My Favorite Potty Training Method

Okay, before we jump in I want you to take a deep breath. Potty training is a BIG deal! On one hand, you're excited by the idea of no longer changing diapers. On the other hand, this means your baby is growing up and will begin to need you less. This can be a bittersweet and emotional time for everyone involved. So hang in there, you've got this!

When we started potty training our now 6 year old, we tried just about every method out there. Sticker charts, m&ms or lollipops as a reward when he used the potty, cheerios in the toilet for target practice, you name it, we tried it. Nothing seemed to be working. Sure, he loved getting a sticker or a treat when he went, but it was never enough to motivate him toward not having accidents. He would pee his pants and not care. We were going through 4/5 pairs of underwear a day, and this mama was at her wit's end!

Finally, I realized that he needed a tangible consequence for having accidents. Now, before you get upset, no, I am not suggesting you punish your child for having an accident. They happen, and it's to be expected. In our case, wet pants or the promise of treats weren't enough to make him want to use the toilet every time. He simply didn't care enough. This is when I had the idea for our potty jars.

The concept is pretty simple. You get two jars, one for accidents, and one for using the potty. Then you get something to fill those jars. We used glass fishbowl stones, but some other ideas could be marbles, buttons, pom poms, etc. We started out by dividing the stones in half between the two jars. When he used the potty, he got to take a stone out of the accident jar and put it in the potty jar. If he had an accident, he had to take a stone from the potty jar and put it back in the accident jar. The goal was to empty the accident jar into the potty jar, and once he did, we promised to take him to the store so he could pick out a prize!

So proud of himself for filling the potty jar!

Once he emptied the accident jar from halfway and we took him to get his prize, we dumped all of the stones into the accidents jar and repeated the process. When he emptied the jar a second time, we deemed him "officially" potty trained, and as you can see above, he was SO proud of himself!

I think what made this method so successful was that we involved him in every step of the process. We sat him down and explained how it was going to work. Then we took him to the store to help us pick out the jars, stones, and some stickers to decorate it with. It was really exciting for all of us to watch his progress as the accident jar became emptier and the potty jar filled up!

This method is what ended up working best for us, and now we've started the process again with his little brother. If you give this potty training method a try, I would love to know how it goes for you! I wish you and your kiddo the best as you take on this journey of potty training!

Xoxo, Terrin 💗