Arm Yourself and Let Down Your Guard: A Quick Guide to Potty Perfection

When you begin potty training at home, arm yourself with books and toys to entertain your infant - and get your little one to sit on the seat long enough to go about their 'business!'

Be sure to praise them with they have 'pee pee’d' or 'pooped' in the potty.

Just start by taking off the diaper and sitting them on the potty - and just wait. In the beginning you have to do this every 45 minutes, and you'll sometime sit there for an hour or more until they 'go.'

Don't be tempted to quit. If you give up too soon, the whole potty plan will fail! Some babies catch on quickly, but on average it can take 1-3 months of this rigorous schedule to get potty training right.

It's not for the faint of heart - but think about it. The ends are worth the means.

Our little guy caught on pretty quickly - and even asked for the potty himself a few times. We found the “Once Upon a Potty” book and DVD to be very helpful - and that was just at one-year-old. Most babies are way over two when they start potty training.

When I say 'let down your guard,' I mean you may wish to let your little one see you using the 'big potty' so they have an idea of what goes on.

Now, this freaks some people out - after all, the bathroom is our private time. but kids catch on quickly. At 13-months-old, when our son saw Mommy using the 'potty' for the first time, he immediately ran into his nursery to grab a fresh diaper for mommy to change into! And clapped his hands when he saw I was done with my 'potty.'

So it’s not weird. Kids simply like copying adults. They even learn faster by seeing and copying adults. Why shouldn’t this include bathroom habits?