Pull-Ups Potty Dance Blog Tour

Ah, the potty training days (which felt like years and years at the time). It is a whole new level of parenting - whether you are a new potty-training-parent or a seasoned-veteran of the potty. Parent Club has been selected for a blog tour; sharing experiences about potty training.

THE WHAT: Pull-Ups Potty Dance gives kids a fun ritual and makes the whole potty training process positive and happy for everyone. The dance is intended to "...reduce anxiety and motivate success throughout the potty training journey".

First of all, I call liar liar pants on fire to anyone who says potty training can be done in a day. In my experience, the potty wasn't conquered in a day. Going potty is a learnt skill...and so is potty motivating. Kids need to learn the sensations and habits of "going" and parents need to learn the coaching and patience getting potty success.
Let's start off by agreeing that: potty training should always be based on positive reinforcement - like the potty dance (take a look at the video!)...

We always used a reward system - and I will advise to always make your reward PORTABLE - because one day your child will have to go to the big-boy bathroom at the mall or on an airplane or at a highway bathroom stop in France - and your reward will need to be with you.
We always, always used praise (because its always nice to hear you did a good job! - it grows confidence, it reinforces accomplishment, it makes one feel loverly). In addition to praise, we had some hits and misses with potty rewards:

• Smarties (a hit!). One smartie for every success. {Aside: I knew someone who's potty training son WOULD NOT go #2 in the potty. WOULD NOT. So she gave him one "poo pill" (aka: Smartie) a day which would help him go - without pain - the next day. This reduced his anxiety about the whole #2-in-the-potty deal. Not to say it will work for all - but it worked for her}.
• Tattoos (a miss!). They were a big treat - but after a few days of successful potty use Thing 1 looked like a bad reality tattoo show (or a biker).
• Band-aids (a hit!). Character-featured-glow-in-the-dark band-aids were a great reward. They lasted less time than tattoos (see bad reality show above), Thing 1 could choice from an assortment, they were portable (see France above) and band-aids bring attention. "What happened to you?!" "I went potty!"

I think - above all - the best advice for parents is to remain calm and be consistent. Yes, there will be a mountain of extra laundry. Yes, it might feel like years. Yes, you will have to coach like you have never coached before.

But as my mother told me: "no one has ever gone to high school in diapers..." (let's hear a woot woot for mom experience!).  Lesson learnt: everyone becomes "a big kid now" eventually. Stick with it.
(The Pull-Ups Potty Dance Blog Tour is part of a Mom Central blog campaign - a fan-ta-bu-lous parenting website)

Do you have a potty training experience or tip to share? Comment below (because it's kind of like a positive reward...see positive rewards above)