As a mom of two kids, I’ve known for quite awhile that everything takes longer. Getting ready in the morning, hustling everybody to the car, and going ANYWHERE feels like it takes eons to do. So it’s no surprise that I’d put off potty training my youngest daughter until I felt like I had “time,” which was months later than I imagined. I had a ton of help from my husband to potty train my oldest daughter, but his work schedule is different this time around so it was just me and the girls! I also didn’t have the luxury of sequestering myself inside, with having to take my oldest to preschool and swim lessons. This time I needed a little extra help, so I turned to the Pull-Ups® Potty Partnership.
I have two girls, but one thing I’ve always wondered is if girls potty train faster than boys, so I turned to Pull-Ups, who partnered with child development expert Dr. Heather Wittenberg, to see what the deal is!
The Pull-Ups® brand also created a whole new way to potty train that joins you and your toddler together in the potty training journey, as partners. To get started, they have a free potty personality quiz at Pull-Ups.com, which helps parents determine which “potty personality” their child resembles and provides information to help customize the potty training journey from the very beginning. Based on research and observation of personality types in young children, Pull-Ups®, along with child development expert Dr. Heather Wittenberg, has developed five potty training personalities: the Puppy, the Owl, the Bear Cub, the Turtle and the Squirrel. I quickly took the quiz and we determined my daughter is a Puppy. Puppy personalities are motivated to get training and can be encouraged to do so by rewards and tons of positive encouragement. I instantly knew this was accurate, since it seems my 2.5 year old was more eager to start training than I was!
We are potty training with Pull-Ups® Training Pants for several reasons. They look and fit more like underwear, which means an obvious transition out of diapers. That was important for us because we are DONE with diapers in my house. They also give kids the independence to slide their pants on and off which is super helpful in a potty emergency. The stretchy sides allow toddlers to slide Pull-Ups Training Pants on and off themselves, which is great because soon they’ll be changing to underwear and it’s the same process. We are starting preschool next year and my daughter will have no problem using the bathroom independently with the foundation we set using Pull-Ups Training Pants. Because they are not diapers, I also felt like these training pants signaled to my daughter that we were taking a big step. They allowed her to have some independence, and reinforced that this special time of potty training had some consistently through the use of the Pull-Ups Training Pants.
Check out below why Dr. Heather also thinks it’s important to use Pull-Ups instead of switching between diapers and training pants.
From birth, my youngest daughter has done nothing but demonstrate how different than she is from her older sister, who is a Squirrel. She’s more vocal, independent and adventurous. She will try anything! Now that I was on the cusp of potty training, I realized how important it was to embrace the fact that potty training is different for every child and I needed to work with my child’s personality, not against it. Strategies that I used with my older daughter would not work as effectively. That’s why I love the Pull-Ups Potty Partnership because they give specific ideas! They also reinforce how special of a time it can be with your child and as an opportunity for the two of you to grow and partner together. It doesn’t have to be a frustrating and hair-pulling experience!
So how has our potty training gone? Well, I feel bad for even saying this, but EASY! Even though waiting longer than I wanted meant diapers for a few more months, true to her Puppy potty personality, my daughter was READY and eager. She watched her older sister and knew the steps of going to the potty. She could easily slide off her Pull-Ups Training Pants and use the potty without my help. A win! We did have a few accidents, which she did not like, but which were also evident by the use of the Learning Designs Pull-Ups Training Pants we were using. She could not only feel the wetness, but see it too. Even though we are just getting started (especially since true potty training can take months!), I’m already loving that we are doing this journey together. I hope my daughter feels supported through her potty training and that it’s just the beginning of us solving problems together.
To find out your child’s potty personality and get started on potty training, take the personality quiz at Pull-Ups.com, and get tools and advice to help you and your child partner together throughout the potty training journey. Pull-Ups® Training Pants are designed specifically to help teach potty training skills. Try them now at your local retailer and visit the Pull-Ups.com to learn more about the Pull-Ups® Potty Partnership and discover your child’s potty personality
This post is sponsored by Pull-Ups® Training Pants.