A motherese “well done” to reward your little one for making it to the potty might not cut it for all children. If you’re stuck for ideas or your efforts are going unnoticed by your little one, you may want to mix things up a little.
Here are a few reward ideas that might encourage your child to keep up the good work on their journey to potty-hood.
An age-old sticker chart may just do the trick. Oh the joy some children feel when getting a sticker, whether it’s from a dentist, doctor, or from you. It’s pretty clear that a toddler can feel a sense of pride when they receive a shiny gold star sticker, so this may be the perfect reward for a potty user in the making. There are lots of potty reward chart ideas online and some free sticker charts available, but you could even create a personalised one yourself and involve your child.
If the sticker chart doesn’t do it for your little one, perhaps their favourite treat, such as some chocolate buttons or a box of crayons to draw with will work wonders. Whether they’re attempting the potty for the very first time or they have gone a full day with successfully using the potty, a little surprise may put a smile on their face. It doesn’t have to be costly, even something from your local pound shop would be worth a try. Perhaps you could even give them a mini award ceremony to celebrate their potty training success.
Making the potty experience more enjoyable for your child by involving books in the bathroom could help keep them entertained. It is one of the tricks of the potty training trade that can make the experience more fun than staring at the walls. There are some fun books specifically designed for potty training, which can help them learn about the potty training process and the benefits of it in a child-friendly way.
Each day your child stays dry, use the evening to celebrate their potty training triumph. You could let them choose their favourite book to read before bed or let them have a treat after dinner. It’s important that you make sure they understand why they’re being rewarded. This way it should encourage them to keep going, and maybe it could even lead to a dry night.
