Ask HN: Child toilet (potty) training tips

Dad with 3 kids here.

With my first one, I tried and encouraged and bribed and nothing worked. I drove myself crazy. And then one day he said to me. "Dad, I don't want diapers." And that was it. Done!

What I learned from this... all kids figure it out. Quite frankly, using the toilet is just way more user-friendly than using diapers! At some point, they'll realize it. They just go at their own pace.

So you can drive yourself crazy trying to get them to realize it... or you can just gently suggest, be patient and have confidence that they will figure things out!

Note! Letting kids do things at their own pace (and not yours) is very helpful for many things besides potty training!

Nothing was working with my toddler so we bribed her with candy. If she used the bathroom throughout the day, she received three m&ms after dinner. This went against everything I read on the web, but my wife had a hunch, and damn she was right!

We also started her out on a toilet in the living room, that way we could read books to her. 15-30 days later, she transitioned to the real toilet.

It helps if your child’s preschool is forcing the issue. We couldn’t have done it without help from her teachers.

Be kind to yourself, and them. Toilet training is a shitty part of parenting - but all kids get there in the end so don’t panic!