Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Potty Training Rewards That Motivated My Stubborn Daughter More Than Candy
36
items We tried M&Ms, gummy bears, and straight-up bribery. Nothing worked for longer than two days. My daughter would sit on the potty, shrug, and walk away. It took me three months of trial and error to find the stickers, charts, and little rewards th...
Sections
6
Potty Training Sticker Charts That Actually Get Used
Small Potty Training Prizes Under Five Dollars
Potty Training Books That Reinforce the Routine
Potty Seats and Step Stools She Actually Wanted to Use
Pull-Ups and Training Underwear for the Transition Phase
Cleaning Supplies That Saved My Sanity During Training
Potty Training Sticker Charts That Actually Get Used
We went through four different charts before finding ones she wanted to interact with every single day. The trick was picking ones where she could see her own progress building up, not just random stickers on a page.
Grab this one first. My daughter refused the plain charts but went nuts for the scene-building pages. She'd race to the bathroom just so she could pick which sticker went on the playground scene next. Way more engaging than a basic grid.
(2 pack) (2 pack) Melissa & Doug Sticker WOW!â„¢ Dog
Keep this on the bathroom door at toddler eye level. The columns are big enough for little hands to place stickers without help, which was huge for my independent kid. She'd admire her rows of stars while brushing teeth every night.
Blue Panda Potty Training Reward Chart
Buy the multipack if you have more than one kid or want backups. Our first chart got soaked from bath splashes within a week. Having extras meant we never lost momentum, and each kid got their own color.
Juvale Sticker Chart for Kids' Behavior
Pair these with any blank chart. Elmo stickers carried more weight in our house than actual currency. My daughter would negotiate for the Elmo sparkly ones and happily use the potty three extra times just to earn them.
Sesame Street Potty Time Coloring and Activity Set
Toss a few of these in a zipper bag and let your kid pick one per successful trip. The tiny princess stickers became trading cards at our house. She'd show her grandma over FaceTime which ones she earned that day.
Crenstone Disney Princess Stickers, 16 Sheets, Over 240
Try this if your toddler gets bored with flat charts. The activity pages gave my daughter something to do while sitting, and placing stickers after felt like finishing a project. Two birds, one potty.
Potty Training Stickers for Toddlers Baby
Small Potty Training Prizes Under Five Dollars
Stickers alone kept us going for about two weeks. Then I needed backup reinforcements. These tiny prizes cost almost nothing but gave her that treasure-chest-at-the-dentist feeling every time she hit a milestone.
Use these as a weekly reward, not daily. My daughter earned one tub per five stickers on her chart. She took the lid off, smelled it, and said it was better than Halloween. Not joking.
Play-Doh 4-Pack Classic Colors Modeling Compound
Swap this in when sticker excitement starts fading. I wrapped each paint pot in tissue paper so it felt like opening a gift. She'd pick a color and immediately paint a picture about going potty. Weird, but effective.
Crayola Washable Paint Set
For the kid who doesn't care about stickers at all. My friend's son ignored every chart we recommended, but a tiny car in a prize jar got him sprinting to the bathroom. One car per dry day worked like magic.
50000+ Hot Wheels Pictures
Snag this for the kid who wants something fancier than basic stickers. My daughter treated each sticker scene like a masterpiece. She'd carefully choose placement, and that five minutes of focus was her reward, not candy.
Ultimate Sticker and Activity Book (Paperback)
Keep this in the bathroom basket. Rip out one page per successful potty trip and let them color it right there. My daughter would sit longer and actually relax, which helped with the kids who rush and then have accidents.
Peppa Pig Coloring and Activity Book with Stickers
Toss one in a prize bag for every three-day streak. Bubbles outside after a good potty day became our afternoon ritual. Cheaper than candy, lasts longer than a lollipop, and nobody crashes from a sugar high at bedtime.
