Atlanta's Frugal Mom

It’s been almost two and a half years since I potty trained my daughter in four days at 26 months.  Once we finished those four days, she never ever looked back!  With that total success, and with my son (22 mo) on the brink of being ready, I’ve devised and revised some of my favorite potty training tips for other parents. Here’s what I consider potty training essentials  and/or what I’d recommend when undergoing the process: Foam hand soap – it just makes hand washing more fun, and makes hand-washing easier.  You can always check for coupons to print before you head to purchase!  😉 Keep towels for drying hands on counter in reach , if your towel holder is too high; I still keep hand towels on the counter for my now 4.5 year old daughter. Potty seats for the big potty, as well as little portable potty chairs , because you never know what might interest him most!  When you’re on the go , consider a foldable potty seat. Step stools — for the ...

The folding, padded potty seat As you may recall, I just recently finished a successful (and short) stint potty training my two-year old daughter  back at the end of May.  She took to the task like a pro, which gave me the confidence *I* needed to take her out and about, and know we could minimize accidents.  However, my biggest hang-up had long been the dreaded public restroom. Need I say more?  A curious toddler's small hands simply can't contain themselves in a new environment, and -well- the nastiness that you likely conjured up at the mere words "public restroom" are enough to send one sprinting for a can of Lysol, right? The bulky "on the go" potty seat -- BOO! Furthermore, any mother will attest to the amount of STUFF one must lug around, even with a potty-trained child: your own purse, a (former) diaper bag, and miscellaneous other bags, depending on the occasion and the circumstances.   For me, shopping entailed the addition of my...

Ditching the Diapers: Potty Training in 3 (or 4) Days Disclaimer: The following is my account of potty training my daughter, using a particular method*. I am not claiming to be an expert on the subject. However, in 30 years, I've 20 years experience with working with kids, including two degrees in education. I've taught in middle school and elementary schools, and just finished up my first year in preschool. Again, I am NOT an expert in the matter, but I do feel my combined education and experience makes my account worthwhile. :o) During the third full week in May, I undertook the daunting task of potty-training my daughter, who was 26 months at the time. She was ready; she was more than ready, and I knew it. This just happened to be the first block of time where I could set aside to truly devote to the task. School had finished up the week before, and we had nothing critical that needed to be done. (Gym, schmym – we're ditching diapers!!) So, I began hypin...

I am just so excited about this, I had to go ahead and give y'all a sneak peek!  I will be conducting a full review later, but I just have to share a little bit with you all NOW!   I recently got a foldable potty seat, from My Precious Kid , to replace my non-foldable potty seat I've been sporting around in a plastic reusable shopping bag for the last three weeks.  The order was finalized on Wednesday, June 8 and arrived today (Monday, June 13) via regular ol' USPS.   Good-bye bulky potty seat! Hello, foldable potty seat! You'll fit nicely in my daughter's bag!  :o) I must admit: I am quite impressed.  Not only with the speediness of the order, but with the product as well.  Although my husband and I hadn't planned on venturing out tonight, I insisted  we go somewhere, just to try it out!  We ended up eating at Target (my love!), and -low and behold!- my little monkey had to go potty.  (Never have I been more excited to hear her u...