Potty Training Struggles? Try These Fun New Ways!
Sometimes, you have to get a little creative to get your little one to take potty training, and that can involve anything from singing songs, to acting it out yourself, or even turning going potty into a game... Seriously.
But there are other great ways of getting your kid used to potty training too, and a fun new way is to incorporate shows your kid loves into potty training. It doesn't matter if it's Peppa Pig, Frozen, Spiderman, or whatever the latest trend is, using characters from TV shows, movies, and books that your kids love is a great way to encourage them!
So today's post will take you through a bunch of fun new ways to make going potty less of a stress for you and your kid! Ready? Let's dive right in!
Why Do These Characters Help With Potty Training Struggles?
First, you're probably wondering why your kids will listen to these characters if they won't listen to you. Well, not to hurt your feelings or anything, but characters from Peppa Pig, Frozen, and the rest of the shows and movies are role models to your children.
Sure, you're their hero and they love you, but having Mom or Dad tell you to go potty vs having Elsa tell you, well, the results are always going to be different!
Getting creative is the best thing you can do to help your child with potty training because if you've been struggling, then you've probably lost your patience along the way here and there.
And that's understandable, but if you incorporate shows your kid loves into potty training, you're able to reset the potty training phase and go again.
Except this time, you'll have a bunch of fictional princesses, animals, characters, and superheros helping you out along the way. Already feels a little easier, doesn't it? So let's jump into the ideas.
1. Check For Official Shows
Some of these awesome kid-focussed TV shows are already trying to help parents through the potty training phase with actual TV show episodes dedicated to the issue to encourage your little one to use the potty too.
A great example of this is Peppa Pig! In Season 7, Episode 19, George Pig (Peppa's little brother) is learning to go potty, and you and your kids can follow him through his adventure as he masters it!
Are they realistic? Absolutely not! Show us someone who potty-trained their kid in the space of a TV episode and we'll show you a liar. But the point is, episodes like this one from Peppa Pig show your little ones that there's nothing to be afraid of.
Peppa had to do it, George had to do it, and Mommy and Daddy Pig both did it a long time ago! Now your kid can join that list too, by working hard at potty training so they can be just like their role models from the movies, TV, or books!
2. Find Fan-Made Videos
If there aren't any official shows from the series themselves that cover potty training, then you can always look for fan-made videos online.
The important thing here is to check them yourself first to make sure they're something that's age appropriate and something you think will actually be useful for your kid. But just today, we were able to find a bunch of useful fan-made videos just by typing in 'Frozen potty training' on YouTube.
Pick the show your kid likes the best, and see if you can find anything online that might help them learn to go potty.
If you can't, you might even consider making one yourself, if you know how! Just think, you'll be helping you and your kid out, and every other struggling parent out there too! That's pretty great, right?
Having encouragement from the characters (even if they don't sound _exactly _like the characters from the show) is a really effective way to convince your kids that their role models would be really impressed if they started using the potty.
3. Use Character Charts
You'll have heard the tips about potty training charts before, but did you ever think about finding one online with characters that your children love?
There are loads out there, all you need to do is type in something like 'Peppa Pig potty training chart' into a search engine and you'll get a bunch of results. Find the one you think will be most useful, or whip one up yourself on Word. Remember, they don't have to look absolutely amazing, they just need to get the job done.
Whenever your kid puts a sticker on their character potty training chart, make a point of how Elsa would be so proud, just like you are, or how you think George Pig would be so impressed because your kid stayed dry all day without accidents.
You get the point, but by having your words of encouragement and praise from the characters they love too, they'll be getting double the approval, making them more likely to keep working hard at their potty training!
4. Update A Song From The Show
It's difficult to think about at first, but the whole point of this post is getting creative, so sit down and see if you can work out a potty training song from your kids favorite shows.
'Do you want to build a snowman?' from Frozen can easily become 'Do you want to use the potty?', and surely there has to be something potty-related with 'Let it go', right?
The point is, by taking these songs that are stuck in your kids' heads (and, unfortunately, yours too) you can twist it into a really fun potty song that they'll love hearing you perform every time they need to go.
The easiest way to make your kid feel relaxed about going to the potty is singing about it, and you get bonus points for mixing up the lyrics of songs they already know to get them to connect with it faster!
5. Have The Character Demonstrate
Finally, if all else fails, you can simply have the characters demonstrate. There are videos online of this sort of thing (again, be careful what you search and make sure it's only a demonstration... we're not trying to scar your kids for life here!).
For example, you can find a great Disney Princess potty training guide for little princesses online, which is great for girls.
If you can't find anything like that, then you can always take dolls or cuddly toys of the characters and have them demonstrate by 'pretending' to go to the potty to show your kid what to do. If Peppa, Elsa, Olaf, and George can all do it, then your kid can too!
Take-Home Message
There's only one thing you need to remember when trying these fun ways to help with potty training, or when you're thinking up new ideas of your own: It doesn't matter how silly you look or how ridiculous it seems to anyone else, if it works for you and your kid, then stick with it!
Every child is different, so if your little one needs a little more encouragement than most with a rendition of 'Do you want to use the potty?', then sing it loud and proud! After all, the potty training phase will be over before you know it, and singing 'Do you want to use the potty?' at a dinner party gets a much worse reception!