What Is A Potty Buddy?

What is a potty buddy and why should your child use one?

Children learn best through play! When entering into the potty training process it can help make this transition both fun and less intimidating but bringing along a potty buddy!

A potty buddy can be a stuffed animal, doll, or favorite toy. Anything that your child can bring with them to the potty and accompany them on this journey! There are so many benefits to bringing a potty buddy along in this potty training journey and to have your child practice and learn this process through play!

If your child has apprehension about using the potty, your child can take their potty buddy to the bathroom with them, and they can go first which helps them see there is nothing to be scared of!

Also, it can be motivating to have the potty buddy to play with ONLY during potty time, so that your child looks forward to potty time and the chance to see their buddy!

A potty buddy helps your child:

Prepare – It will help them to prepare visually and mentally to go through the process themselves, by watching and helping their potty buddy to go through the process. It is important to allow children to mentally, emotionally, and physically prepare for new changes, especially big milestones such as potty training! Preparing them by explaining the process through books and videos, preparing their environment with them, and helping them to feel safe and secure throughout the process is imperative to successful potty training!

Engage – It will help them to be invested in the potty training process on a personal level. If your child feels as if they are the teacher and the one helping lead the way for their buddy, they will likely have more success going potty on the toilet themselves because they feel extra brave!

Companion – It will help them to feel like they aren’t alone in the changes associated with potty training. Feeling as if you are the only one going through something or having to do something is no fun for any of us! It always helps to feel that we have someone going through the same thing we are going through. Even if that someone is a stuffed animal!

Not only is this FUN for your child, but it really helps to solidify the steps that go into the potty process!

Before your child actually begins the potty training process, you can role play with the potty buddy and teach them how to use the potty. You can simulate a potty success and praise the potty buddy and even though a little success party for them! This will likely peak the interest and excitement for your child to go through the same successful potty experience so that they can receive the praise too!

Additionally, when your little one is ready to go through the transition into underwear, you can also get underwear for the potty buddy and have your child pick out underwear for them too! This will be great moral support and it will also help your child to feel as if they are going through this new change with someone else, and not completely alone!

Talking to stuffed animals is healthy! It can promote speech development, healthy coping skills, and positive associations to hard things in life such as learning how to pee and poop on the potty and ONLY on the potty!

As silly as it may seem, I have had great success with potty buddies throughout the potty training process for many families! I encourage you to give it a try and I look forward to hearing how it goes!

Happy pottying!

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