Ah, potty training.

An emotional time for any parent. It does seem especially emotional for cloth diapering parents, however, because we don’t want to give up the fluff. Sooner or later it has to happen. So, whether you use cloth diapers or not, here are some helpful tips for your potty training adventure!

1.   Get the potty… and one for baby doll too.

Head to your local second-hand baby store and pick up a potty or toilet seat cover. Since they are only used for such a short period of time, they’re usually in great condition! We found ours for $2 AND managed to score a baby doll-sized version for $.50! It makes it more fun when their favourite doll/teddy can “potty train” too.

2.   Talk about it… a lot.

When you bring home the potty, explain what it is and what it’s for. Put it somewhere visible and make sure you answer any questions they have about it (yes – a point, grunt and quizzical look count as a question.)

You can also try discussing their friends that use the potty. The best is if they know a child that is slightly older and look up to. Tell your cutie they can “be a big kid” like them if they go on the potty too!

Make the potty sound like the coolest thing since sliced bread. Doing this will probably give you one of those “oh crap I’m really a parent” moments. I don’t think those ever stop happening, to tell you the truth.

3.   Follow The Super Totally Not Secret Lil Helper Patented and Proven Progressive Potty Training Process:

STEP 1: Only use bamboo inserts.

Our charcoal inserts are really good at being stay-dry. Too good, in fact. When it comes time to potty train, one of the most important steps for your child is recognising the feeling of being wet. When you use our bamboo inserts, your child will be able to feel when they’ve gone in their diaper and promptly let you (and the whole restaurant) know they’ve “DONE A PEE BUT NOT A POO MOM.”

STEP 2: Lose the inserts altogether.

Lil Helper cloth diapers can be used as training pants! All you have to do is leave the inserts out and snap them up to the correct setting for your child. Your smartie-pants will be able to pull the diaper up and down. If there is an accident, it will be contained by the waterproof PUL.

STEP 3: Make a special trip to get big kid undies. 

Pick your favourite kids clothing store and make a BIG deal about going to pick their undies. Give them lots of options and let them pick their own. When you get home, pack away the cloth diapers while totally not crying.

STEP 4: Protect the mattress.

No matter how awesome your kid is at potty training, nighttime will probably be a bit more difficult. Accidents will happen. So, make sure their mattress is protected with a mattress protector! Lil Helper makes two beautiful mattress protectors. The $49 Bamboo Mattress Protector and the $34.95 Charcoal Mattress Protector.

Have you potty trained with Lil Helper diapers before? What are some of your tips and tricks?