Okay, it's that time again. That oh, so dreaded milestone that can cause anxiety amongst even the most resilient of parents. Potty training. Just typing those mere two words turns my stomach into knots. It's not that I'm less than optimistic about being more prepared with my second try at potty training. It's simply that it conjures up feelings of dread when I recall how many "accidents" we experienced with my daughter. This time, I am making sure that I'm prepared. And I have Huggies to thank for their contagious Potty Dance which will make for a very effective tool to encourage my son and make it more fun to use the potty. Even Canadian comedian Jessica Holmes is doing the potty dance! And if you don't believe me when I say it's contagious, just watch Traci Melchor from eTalk bust a move with her kids Phoebe and Phoenix. I watched the videos today and my daughter was instantly hooked. It's been about 10 hours since I first watched the videos and I still can't get that song out of my head. My daughter loved it so much, she insisted that I videotape her this afternoon while my son napped. You see, it really is easy to learn and lots of fun, too!


Huggies Pull-Ups Potty Dance from Diana M on Vimeo.

Since my son is approaching his second birthday and can already say the words relating to potty time,  I know he is well on his way to his first successful potty experience. Here are a couple of tips I'd like to share based on my mistakes experiences the first time around:

1. Wait until your child is aware of his/her bodily functions and can indicate when he/she has soiled or wet his/her diaper.
2. Allow your child to be in the washroom when you, your spouse or older siblings use the toilet.
3. Have a potty situated in the main areas of the house where your child spends most of his/her time. I also plan on keeping a couple of soft potty seats in both of our bathrooms as well.
4. Incorporate song, dance and other playful ideas as a motivator and a distraction, if needed.
5. Rewards in the form of a sticker chart might also work.
6. Make it a routine of placing your child on the potty at regular intervals throughout the day. At this stage, I have a general idea of when my son has bowel movements.
7. Don't let your child see you angry or disappointed when your child has an accident. It's all part of the learning process. Which leads me to my next point...
8. I've learned to hope for the best and expect the unexpected. Even after I just had my daughter on the potty, I remember she would sit there for a long time, give up and then go pee in a corner. So now I'm going to resign myself to having rolls of paper towel and some cleaner stashed on every level of the house to be ready for the inevitable.
9. Always remind yourself that this is just a stage, and although you may never grow out of the My House Must Always be Clean and Sanitized stage, your child will eventually grow out of diapers.

I'm feeling a little more at ease now that I've put some thought into my strategy for potty training my second child. And the Pull-Ups dance will definitely come in handy. I've already stocked up on training pants during a Shopper's Drugmart Optimum Points promotion and got 6 packs for free! Yay, me! Do you have any other ideas or suggestions that worked for you? Feel free to leave a comment with advice and tips that made potty training easier for your family. I'd love to read them!