One, Two, Three, Tinkle! (A Little Potty Training Magic)

Anybody else working on potty training? My littlest is just about done- she has the occasional accident and still wears a pull-up or diaper for naps and bedtime, but she's mostly got it down.

If your toddler is like my toddler, she is go-go-go-go- until she sits on the potty. Then her feet are wiggling, her mouth is singing, her head is bobbing, she's chattering your ears off, but she's not going (if you know what I mean). It can be very frustrating sitting around in a bathroom waiting for your little one to do his or her business when they are so distracted (especially if you're in a gas station bathroom and there is a line of people waiting outside the door). 

Here's a little trick I learned: I tell my little girl that I have magic words that will help her go potty. I say this really quietly, so she has to be quiet and listen. My magic words, which I say very slowly and quietly, are, "One...two...three...tinkle!" I stretch out the words (ooooone, twooooooo, threeeee....) so that while she's quiet and listening to me she can get 'in the zone'. It usually helps her to concentrate on the task at hand and focus on what she's doing. Then I'll hear the sound I've been waiting for and she'll gasp and say excitedly, "I tink-oh!" 

On occasion, it doesn't work the first time. She'll say, "It no work, Mom!" When that happens, I just say, "Oh! It didn't work. That's okay. I think I just need to do it again." Then I just repeat the words, and it almost always works the second time, and if not then she usually just doesn't need to go.

This little trick has probably saved me hours hanging around in bathrooms! 

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to potty training?