As you all know we have two little ones under the age of 5 and life is, well – busy! We both have careers and mine is here at home while raising my two little ones and some days it’s hard for me to even remember to brush my teeth before chugging my first coffee of the day, no lie.

I’ve always been one to take advantage of rewards systems, earning points for purchases is a win, win situation…you spend money on things you need and earn points to spend money on more things you need or those “wants” you’ve had your eyes on. So, sharing the new #PampersRewards app with all of you was something I was super excited about and I thought I would also include some potty training tips too. Both of our kids were potty trained at 2 years old, we still use bed time Pampers for Noah but during the day he is rocking the cutest boxer briefs around haha!

I have to say that I am quite proud about our history with potty training – we’ve been really lucky to have two little ones that made the whole process pretty smooth sailing and sure we’ve had accidents in the middle of the night or even in public – but overall it’s been pretty easy. I was warned by so many people that potty training a boy would be so much harder than a girl when I would tell people how easy it was with Ella and I was nervous naturally, but he was just as great as his sister and here we are. Two littles that make my grocery shopping trips much more busy than they ever were with two kids in two, so maybe that is one tip I can give you to start with? Make sure you plan a washroom break for both kids BEFORE you leave the house to run errands haha because having two littles needing “to go” at different times while out is pretty chaotic at times.

Life is chaotic right? As a mom or dad, trying to juggle it all and be a great parent too? How does any one find the time to remember to input codes for diapers points sitting at the computer after a busy day? I sure didn’t. Which is why the new Pampers Rewards app is so exciting!!!! Since the new app launch you can now upload your Pampers Rewards points with a simple scan of the barcode on your phone – easy peezy right? No more stashing barcodes away to eventually input in all the codes to earn points – this system is WAY more convenient and friendly for us busy bodies. AND when you download and register for the app you will get 100 and then an additional 50 points for your first diaper rewards upload!!! Click {here} to find the Pampers Rewards app in the app store and start earning points the easy way and getting great rewards like books or kids clothes, the fun stuff!

Now, shall we chat potty training tips? Let’s! I am no specialist so please keep this in mind, I am simply a mom who has potty trained 2 littles successfully and I am keen to share what I have learnt from my adventures doing so. 🙂

Tip 1: Be PATIENT! Wrapping your head around potty training isn’t always easy for the little ones – some kids are ready and totally get it while others don’t and that is OKAY. All kids develop at different rates and as soon as you can appreciate that the better for every one. Do not rush this process because it could give your child a negative outlook on the learning experience.

Tip 2: Communicate. Communicate kindly and clearly, teach your little about the learning experience you are about to embark on – make it fun! With my kids, we talk to them so they understand, we are honest and understanding. With both kids we encouraged them and praised them for every effort wether successful or not at first.

Tip 3: Prepare for the mess. With both of the kids we let them run around naked for a good 3 days with a potty accessible at all times. We praised them for sitting on the potty and making the effort and even for telling us they felt like they had to go but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any accidents. RIP beautiful area rug that didn’t make it past a year because of those said accidents- but hey, that is how things can go while potty training and it’s ok! Have some paper towels and wipes handy, or large towels and your washing machine ready for action.

Tip 4: Potty or Child Seat. We used both. We had the kids special seat attachment and we also had a potty, the seat lasted longer. I wasn’t very fond of the potty lingering around after they migrated to the “big toilet” as they called it. And once the kids were familiar with the seat on the toilet they preferred it, we had a kids step stool there so they could get up on their own and with our help and they appreciated us trusting them to do “big kid” things and it made them happy. You know your kids want to do what you can do, this seat was a great success for us training both of the kids.

Tip 5: Have training diapers handy. We always had Pampers training underwear on hand for road trips or evenings away. This will save a lot of stress, especially if you have more than one child! You also can’t expect your child to be potty trained over night just because they are during the day – the nights can take much longer and that is okay too. I mean heck – I still have those nights where I wake up to pee and wonder if I am dreaming or awake ha ha!!

Tip 6: Rewards systems. Stick systems can be a great form of rewards and praise for the little ones – some people even use yummy snacks or experiences like going to the park after a successful day of potty training. I for one do not believe in punishing during the learning experience – it will just scare them away if you scold them over accidents. POSITIVE reinforcement is key for the success of potty training in a proper way in my opinion. Both of our kids flourished from encouragement, new books, stickers and fun outings as rewards. We gave them stickers for communicating to us that they needed to go, stickers for going, stickers for washing their hands and we even gave Ella stickers for helping her brother potty train by encouraging him or helping him wash his hands which made her feel so happy to help out! After a few days of successful training we brought the kids out to pick a new book which made it so exciting and gave them a goal too, toddlers enjoy responsibility and tasks – potty training is a great way to do things like that with them. Noah even loved cleaning out his potty when we would use one or a simple thing like getting to flush the toilet himself before washing his hands!

Rewards system are important for mom and dad too so make sure you take advantage of Pampers Rewards hottest #momhack (and #dadhack) and download the app so you can earn points conveniently on all of those diapers and training underwear purchases! Click {here} to download it from the app store.

This blog post was made in partnership with Pampers Canada, all opinions are my own!