Potty To Toilet Transition

I often encourage the use of a toddler potty as a great option when beginning the potty process for several reasons:

• Size: They’re your kiddo’s size and less intimidating than the toilet itself.
• Independence: Your child can get on and off independently.
• Positioning: They are great for “prime poop positioning”
• Location: You can easily keep them in arm’s reach the first few days of training.

I usually suggest incorporating a little bit of toilet time as well, so that when it does come time for the transition, your child will already be familiar with sitting on the bit potty as well.

But what happens if they develop an attachment to their little potty? They obviously cannot use their little potty FOREVER! This leads to the question, “How do I transition my child to the adult toilet once they are used to the small potty?”

I get asked this question a lot, and the truth is that there are many great tips that will help to ease the transition, that can even add some excitement for your child as they begin to use the “big kid” potty!

First, you’ll need to relocate the toddler potty into the bathroom (if it isn’t already in there). You can start this process slowly, by moving it closer and closer to the bathroom every couple of days until it is right next to the toilet. Once your child is comfortable using their little potty in the bathroom, you can remove it all together!

Here are five great tips to ease this transition:

1. Choice: Allow your child to choose their own toilet seat insert from the store, and then have them try it out at least once per day until they feel more comfortable with it! BONUS: You can also let them decorate the toilet with reusable stickers or window clings to make it more inviting!
2. Countdown: Count down the days to the small potty going away to give your child some time to mentally prepare! This is also a great opportunity to build their confidence and talk through anything that might be causing anxiety or fear about the big toilet.
3. Donation method: Have a pretend letter come to the house from a child who really needs a small potty asking if your child has one, they can borrow. You can pack up the potty together and send it to them! Kids are natural helpers, so this could ease the goodbye process!
4. Broken toilet method: Similar to the “cutting the tip off the pacifier” technique, you can “break” your child’s potty which will give them no choice but to use the big toilet. Help them come to the decision on their own by saying something like, “Oh no! It looks like your potty is broken! Where do you think you should go to the potty now?”
5. Potty Fairy method: Your child can leave their potty out on the porch for the @thepottyfairy to come and take it away in exchange for a toy or gift of some sort!

Like any transition, change can be difficult! Potty training is a gigantic milestone for your little ones to reach, and successfully going in A potty, ANY potty is the first goal. Most schools and daycares will require children to use the toilet, and this is often one of the biggest reasons why parents need to make this transition early on.

If this is not the case for your family, don’t stress yourself over making this transition at a certain date in time. Many children will begin to make this transition on their own. It’s also okay to keep the little potty around for traveling in the car and for nighttime potty training! There are many ways to make this transition fun and smooth so that stress is minimized, and excitement is enhanced!

‍