The night before you begin training, explain to your trainee (we will refer to him as "Joey") "Joey, tomorrow is a very special day. We're joining to throw away those icky baby diapers and let you wear big boy underwear like Daddy. Look, they have Batman on them." (Or whatever he or she likes, you get the general idea.)
If you're training a little girl your conversation might be somewhat different. I took my little girls with me to the store and let them pick out the frilliest, prettiest panties they could find. Because the panties were so beautiful my little girls didn't want to soil them. They may work with their favorite cartoon character or superhero.
So it begins. The next morning you allow Joey to throw away his very last diaper and put on his big boy underwear. (We lived in Florida for a few years, because it was so warm we were about to let Jessi and Courtney be au natural while they trained. Meaning they just wore a dress and no panties while at home. This does not work well for boys because the wetness does not trickle down their leg but rather shoots away from them in an amusing fashion.)
"Joey, remember the potty books we read about the little boy who learned to use his potty?" Hopefully he gets excited and wants to read the boy now. "Well I have a surprise for you. Today it's your turn to be just like the little boy in the book. Isn't that great?" Then you lead Joey into your bathroom to see his very own brand new potty. (You may decide to remove his diaper here and let him throw it in the trash.) "Would you like to sit on your potty?" He probably won't go at this point but you should have his favorite potty training book on standby.
More than likely the first time Joey needs to pee pee or poo poo will not be on the potty itself. Don't be discouraged. This is part of the process; it is perfectly normal. Or they may accidentally go on the potty and later on have an accident in their underwear. It's not a sprint, it's a week-long marathon. By day three you are going to see progress!
Throughout the day give Joey many liquids then shortly after (children usually void/pee about ten to twenty minutes after a drink) have him sit on his potty. He may go, he may not. After a little while, even if he hasn't gone, let him up. (You don't need to give him a ring around his hiney!)
When he has an accident soon after he gets up, remind Joey gently but firmly that from now on when he feels like he has to urinate/pee pee to hurry and sit on the potty. Use words like pressure, a pushing feeling, a tickling sensation etc. Find terms that best relate the feeling to your child. Soon he will put two and two together and purposely or accidentally go on his potty. Now here is where your performance is crucial. You should be absolutely overwhelmed by him. Be joyful and proud of him. (I made up a potty dance!) Hug him, tell him you love him and then show him his accomplishment.
"Wow Joey! You did it! You went pee pee on the potty! I can't wait to tell Grammy what you did. Daddy and grandpa are gonna be so proud of you too!" Then you take out the container which holds the pee. "I'm gonna pour your pee pee in the big potty and then you get to flush it away ok?" (I don't recommend letting your little one pour the contents just yet. Unless you really enjoy extra cleaning.)
Rewards for using the potty are not necessary as the fruits of their labor should be their reward. However here is a fun incentive you might try:
Put some water into the potty with either blue or red food coloring in it. When your child pees they will magically change the blue water green or the red water orange. Fantastic!
Rewarding a child for suing their potty is really up to you. You will hear many experts say not to do this. But as a mom I say if this gives your child a bit of added incentive the first week or so so for it. Whatever works best for your child.
I saw the coolest thing on Shark Tank. It was an Advent Calendar for potty training. I'm sure you can find it on Amazon. Everything is on Amazon these days!
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Pee Pee Poo Poo & Other Fairy Tales
Non-Fiction(How to Potty Train Your Child in a Week) I have successfully potty trained seven children. I learned a lot on my first child. I did a lot of things out of order. If you'd like to learn from my mistakes and be able to potty train your toddler in a...
