Potty training is hard. In fact, I’d call it the hardest part of parenting. These Free Printable Potty Charts are made to ease a little of the pain of toilet training!
Everyone approaches potty training a little differently. My approach has always been to wait until the child is showing the signs of readiness and is capable of being successful independently (mostly).
That usually means not starting the process until they are at least 2.
I personally don’t really introduce the potty until the child can pull up and down their own pants and is able to wash their hands by themselves (with a step stool).
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As a mom of 4, 2 of my kids were late bloomers, meaning, they just weren’t ready for potty training until they were 3 years old.
If you have a late bloomer or a stubborn child, potty training can be really stressful, especially when it seems like your child is “behind” other children their age. Remember that every child is different and don’t be too hard on yourself. It just takes time and LOTS of patience!
How to Reward for Potty Training
When my kids were first learning, we rewarded anything that landed in the toilet as a win. We would let them place a sticker on their chart for any successful bathroom try. I usually accompanied this with a treat like a jellybean or M&M.
When they filled their potty chart with stickers, they won a trip to the “treasure chest.” Our family’s treasure chest is an old cool-looking box that I filled with small toys, books, puzzles, or objects I knew the child would love.
The funny thing about the treasure chest prize is that it doesn’t have to be anything expensive. My 10 year old literally donated some of her stuffed animals to the treasure box when our 3 year old started potty training. There were a hit! My son was really motivated by these Mini Thomas trains. These pull back cars were also a favorite prize!
Once one skill is mastered (usually going potty) then we would move on to make the chart applicable to anything they were struggling with.
Two of my kids would not poop in the potty. They had a fear of going poop, which means I own just about every children’s book about poop. This one is our favorite. Yes, we have a favorite poop book. Parenting is so awkward.
So, anyway, we used a potty chart specifically for encouraging them to poop.
How to Use Potty Training Charts
I created these free printable potty charts to help with the challenges that come with potty training.
There are 4 different printables. Two charts are made with 20 spaces, because that is the type we used the most. There’s also a 5 space chart and a 10 space chart included as well to give them that “quick win” encouragement when they are first starting out!
So in the beginning, we let them have a sticker for their chart each time they make a successful bathroom attempt, along with a jellybean. A chart filled with stickers earns a trip the the treasure chest. As they mature and going potty becomes easier, we move to a 20 space chart.
I am currently working on training our 4th child. As she and I struggle, I am convinced it really doesn’t get any easier, but that every child is different.
Patience is the key, along with giving yourself grace and realizing that your child will eventually learn, just maybe a little later than what you had originally hoped!
I hope you find exactly what you need with these charts and best wishes to you on this potty training journey!
Free Potty Training Chart Printables
You can access these free printable potty charts in my FREE Resource Library! There’s all kinds of fun Freebies for parents and kids inside. Everything is free to my email subscribers, so join today and gain access immediately to your freebies!
Sorry if this article was TMI.
Crap.
I can’t help myself, this post is going down the toilet.
If you have any potty training questions or toilet jokes, drop them in the comments below. Keep it family friendly and if you trained your child early, keep your comments to yourself my darling. *Grins*
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My little boy is a late bloomer as well. He’s 2 and 9 months now and he’s just started doing more in the potty than in his trousers. Woo-hoo. These charts are so cute, thank you for sharing them with us.
It’s such a process, but wow, it sure is a sense of accomplishment when they finally “get it”!
These are great!! I think my son will love it! Thanks for the freebie.
I hope they help your family! 🙂 Anything to motivate potty training success, right?!