Potty training can be a parent’s and toddler’s worst nightmare. From the frustration to the messes, you’re bound to feel hopeless if you’re not ready to take on the challenge. One thing that can make this journey even worse is the cost of potty training your little one. Luckily, there’s a few ways you can cut back on the costs of potty training your little one, which will take away one of the major stressors of the tasks. So, take a deep breath because these ten tips aren’t just going to help save you money, but might even make the potty training task a little easier to tackle.

1. Know When Your Child Is Ready
A lot of the time, parents aren’t entirely sure if their child is ready for potty training. So, they jump the gun and spend a small fortune on things to help make the transition to the potty easier. This can cause you to go through package after package of pull up diapers and so much more. The best thing you can do is know when your child is ready, so potty training can be a much shorter process. There are many signs to help you know when it’s time. For starters, your child will have dryer diapers for longer periods of time. They may even wake up from naptime or bedtime dry. Children that are preparing to use the potty will also have less patience for dirty diapers and might even let you know when they have soiled a diaper or are preparing too. Another sign is your child’s interest in the toilet. Of course, there are many other signs that quick research or a chat with your pediatrician can help you with.

2. Choose the Right Potty
There are a whole lot of pottys on the market these days. Some are very simple while others have every bell and whistle you could possibly imagine. Many parents choose to go for the most intricate pottys because they feel they are newer and more modern and thus must make potty training easier. This isn’t necessarily the case. Your child’s personality will determine what kind of potty your child needs. If your child is too distracted by things, then an intricate potty might not be the right answer as it might inspire the child to jump up in the middle of potty time. Of course, you can still keep things simple while catering to your child’s interests. For instance, there are many pottys on the market that offer characters that your child will love, which might inspire the potty experience to be easier than ever.

3. Skip Pull Ups
Purchasing pull up diapers for your toddler seems like the logical step when potty training. However, this can be one of the most costly steps you can take during your training process. Pull up diapers often make your child feel like they still have the diaper to rely on during the training period. Thus, it can take your little one a bit longer to gain the confidence needed to just go potty. With time added on to your training period, you’ll end up going through packs of pull ups very quickly. These packs are hard to find in bulk too, which means you’ll be spending more than ever. So, skip the pull ups altogether. Instead, stick with diapers at night and underwear during the day time.

4. Training Underwear
It’s very tempting to purchase regular underwear for your toddler. There is actually no harm in this, but it might force you to do a lot more cleaning up than you probably want to do. The best underwear to help with your child’s potty training is a training underwear. This underwear is still made of fabric, but it is much thicker than regular underwear. Thus, if your child soils the underwear it is much easier for you to take care of the mess. This underwear is easier for toddlers to grip too, which will help them pull their underwear up and down. Best of all, training underwear has cute characters on it that will make your child feel proud to be wearing their underwear.

5. Incorporate Media
These days, most toddlers already have a few characters that they look up to. Luckily, many programs designed for toddlers will have potty training episodes that can help you inspire your toddler to use the potty. Some programs, like those from PBS, will even produce media like books and DVDs that will help your toddler understand potty training and feel more comfortable on the matter. These products tend to not be pricey and can entertain your child even after they are training. Often, you can find these videos for free online. Of course, there are also inspiring videos for parents that will help you get through the process too. With a little help from books and shows, you should be able to enjoy the process a bit more.

6. Create Distractions
Sitting on the potty can be really boring for your little one, so you might need to come up with some distractions to make the process a lot easier. One of the best things to do during a potty session is to read a book. It might be even more efficient if the book is based around potty training. You may also want to come up with a few games to play during the potty session, which will inspire your child to want to sit down and go. Of course, singing songs can also be enticing for little ones and will make the process a better bonding experience. Many children love to color while sitting on the potty too. So, choose a few activities that you know your child will love and you should be on the path to success.

7. Make a Chart
One way to make your toddler feel successful with potty training is to come up with a chart to show their potty successes. Every time your little one pottys you can add a check mark, happy face, sticker or stamp. This will help give your child incentive to go, especially if you are adding fun things to their chart. If you want to make the chart even more enticing, you can offer a special treat for reaching so many stickers. Before you know it, your little one will feel excited to use the potty without you having to ask. There’s many templates for these charts too, so you will only have to purchase the stamp or stickers if you choose to go that route.

8. Offer Incentives
Without a doubt, incentives are one of the best things you can do to inspire your child to use the potty. Of course, the incentive can be based on your parenting style. For instance, if you don’t want your child having candy then offer a berry or their favorite healthy treat as a reward when they go potty. Many parents choose to use small candies, even if they don’t normally allow their child to have such foods. This makes the task even more exciting for your child. Of course, you should also base the reward on the achievement. Many children have no problem urinating in the potty, so the reward for this might be less than having a bowel movement in the potty. You might also give your child a special reward for going so many days without having an accident.

9. Bulk Cleaning Supplies
One of the worst things about potty training are all of the messes that are less than pleasing to clean up. Thus, you might do yourself a favor and stock up on cleaning supplies before you begin the process. Buying these products in bulk can help save you a lot of money and will help you feel better prepared for the journey ahead of you. Laundry supplies are one of the most common items to stock up on, because children may go through a lot of underwear during the first few days. Another item to stock up on is cleaners for the floor, just in case your child decides the potty is the last place they want to go. Even if your child doesn’t have a lot of accidents, you will still need a cleaner to use in order to disinfect the potty when your child does use it.

10. Make the Time
The most valuable thing you can do for your child and yourself during this training period is take the time to do potty training right. This task is going to need a lot of attention, so be prepared to drop everything for your child. If you work or are frequently busy then it might be wise to take time off work or plan the training around a time frame when you have multiple days off in a row. This will allow you to tackle potty training without having your child regress. Taking the time to do this will also save you money in the long run, as you won’t have to spend your days off retackling the issue to the point that you just feel like taking a larger period of time off of work to help your child get through the challenge.

Potty training is never an easy task, even if your child takes to it like a fish to water. Between the accidents and clean ups your hands are going to be full. These simple tips should help your child learn to potty faster, so you can feel less stressed about the issue. Before you know it, you’ll be saying goodbye to diapers for good, which will save you a whole lot of money.