Potty Duck potty training hints and tips
Download Instructions PDF
In a bathtub or sink...
- Use Potty Duck to demonstrate - sit, pee, flush (no flushing before peeing!)
- When the duck pees, make the sound "pssssss," then repeat it when your child is on the potty to help make the connection
- Praise your child for helping Potty Duck to go (Yay, Potty Duck peed in the potty!)
- Use words to name what Potty Duck is doing: pee, toilet, sit, flush, go potty
Outside the bathtub...(on the floor, or in a small tub on the floor)
- Encourage pretend play with Potty Duck and other toys using the potty.
- Explain what's happening when you use the bathroom (I need to go like Potty Duck).
- Build everyday routines with your child sitting on a real potty and Potty Duck sitting nearby on its potty.
See signs of readiness and read our BLOG
HINTS
- Let your child hold and play with their little duck "buddy" while they are sitting, to make it more fun.
- When the timing seems right, make sitting on a potty seat a daily routine at the same times each day. Children like routines but not sudden changes.
- Never force your child to sit. If your child starts to resist, take a break for several weeks before trying again.
Shelly Mann, MD: "Helping children to learn gradually is the approach preferred by pediatricians. Potty Duck allows children to build their understanding one step at a time."
Learn more about gradual potty training
Compare to potty dolls
MORE TIPS
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It's never too early to begin teaching a child. See when to potty train and 5 signs of readiness.
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Encourage your child to try to go like Potty Duck, but first wait to see if your child is self-motivated. If it is their idea, their motivation may increase.
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Say the words "I need to go potty like Potty Duck" when anyone in the family needs to use the bathroom. This teaches your child that the urge to go happens at random times and provides another example to imitate.
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When your child consistently begins to go potty on the toilet, give a gift of some “big boy” or “big girl” underwear.
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If your child opposes sitting on the potty, have him/her sit with clothes on first to become comfortable.
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For truly reluctant children, the privilege of playing with Potty Duck might be used as a reward for sitting on the potty seat.
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For sensitive children who may be “stuck” mid-way through toilet training, parents can take a month off from training while still using the toy and praising the duck for peeing in the potty while avoiding the subject with the child.
MORE WAYS TO USE POTTY DUCK
- Let your child hold Potty Duck and carry it around, then go back to the bathroom to make it pee.
- Have your child demonstrate Potty Duck to a friend.
- Create a reward chart for Potty Duck and your child.
Learning to use the potty is no different than learning to eat or walk. Every child must learn at his or her own pace, and accidents always happen. Even Potty Duck misses the bowl sometimes!
