Potty Training 101, LA-Style

You’re finally getting a full night’s rest, your toddler can feed herself pretty well, and you have proudly graduated from breastfeeding duties.  You feel that you are getting the routine down finally and all that’s left is to potty train your toddler who seems ready, willing, and knowledgeable enough to go. This should be a cinch, right?  For some it just may be that smooth transition they daydreamed of, but for others it is the tricky rite of passage that is sadly lacking an instructional manual.  The best prescription for potty training woes is patience and adding some fun to the whole process.  That’s where our super Seven Step Guide to Potty Training, LA Style comes in very handy.

Step #1: Get the Gear
Getting your toddler to just sit on the potty can be a challenge. Pottys these days have all of the bells and whistles to help make your potty training life a little easier.  They hone in on a toddler’s needs: pretty, verbal affirmation (cheering) and the iPad.

Summer Infant Step-by-Step Potty
If it takes pretty flowers and pink to get your little ones on the potty, then pretty flowers and pink they will get.  Decked out with a soft training seat, this potty also has its own toilet paper holder.

Fisher Price Cheer For Me Potty
This comes equipped with sing along songs and happy cheers for every victory dropped into the potty.  It also comes with it’s own retractable toilet paper roll holder, and the toilet seat comes off to fit onto regular toilets for stage 2 in the potty training process.

The CTA Digital iPad Potty
Tired of holding the iPad up for your little one for days on end? Try this iPad potty that does the trick for you.  Download fun potty training apps that help to encourage your little ones’ progress.

Step #2: Arm Yourself with Laughter
Entertain yourself with some laughs from this crappy picture book that puts humor into potty training to keep yourself motivated.  A local mama wrote one of our favorite parenting books titled, Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures, so that you can carry it with you every time you need a little pick-me-up.  There’s plenty of potty humor…

Step #3: Bedtime Books Get Them Ready
Let your toddler become their own conductor of their potty train.  Los Angeles authors David Hochman and Ruth Kennison wrote this light-hearted book, The Potty Train, to help your little one chugga chugga pooo-pooo with ease when they feel nature calling.

Step #4: We’re Not Above Bribing
From one potty to another, promise your toddlers they can get pick some treats from a super-sized toilet candy dispenser at Sweet! Hollywood once they use their own potty.  A little potty humor never hurt and for some reason, toddlers find it so amusing.

Step #5: Shop Till You Drop (Trou)
Take the kids shopping and let them pick out their own soft, organic, 100% cotton undies.  Giggle in Santa Monica has a great local selection and the fun colorful ambiance will get your toddler in the right mood for potty training bliss.

Step #6: Done? Donate!
After your little ones have exiled those diapers from their daily wardrobe, have them help you pack left-over diapers up and donate them to other babies who really need then.  The LA Diaper Drive has been an amazing resource collecting and distributing opened or unopened, packaged diapers to families in need.  It’s a great way to help your little ones learn about helping out the community.

Here are 5 fantastic diaper drop-off locations:

LA Diaper Drive
Capshaw-Spielberg Center for Arts and Educational Justice
3131 Olympic Boulevard, Suite 201
Santa Monica, Ca

Little Junebugs
27 South El Molino Avenue
Pasadena, Ca
Phone: 626-440-7300

Magical Playground
1778 East Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, Ca
Phone: 626-683-8989

Well Baby Center
12316 Venice Boulevard
Mar Vista, Ca
Phone: 310-402-2229

A Mother’s Haven
15916 Ventura Boulevard #116
Encino, Ca
Phone: 818-380-3111

Step #7: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
Finally, after dropping off those diapers, swing by Silverlake Wine to pick up a really  great wine, like the Jackhammer Pinot. Why the Jackhammer? Much like how potty training needs the perfect climate to master, the Pinot is a fickle grape, but the hard work put into growing it pays off in the end.  It’s also a gracious wine for under $15, so that you can celebrate your victories without dwindling all of your diaper-savings at one time.  Better yet, why not make it a date night with the spouse and enjoy Silverlake’s wine tastings.  Cheers to diaper freedom!

What got you through potty training?  Tell us your favorite only-in-LA potty training story!

–Sommy Rhee

Photos from: fisher-price.com, summerinfant.com, Silverlake Wine Facebook, LA Diaper Drive, gizmodo.com, amazon.com, giggle.com and Sommy herself.