The day before my son turned 14 months, he said the word diaper. He said it perfectly, and I didn't know whether to be excited or a little nervous. I was more the latter, because it hit me that he's growing up (too fast might I add.) This also made it painfully aware that potty training is near. My mother-in-law bought him a potty on his first birthday (pictured above)--just for this fateful event.
So it got me thinking about how I'm going to start this process with my son. This will be my first real experience with teaching him something really important.
I took this fun and helpful quiz on Parents.com to get an idea of whether my son is ready to start potty training. Turns out he needs a little more time, which is a huge relief. I'm also not in a rush, since children are generally ready to start training after their 2nd birthday. Still, I think it's a good idea to start mentally preparing for this.
Since I'm a lover of all things tech, I just knew there'd be some cool apps out there to help us moms on our journey, and help keep track of our child's progress. I've downloaded these, and tried them out for ease of use. Here are a few apps to help jumpstart potty training with your little one.
Pull-Ups Big Kid
The Pull-Ups Big Kid app has some really cool features. The timer is fun and colorful, and you can choose between Mini Mouse and Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. There are fun games with Disney characters. You can also take pictures of your child with fun photo frames. Connect with other moms on Facebook with the social feature, and read helpful tips and tricks along the way. There are fun videos and songs for your child to enjoy while they're potty training.
Potty Time
I really liked this app's features. You can create a success chart by placing a sticker in each square for each time your child successfully uses the potty. It's also integrated with social media, so you can share your child's progress with your friends. You can also print out the chart and other fun items to put on your bathroom wall.
The Potty Time app comes with a cute little book, games and videos for your child to interact with to keep them occupied.
Potty Baby
The Potty Baby app has a clean, simple interface and is pretty easy to navigate. You can set reminders to keep your potty trainee on a regular schedule. You can track what they did at each potty visit, as well as if they had an accident. This can be helpful when talking to your pediatrician about their progress. There's an option to keep track of whether they go to the bathroom during a nap.
iPotty
If you want to take it a step further than just an app, there's a new, high-tech potty for the tech savvy child. It's a mini toilet complete with an iPad stand, to preoccupy your child while they're going to the bathroom.You can purchase the iPotty for $40, and it'll be available in March.
Which app(s) will you use during your child's potty training journey?
