Making Potty Training a Toddler Fun: Creative Tips and Tricks to Successful Toilet Training
Potty training a toddler can be a challenging and messy process. It’s a milestone that every parent and toddler must navigate together. There are ways to turn this important developmental stage into a fun and engaging experience for your little one. By incorporating creativity, patience, and a positive attitude, you can make potty training an enjoyable adventure for both you and your toddler no matter what approach to potty training you use.
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Here are some creative tips and tricks to transform potty training into a fun and successful endeavor.
1. Introduce Colorful and Engaging Potty Tools: Consider using potty seats or training toilets with cheerful designs or your child’s favorite character or animal. Have your toddler decorate his/her own potty with colorful stickers or decals based on their interests.
To make the actual process more engaging, use fun toilet paper! This simple and playful technique can help motivate your child to use the potty independently. Get some colorful or patterned toilet paper rolls that your toddler finds exciting. You can even have your little one pick this out! Check out this unicorn option or this cute monkey one.
If your little one likes flashlights or glowsticks, then I highly recommend purchasing these toilet night lights. You can have them use the potty in the dark with this light on! They adjust so you can have one on your big potty and one on your child’s little potty.
2. Story Time on the Potty: Combine learning with entertainment by designating potty time as story time. Select a few books that focus on potty training and keep them within reach of your child’s potty area. Encourage your toddler to sit on the potty while you read aloud to them. This not only helps establish a routine but also turns the process into a positive and enjoyable experience. Check out my post on the best books for potty training a toddler for ideas on books to purchase.
3. Sing and Dance: Turn potty time into a mini party by singing silly songs or making up catchy rhymes together. Create a special “potty song” that you can sing while your child sits on the potty. The amount of songs I made up with my son is insane haha, but we still use some when he’s decided to be stubborn about using the potty!
Incorporate some playful dance moves or hand gestures to make it even more engaging. Singing and dancing not only distract your toddler from any anxiety but also add an element of joy and entertainment to the potty training routine.
Watch songs/videos on YouTube or listen to songs about the potty when you’re not having your little one sit on the potty. Some of our favorites were:
a. Potty Song | Potty Training by Gracie’s Corner | Nursery Rhymes + Kids Songs
b. Sitting On The Potty | Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs
c. [✨NEW] Baby Shark’s Potty Song | Potty Training Song for Kids | Baby Shark Official
d. Yes, Yes go Potty! – Baby Potty Training Song | Healthy Habits for Kids – Baby Shark Song for Kids
e. Daniel Tiger’s Stop & Go Potty | Let’s learn when to go potty!
**Disclaimer: I do not recommend having your toddler watch anything while actually sitting on the potty. While potty training, your goal is to get your toddler to recognize the feeling they get when they need to go/are going and connect it with sitting on the potty. Having them watch something while sitting will shift their attention and deter them from making this connection.**
4. Turn Potty Training into Playtime: You can make potty training a playful and interactive experience for your toddler by incorporating games and activities. These will help to engage their curiosity and make the process enjoyable.
Here are a few ideas:
a. Potty Puppet Show: Create or purchase hand puppets that resemble characters your child loves. Use the puppets to act out a short story or sing a song about using the potty. This playful approach can make your child excited about using the potty and turn it into an imaginative experience. You can also use stuffed animals or dolls for this.
b. Potty Imaginative Play: After introducing your child to potty training through engaging picture books that showcase characters going through the same process, allow them to “practice” through imaginative play. Model for them a favorite stuffed animal feeling the need to pee/poop, and running to sit on the potty. You could put water or playdough in the potty seat (prep beforehand/do this secretly) to show that the stuffed animal went on the potty! Encourage your child to help in this process after the first time. Before you know it, your toddler will do this imaginative play on his/her own!
c. Add a Little Pizzazz: To this day, my son still randomly wants some pizzazz added to his toilet time. This is easy, yet so effective! You can have your toddler add in sprinkles or food dye to pee/poop on. Add food coloring into the toilet or potty. This is also a great way to teach what color is created when you mix two together! My son absolutely loves having his pee “mix” the colors together to see what’s made. Another option is to add Cheerios for your little one to go on. It’s just something different that’s easy to change up and makes the process more fun and engaging.
For boys, this also can include target practice. Boy moms, you know what I mean. Very early on in our potty training, Carson insisted on standing up to “pee pee like Dada.” I needed to help him with his aim (and myself, honestly lol) so that’s where the Cheerios came into play. It gave him something to aim for in a game-like activity. Encourage your toddler to aim and “sink” the targets while using the potty. If Cheerios aren’t enticing enough for your active toddler, check out these toilet targets which are sewage-safe and made of biodegradable paper. They come in different varieties to appeal to whatever your child is interested in.
I haven’t purchased this, but I came across this PeeBall attachment. It’s a fun game your little one can “play” while trying to aim on the potty. I should look into getting one for my husband actually… 😛
d. Potty Basket: Create a special potty basket for making potty training a toddler fun. Include things like:
– Reusable sticker books: There are lots to choose from! Again, pick some that contain an interest of your toddler.
-Bubbles: Get some of those small, party favor bubbles. These are great for entertaining your toddler while they sit on their potty. It’s an extra perk that if you have your little on blow the bubbles, it helps to relax his/her butt muscles, which in turn, helps your child poop.
–Potty books: As I’ve already mentioned, books are KEY to successful potty training.
–Small white board: Let your toddler draw on this over and over again while they sit. It’s also great to use some magnetic letters or other fun magnets on.
Add whatever new little trinkets you think will help keep your child engaged while he/she is sitting on the potty. We all know how hard it is to get toddlers to sit still, so use this potty basket as a way to encourage it, and only make it available when your toddler is sitting on the potty trying to go. That’s what keeps it special!
e. Potty Training Obstacle Course: Set up a mini obstacle course in your home using chairs, cushions, or other safe objects. Guide your toddler through the course, making stops at designated potty spots along the way. Turning potty training into an adventure can make it exciting and help maintain their interest.
5. Offer Choices: Help your toddler feel like he/she is in charge of this process by offering choices. If it’s time for them to try to go, ask if they want to use the little or big potty. Have your toddler pick if he/she wants to hop like a bunny or run fast like a cheetah to the potty. If you use food dye, let them pick what color or colors to add in. You can even have them help add it. Allow them to pick what color sprinkles, and again, have your toddler sprinkle them in. Does your toddler want to use the reusable sticker book or read a story? The possibilities are endless!
Potty training a toddler doesn’t have to be a stressful or monotonous experience. By infusing creativity, fun, and positivity into the process, you can transform it into an enjoyable adventure for your toddler. With these creative tips and tricks to successful toilet training, you can make potty training a memorable milestone in your child’s development.
