make our chart portable to celebrate and track our successes no matter where we are.
Both my easy going Bear and my fast moving Squirrel love our potty passport system. They each have their own potty passport, which slips easily into my bag with our other essentials and helps encourage them to use the potty even away from home.
I keep a sheet of stickers with our potty passport as well, so that we can mark each time we have a potty success. The potty passport has lots of fun stars inside to cover with a sticker, or if you prefer you can just circle or color them with a pen or marker.
My boys love putting the stickers on to each star every time they successfully use the potty. And when the passport is all filled, they'll be ready for a big reward and well on their way to being fully potty trained!
Our Potty Passport is available as a free printable. All you need to do is print and fold it into a book. (Fold the top half with the white background down, then fold closed so that the cover faces front). Click the button below to get yours!
FREE
Every child is different, and every potty training journey is too. You and your child will get there together, by working as a team and celebrating each success. Accidents will happen too, but if you focus on the positive and take each setback in stride, you and your child will be much happier in the long run. Remember that each journey can only be taken one step at a time, and with some patience, love, and a little fun with your potty passport, your child will soon be a potty superstar!
We pick up all our potty training essentials at Walmart - they have a wide selection of baby products to fit all your family's needs!
Are you ready to take your potty training journey together? Grab your passport and learn more about Pull-Ups® Learning Designs® available at Walmart.