Looking for some easy potty training techniques for toddlers?
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I’ve written about potty training on this site before – having gone through it twice now. I know that parents are often looking for easy potty training techniques for toddlers.
Olivia is fully dry during the day however still occasionally has accidents at night. We had been using toddler pull-ups on here at night (we use the aged 4-7 Huggies Drynites {affiliate link}) – putting them on once she was asleep – but we decided the Easter holidays was the perfect time to tackle this and to see if we could go without accidents. So far we’ve had a few dry nights and a few accidents but we are slowly getting there – and it’s all down to perseverance. I wanted to share with you today some easy potty training techniques.
With Jack, I used my own initiative paired with reading Potty Train In A Weekend from Your Modern Family {affiliate link}. If you haven’t read Becky’s blog, it is a fantastic resource and really helped me during Jack’s toddler years. I even wrote a guest post for her way back in the day! I learned a lot through trial and error but here are some techniques to try if you are currently in this situation:
Every parent wants easy potty training techniques for toddlers that work. Read on for free potty training advice and learn how to deal with potty training problems.
Going from nappies/pull-ups to using the toilet can be a difficult transition for both parents and toddlers. It is almost like weaning your baby from bottle (be it baby formula, breast milk or just water) to using a cup Questions always arise regarding the right time to start toilet training, what potty training techniques work best and what to do when accidents occur. This guide offers free advice on potty training a toddler, including what steps to take when potty training problems arise.

Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash
When Should Toilet Training Begin?
Every child is different and will learn to use the toilet when he or she is ready to. Here are some basic questions parents should ask themselves when trying to determine if their child is ready for potty training:
- Can the toddler understand and follow easy directions?
- Can the toddler ask basic questions?
- Does the child’s nappy stay dry for long periods of time?
- Does the child give off any signs when he or she has to go to the bathroom (facial expressions, hiding, etc.)?
- Is the child bothered by nappies and interested in the toilet?
If the answers to these questions are mostly yes, then it is probably okay to start potty training them.
Potty Training Techniques
Once the child is ready to start training, try some of these techniques to get them excited about using the toilet:
- Offer lots of praise whenever the child uses the toilet. Children respond positively to the praise of their parents and will be encouraged to keep using the toilet if they hear it often.
- Buy the child her own little toilet to get her excited about going to the bathroom. {affiliate link}
- Consider using an incentive when the toddler successfully uses the toilet. Some children respond to stickers or small sweets.
- There are many products available to assist in potty training. These include book, songs and toys.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
What to Do When Accidents or Potty Training Problems Occur
- Accidents are impossible to avoid. When they do happen, don’t overreact. Parents should reassure the child that they are proud of her efforts.
- To lessen and deal with inevitable accidents, take these precautions:
- Be prepared with clean underwear and clothes for the child. If accidents are frequent try using absorbent materials for quick response. Buying bulk toilet rolls, like those available at Loorolls means you are always stocked up during the potty training transition.
- Ask the child if she has to go to the bathroom often and don’t take the child somewhere without an accessible bathroom for long periods of time.
- Use absorbent underwear when the child sleeps because accidents are likely to occur at this time.
If accidents are very frequent parents may need to stop training for a while and then start again at another time. If the child is over the age of four and is still having frequent accidents parents may want to take her to the doctor to make sure they are not a result of a urinary tract disorder.
Knowing when to start potty training and using various measures to get toddlers excited about using the bathroom will help make the transition from nappies to the toilet easier on both parents and children.
Do you have any tips you would like to share?

This is great advice, Potty training can be really daunting. I think it is all in the timing. I tried my son once and it simply wasn’t the right time for him. We tried again a few months later and we had no issue at all.
Thanks for sharing, I could do with sharing this with lots of the year 1 parents at my school as we have a crazy amount still in nappies!
Great post, I have a 6 month old so this seems far off yet, but I know time will fly round! This is really helpful, especially the part about knowing when is the right time to start – for parents like me who have no idea! X
These sound like some great techniques to help people help their child with potty training. I’m sure it can be a stressful time for some.
We seemed to nail wee’s pretty quickly but poo’s were a whole other problem. My little one is 3 & half now and thankfully using the toilet for everything, but it took a lot of patience and perseverance to get there.
Great advice, thanks for sharing.
Reading your posts has brought back a lot of memories when I was potty training my children. Some fabulous tips here for new parents who are struggling at the moment
Potty training can be quite stressful both for the parent as well as the child. You have shared some useful tips for parents going through this phase.
It’s definitely good to wait until they are ready. We tried too early with our oldest and failed the first time. We waited about 6 months and tried again. We potty-trained our two older kids in 3 days by spending all day outside. My husband took Friday off so we had a long weekend. We put the training toilet outside, put the toddler in one of my husband’s shirts with no underwear, pants, or diaper, gave them lots of flavored water, and let them run around outside all day. It took about 10 accidents and they started using the potty.
I am going to share this with my SIL as my niece has started potty training and they are using the Huggies drynites but other alternatives might not hurt.
These are some great tips and tricks , we potty trained Nila during lockdown and was the best thing we did 🙂
Great post. As an early years practitioner one of our tips is not to start potty training if the child has development needs elsewhere. For example speech and language or social. Concentrate on one thing at a time.
These are some great tips on potty training for toddlers! My 3 were all different and it takes time and patience for sure.
These are some great tips. I’m sure new parents will find this very helpful!
I can’t imagine how tough it must be trying to work out when to potty train your kid, but these seem like great tips for new parents x
This is such a good article, my friend is just about start potty training her two, so I will forward this to her, as I am sure the advice will really help x
Jude is two next month so this is next in my list: I need to get that book it sounds amazing!
I do not miss this stage! All three of mine potty trained at different ages, my eldest was 23 months whereas my youngest was three! These are such great tips.