A mom wrote in wondering when to start potty training with her three-year old daughter, anxious over the fact that her daughter is not further along with the process. Mama, don’t worry. As someone told me once, everyone is potty trained by the time they graduate from high school. It will work out! In the meantime, here are my best tips when it comes to when to potty train, a reward system, and making your child comfortable with potty time.

My Best Potty Training Tips

At what age did you potty train your child? Write in with your experience below.

First, some general thoughts regarding when to potty train. This is something you should begin thinking about around the age of two and a half to three. Girls often potty train earlier, and I’ve noticed that some Europeans really get going with the whole thing at around age two. However, I found that with my boys, potty training before the age of three was largely a waste of time. Once they hit the age of three, they were mature enough to handle it and the process went quite quickly.

1. Number one, avoid the issue. My first tip when it comes to potty training is not to talk about it too much. Do not stress your child out, and do not stress yourself out. The more you talk about it, the more anxiety you create. So stay off the subject.
2. Number two, make potty time fun and definitely introduce rewards. Some people don’t believe in rewards but I now do. I think they’re fun and a good incentive. And none of my five kids ever suffered from having been given a Hershey’s Kiss after going in the potty.
3. Number three, try some fun books for getting excited and understanding the process better. You can begin reading these when your child is around two years old.

For more detail on these tips, watch my video. I also have a whole series of videos that go into detail on potty training that you can find here. Thanks so much for watching, and see you back soon.

Melissa