Potty Training With The Potty Tots

When I had the chance to review the Potty Tots potty training system it took me  a few minutes to figure out how I was going to film Abby. You see, I’m pretty open about putting pictures and videos of my kids online, but going to the bathroom? That’s outside of my comfort zone.

Way outside.

I wondered if it was just me. Then today I saw the new Kimberly-Clark Pull-Ups website The Potty Project. My first thought is that I was not thrilled watching videos of these kids on the potty.

Well, that’s not entirely true. My first thought was when I tried to find the site. Because The Potty Project already exists and is geared toward giving septic systems and toilets to people and families in other countries. Plus, both sites have the same paper-bag brown background. Then I tried www.pullupsthepottyproject – no such luck. The actual website is http://www.pull-upspottyproject.com/ … uh…yeah. Sure, I can remember that…

When it comes to communities of people talking about potty training, there are a lot out there. From iVillage to BabyCenter it feels like everyone talks about potty training.

I read all the information and understood all the signs. But that wasn’t helping Abby just get up and go. She was already three years old and everyone in my family and most of my friends were giving me grief she wasn’t already done potty training. Between my mother reminding me I was potty trained at one (I call shenanigans, but whatever) to a friend of mine having a daughter younger than mine who was already potty trained, the pressure was everywhere to get it done.

The product that worked best for our family (that we got for free, but that did not affect this review – I had warned the lady that if it didn’t work I was going to blast it – I was kind of sensitive about the potty training issue) was the easy-peasy $20 Potty Tots system. Why buy Pull-Ups – they just prolong training, don’t they? I have no scientific evidence on that but every mom I’ve ever talked to tells me that pull-ups make it easier but months longer.

What I had was a little girl that “got” the concept of going potty but really didn’t want to put the effort in.

What It Came With

• Potty Tots DVD
• A Potty Tots Instructional Storybook
• 11×17 Football-themed laminated “Potty Bowl” sheet (it’s like posterboard)
• Stickers (removable, reusable…like clings) of cheerleaders, football players, and footballs.
• 11×17 Step-by-Step illustrated potty chart.

I had tried using stickers before, candy, rewards, yelling (that one wasn’t a plan it just sort of happened that one time when she pooped AFTER she got off the potty) and begging.

But a week and a half after using Potty Tots…Abby was done. I mean DONE. She went through naps and night time without a diaper. (Your results may vary, most bedwetting is due to a child’s bladder development and slow development does not mean anything bad in most cases!!)

So…Any Negatives?

The main drawback to the Potty Tots system is that it comes with two 11×17 posters. They are great. I mean well designed, cute, easy to clean, and I love that the football players and cheerleaders have boys and girls for each represented.

But I have a small bathroom. We ended up putting the potty chair in my office because the “stuff” wouldn’t fit on the wall of my bathroom. We used thumbtacks and put them on the bulletin board in my office, hanging over the potty chair.

If you have a small bathroom, make sure you have room to hang the posters somewhere near the potty chair.

You can see in the video the sticker system that did not work for Abby next to the Potty Tots chart.