I'm Back - In the Potty Training Trenches

If you read my blog regularly, you might remember me declaring that I was taking potty training head-on. Do you also remember that I tossed up my hands and gave up?

Okay, I am declaring it is once again on. This time I am more prepared, and my two toddlers in diapers are more motivated than before. My son is 3 1/2 and is finally showing an interest in moving up to "big boy pants". I am taking baby steps and have successfully transitioned him to pull-ups. He doesn't ask consistently to use the potty and avoids me after going #2.

My daughter is ready and willing! She is only 21 months old, so I am going slowly with her. I decided to go straight to panties since she was ripping off her diaper every 5 minutes to "potty, Mama!".

Boy are these two different! My son is motivated by bribes and treats while his sister just wants a good 'ole hug and "high five". But my son also doesn't want to be out done by his baby sister. I am motivated to get my son comfortable because pre-school is just around the corner. He can't go until he is out of his diapers. Has anyone out there trained two at the same time? Or worked with both a boy &; a girl? Unfortunately they mimic what we teach the other one... despite the difference in plumbing.

So far I have an arsenal of training products. We have a Safety 1st 3-in-1 potty, with lift out toilet seat insert that I keep in our living room. I am pretty happy with this product.

There are a lot of parts to clean, but the kids can use it easily and it is versatile. I do love the soft foam seat.

We picked it up at Walmart for under $20, and you can find similar models in most stores.


And for the simple and inexpensive, we picked up a few simple plastic bucket-style potty at IKEA. We have an extra in the house that I plan to take outside in the privacy of our backyard, and one went to the Grandparents. It retails for under $5, but has no bells or whistles. I don't think it looks very comfortable, but the little bottoms in our home don't seem to mind, and I couldn't beat the price.

Since we have 2 bathrooms, I wanted a potty chair in both. At 21 months, my daughter is not stable enough to climb up to use the toilet, so we also have the Boon Potty Bench. I call this the Cadillac of potty benches/ step stools. It even has storage in both sides.

We use this as a step stool while we brush teeth because it is wide, stable and both children can stand on it at the same time (a little cramped, but they manage).

This is hands-down my favorite and I recommend it to my friends, but it retails for $49.99.

And if that wasn't enough, we also picked up a simple Mommy's Helper Paddy Potty Seat.This sets on top of the toilet bowl so the child won't fall in. My son is very intimidated by full-sized seats and this has helped him. Unfortunately, this style requires a step stool or a ladder to use easily and we don't have one yet. My son can't get up to the seat on his own. For now we lift him up to use it.

Again, it is very simple and retails for around $12.

We looked into getting a new toilet seat that had two lids, one regular size, and one that is for small children. Unfortunately they are not big sellers and we would have to order it online.

Okay, have I gone potty crazy? Probably. I have purchased all of these items for my little ones. Of course I am still looking for good products to help with this developmental milestone. I have a few other items up my sleeve I will be sharing soon. There are so many items out there to help. From DVDs, dolls, books and wipes I will let you know what is working, and not working for us. With two potty training I need all the help I can get!

*Disclaimer - This is not a sponsored post and all products were purchased by myself to use during potty training.