19 Brilliant Hacks That Will Make Potty Training So Much Easier

Pretty soon their business won't be your business.

1. Use Cheerios to improve your son's aim.

2. To stop your kid from freaking out when a public toilet flushes, put a Post-It over the sensor.

3. If your little one likes to unwind the entire roll of toilet paper, put it in backward (with the end facing the wall) — it'll make it harder for them.

4. A "you shall not pass" sign can also serve as a good visual aid.

5. If they do end up flushing too much paper and the toilet clogs, drizzle in a bit of Dawn dish soap, then slowly pour in a bucket of hot water from waist level.

6. Make a progress chart of times they're successful, and let them put a sticker up when they do it right.

7. Get a potty training kit together before you start, with the sticker chart, juice boxes, some candy and small rewards that they'll love, their big kid underwear, and a potty training movie.

8. This ingenious time saver for bed-wetting.

9. Set a "pee-pee timer" for every 30 minutes to help remind your little boy or girl to try to go.

10. There's no shame in resorting to bribery. When your child sits on the potty on their own, start out with big rewards, like a little toy or ice cream, and gradually decrease to small awards, like M&Ms or jelly beans.

11. If you prefer not to use candy, hit up the dollar store: Try stickers, stamps, coins for their piggy bank, or a toy set with multiple pieces for the bath, and let them have one or two for every time they go one or two. Hugs and songs can work too.

12. Another incentive recommended is to let them pick out a poster they like, hang it in the bathroom, then cover up the good parts with a post-it note.

13. Sing "Wipe, seat down, flush, wash your hands" to any melody to help them remember all of the steps.

14. If they have an accident, have them help with clean up.

15. Save yourself some back strain by letting the little one wash their hands with the bathtub faucet (just make sure it's not too hot).

16. Pantyliners can be a cheap alternative to Pull-Ups or potty training pants if they're still having occasional accidents, or have been potty trained but are leaking once in a while.

17. For kids who are resisting wearing underwear, they'll be extra excited to wear a pair custom-made for them with iron-on paper.

18. Stick a disposable changing pad on the car seat to avoid constant cleaning up while accidents are still happening.

19. Like everything else with parenting, don't stress too much about it. Just remember: You're not going to send your kid to college in diapers.

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