How To Potty Train A Toddler Quickly

Can you potty train a toddler quickly? Yes, you can. However, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to potty train quickly.

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After working in the toddler room at a couple of daycares and as a long-term babysitter for several families I have helped potty train quite a few toddlers and picked up a few tips. Recently, I also potty-trained my toddler (almost 2 years old) in a week using the tips I am about to share with you.

You do have to keep in mind that every toddler is different, potty training isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. So things that work well for one toddler might not work for another. I wanted to share with you the tips that I have found to work with most of the toddlers I have worked with.

1. Decide If Your Toddler Is Ready

To have the most success and potty train a toddler quickly you need to make sure they are ready. If you try to potty train a toddler quickly that is not ready you will cause a lot of unnecessary frustration for all involved. Children under a year old have no control over their bladder. Between a year and 18 months, they gain a little bit of control, but most aren’t able to have full control over their bladder and bowel movements until between two and three years old. So don’t force it if your toddler doesn’t seem ready or it isn’t going very well it is a skill they have to learn and it can take a while.

How Do I Know If My Toddler Is Ready To Be Potty Trained?

If you are ready to ditch the diapers but aren’t sure if your toddler is ready, here’s how to tell.

• They tell you when they have messed in their diaper. If your toddler is telling you when they need a new diaper this is a good sign that they are ready to be potty trained. This means that they are at least aware of when they have gone to the bathroom.
• Your toddler can follow simple directions. If your toddler cannot yet follow simple directions then it will be more difficult to potty train them quickly. If they can comprehend what it means when you tell them to go to the bathroom and get on the potty when they have to go or to go potty when you put them on the toilet, it will help potty training go more quickly.
• They hide when they mess in their diaper. If your toddler is hiding when they mess in their diaper then they are ready to be potty trained. This shows that they know before they use the bathroom, which is a major part of potty training. Then you just have to teach them to go to the bathroom and get on the toilet to go.

If your toddler is showing some or all of these signs then you can go ahead and move forward with potty training! Toddlers who don’t show these signs might need to wait a little longer for potty training if you hope to potty train quickly.

2. Make The Toilet Accessible For Them

If your toddler can’t get on the toilet by themselves to use the bathroom it will make it more difficult to potty train a toddler quickly. When they are just learning how to use the toilet and how to hold it the faster they can get to and on the toilet the better.

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A good potty chair that they can climb on the toilet themselves with and not feel like they are falling in is a good idea. We use this potty chair that is a potty chair and step in one. It also folds up making it easy to tuck away if you need to. You can also get a step stool and a potty seat. Letting your child help pick one out and getting them excited to use it can help the process.

Or be prepared to take your toddler and help them on the potty every time they have to go. That was not feasible for me because I also have an infant and sometimes the toddler needed to be able to go by themselves because I was taking care of the baby.

3. Get Them Fancy Underwear

Get them some fancy underwear. I recommend getting training underwear. Training underwear is slightly thicker than regular underwear and will help absorb any accidents while still having them use underwear. Again, letting them pick out their underwear can help get them excited about using the toilet.

My toddler loves dogs so we got her some underwear with puppies on them and it made her very excited to wear them. Our local stores have some, but I found them cheapest online.

4. Get Them Used To The Toilet

Make the toilet fun and exciting for them and have them practice sitting on it. You can put a small basket with books for them to look at while sitting there to help them sit there longer.

If your toddler is afraid of the toilet then getting them used to it is a very important step. Give them lots of praise even if they just sit on the toilet to help them like it.

5. Have Them Practice Putting On And Taking Off Their Underwear And Bottoms

Getting their bottoms down in time to get on the toilet without an accident is one of the most difficult parts for a toddler. Having them practice putting on and taking off their underwear and bottoms when they aren’t trying to get on the toilet will help things go faster.

Putting them in looser fitting clothes can help them be able to get them on and off by themselves a lot easier. Tight clothes like leggings or tight pants, or even long clothes like dresses can be difficult for a toddler to maneuver to use the bathroom.

Try clothes like looser pants, like sweatpants for the first few weeks, or shirts and long loose skirts with loose shorts or pants under them so they can just take them off quickly.

6. Ditch The Diapers!

After you have made sure your toddler is ready and so is your house it’s time to ditch the diapers. I have found it works best to just get rid of the diapers and not to use diaper-like things, like pullups, for the first few days. Using diapers or pull-ups those first few days doesn’t encourage them to use the bathroom on the potty as much because they are used to just going in a diaper.

If you have to go somewhere the first couple days you can use rubber underwear over their underwear to help lessen any mess.

How To Potty Train A Toddler Quickly

Put them in underwear and explain to them that when they have to go potty they need to go to the bathroom. When they have an accident it is best not to shame them, especially when they are first learning to control their bladder. Rather explain to them that they went potty and next time they need to go to the bathroom to go on the potty.

With some kids, it helps to set a timer for 20 minutes and place them on the potty every time it goes off. This eliminates a lot of accidents and helps them start to realize when they have to go. I didn’t do this with my toddler recently, however there have been kids I potty trained that needed that.

When they go on the potty make sure to praise them so they know that’s what they are supposed to do. We use little treats every time they go on the potty for the first little bit to help encourage them to go even more.

Using a sticker chart could also help encourage them to go. Every time they go on the potty they get to put a sticker on a chart. Watching the stickers add up is a lot of fun. You could make a game out of it and see which day they can get the most stickers.

Conclusion On How To Potty Train A Toddler Quickly

You can potty train a toddler quickly, but you need to make sure that they are ready for it first. Let me know if you have any potty training tips that work for you, in the comments!