I’ve recently read about blogging friends who are in the throes of potty training. I feel for you: Breadingwinning Mama and Worldly Girl Turned Mom. 

Though my daughter is almost 3.5, and we made it past the WORST accident ever, we still have issues from time to time!  Like this morning for instance, when she didn’t want to go right away in the morning JUST BECAUSE!  It didn’t end well, so she was reminded to try to listen to her body to avoid accidents.  AHH – a control-freak three-year old is a formidable opponent at times!

Here are five quick things that I consider Potty Training Essentials:

1. Multiple bath mats – the bath mat gets peed on constantly during potty training.  I was tired of our ONE bath mat getting soiled and having to wash it again and again.  One day there was a buy one, get one for $1 deal on bath mats, and my problem was solved – or at least I had a spare bath mat to rotate in while the other one was being cleaned.

2. Clean-up supplies – paper towels, old rags – just have them on hand everywhere! We have to worry about the 2nd floor, main floor, and basement, so having rags handy is a big help!

3. Carpet cleaner – We have a cat, who doesn’t get a lot of blog-love, and like any cat, she is prone to hacking up hairballs.  Our defense – Nature’s Miracle spray. Little did we know that this product would ALSO work wonders for our children’s accidents.  I also would NOT recommend having white carpeting in a child’s room, though Nature’s Miracle and table salt (for bloody noses) have done wonders in removing stains on that white carpeting.

4. Stain remover – You probably are well acquainted with your favorite stain remover if your child is now potty training.  We like Shout and Oxi-Clean.  I also consult my cleaning tips book or Pinterest for unique stain removal needs.

5. PATIENCE – This is the go-to parenting virtue.  I found potty training to be very frustrating until one day I finally told my daughter that SHE WAS IN CHARGE of going to the bathroom.  There are times that I still have to remind myself of this, when I see her doing a potty dance to hold it in. Ultimately, she doesn’t want to stop having fun to use the potty.  Sigh! Most days we are completely accident-free, though I need to rely on my patience for those remaining outliers like today.

Please share any additional potty training essentials or commiserate with parents in the potty training phase here!