When I was getting ready to potty train my son Sebastian someone told me the "Sticker Method" is really helpful. Not knowing anything about any types of methods, I googled every possible tip and scenario. I decided to try out the method and see if it would work.
I bought sheets of car and airplane stickers and every time he peed in the potty, he would get 1 sticker and every time he would do #2 in the potty, he would get 2. I set up a chart on the wall and every time he would get 5 stickers across, he would get one of those .99 cent matchbox cars. Let me tell you, this worked like a charm! He was potty trained in a week and nearly accident free in about 10 days.
Here are some of the most helpful tips I got on potty training that helped my son go from diapers to cute little underwear in just a week.
The Sticker Method Buy sheets of stickers and reward them every time they go to the potty. Double stickers for poo!
Buy a fun book Every time he would sit on the potty and we would wait for pee pee to come, I would read him “Potty” by Leslie Patricelli. It’s a really cute book about a boy who eventually learns to go potty. He loved having me read this to him and it helped him stay on the potty throughout the book, which really increased his chances of going.
Play potty with a doll Some kids learn best with examples and playtime. Use a doll to play with your child and show them how the doll goes to the potty. Elmo also has a lot of great videos on potty training if you’d rather show them videos.
Sing a potty song Kids love songs. Make going to the potty fun by singing a song together every time they try to potty, even if they don’t actually do the deed, it makes going fun.
Bribe them I’m not above bribing my child. He loves bribes and I don’t mind the $5 I spend on the bribe to get it done. Sometimes a small cookie, a small toy, or even stickers will go a long way. Find what works best for you and try it out.
Praise! Praise! Praise! If they actually pee in the potty, make the biggest deal in the world about it. Praise them! High five them! Give them kisses! Act like they just won the lottery. They’ll love getting praised for their efforts and will want to continue.