One of the many perks about being a mommy in a time where we have access to social media is that we can connect with friends, near or far, with the simple click of a button. I have a Facebook page, and of course, lots of people share details about their personal lives, most of it pertaining to the challenges of child rearing, and helpful tips for other parents.  In fact, the topic of potty training is talked about a lot more than I would ever have imagined.

A friend of mine recently potty trained her daughter, and recommended a blog that helped her successfully potty training her daughter! So as we get closer to totally vesting ourselves in potty training Max, I am frequenting this site often to prepare myself.  I realize the basics: consistency, positive reinforcement and patience are critical components of my role as the parent, but putting those actions in to play makes me a little nervous, I must admit.

This past weekend we went ahead and bought Max a Mickey Mouse potty chair.  Although we are pretty sure he is not quite ready to give up his diapers, it seemed smart to go ahead and let him get used to the potty chair now, so that maybe he’ll come around to the idea of becoming diaper-free on his own.

The potty seat was an instant hit with both children. They adore their new “toy”.  Max loves to sit on the seat (sometimes pants on,  sometimes they are off but his diaper is still on), flush the Mickey ‘arm’ to hear an encouraging “Hip Hip Hooray” and use it as a stepping stool.  His sister even wants to join in on the fun and tries to pull herself up on the seat (so at this point I am thankful there is no potty in there!) and flush it herself.

The chair is getting a lot of action, none of which is potty. In fact, I actually think Max thinks he is going potty (and maybe he is- in his diaper) when he sits on the potty chair.  He is so proud of himself, and his excitement is so contagious that even Halle claps for him.  When we try to have him potty on it without a diaper, he is still really nervous and confused and immediately wants off of the seat.

While it appears we may have a few months before Max is willing to work on potty training, I’m okay with that.  You have to start somewhere!  At least we have the help of Mickey, and encouragement from friends (and his little sister)!

Do you have any surefire tips for potty training, or just embrace that every child and situation is different?

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