"JOYIN Kids 24 Pack 14"" Big Bubble Wands for Summer
Potty Training Books That Reinforce the Routine
Reading about other kids (and animals) using the potty made my daughter feel like she was joining a club instead of being forced into something. She'd request these at bedtime and then want to try the potty one more time before sleep.
Start here. It's short, funny, and my daughter memorized it in two days. She'd quote it while sitting on the potty, which made her actually sit long enough for something to happen. Read it at least twice a day during training.
Leslie Patricelli Board Books Potty (Toilet Training Story)
Pair this with the one above. The baby character's expressions cracked my daughter up every time. She started mimicking the proud face after her own successes. Simple, fast read, perfect for short toddler attention spans.
Leslie Patricelli Board Books Potty (Toilet Training Story)
Use this if your kid watches Daniel Tiger. Mine started singing the potty song from the show every time she sat down. Having the book reinforced it, and honestly the song got stuck in my head for three solid months.
Customer reviews for Daniel Tiger Potty Time!, (Board Book)
Get this for the kid who needs to touch everything. The flaps kept my daughter engaged way longer than regular books. She'd lift Elmo's flap and yell the answer before I could read it. Interactive books win with wiggly toddlers.
P is for Potty! (Sesame Street) (Lift-the-Flap)
Bring this out when you're transitioning from pull-ups. My daughter wanted big girl underwear SO badly after reading this. She picked out her own pairs the next day and had maybe two accidents total that first week. The book did the convincing for me...
Faye Hanson
Try this for the reluctant kid who thinks potty training is boring. Learning that firefighters and astronauts use the potty too was apparently the most mind-blowing revelation of my daughter's life. She told everyone at daycare.
Even Firefighters Go to the Potty, by Wendy Wax
Potty Seats and Step Stools She Actually Wanted to Use
Our first potty seat was beige and boring. She refused to sit on it. Once I let her pick something with color and characters, the bathroom stopped being a battleground and started being somewhere she'd voluntarily go.
Get the one that looks like a real toilet. My daughter felt like a grown-up flushing the pretend handle. The realistic design meant she transitioned to the actual toilet faster because it wasn't a huge scary change.
Summer by Ingenuity My Size Potty Pro for Toddlers, Pink
Swap a cold hard seat for this padded one. My daughter hated the feeling of the regular toilet seat, and this fixed the problem overnight. She'd pat Chase's face and chat with him while sitting. Whatever works.
Nickelodeon PAW Patrol Soft Potty Seat for Toddlers
Grab this if your kid already loves princesses. The hooks let us hang it right next to the toilet so she could put it on herself. Independence was a huge motivator. She'd yell from the bathroom that she did it all alone.
Disney Princess Soft Potty Training Seat, Pink, Plastic, Foam
Use a wide stool, not a narrow one. Ours tipped twice with a cheaper version and set us back a full week because she was scared. This one stayed planted and she could climb up to wash hands after without calling for help.
Jool Baby Click N' Climb Locking Folding Step Stool for Kids
Keep this in whatever room you spend the most time in. We put it in the living room for the first week. Zero barriers between the urge and the potty meant fewer accidents. Move it to the bathroom once they're consistent.
BabyBjorn Potty Training Bundle, Deep Blue/White
Toss this by the sink so hand washing becomes part of the routine from day one. My daughter loved the independence of reaching the faucet herself. Building the full habit early saved us from retraining later.
Step Stools for Home and Workplace
Pull-Ups and Training Underwear for the Transition Phase
The messy middle phase nearly broke me. She'd do great at home and then have three accidents at Target. These products bridged the gap between diapers and real underwear without making her feel like she was going backwards.
Use these for outings only during the first two weeks. My daughter understood they were for car rides and stores, not for being lazy at home. Keeping regular underwear at home preserved her motivation to stay dry.
Pull-Ups Girls' Potty Training Pants, 4T-5T (38-50 lbs), 99ct
Switch to these if Pull-Ups feel too much like diapers to your kid. The underwear-like design made my daughter think she was wearing real undies. Fewer meltdowns about putting them on, and she noticed when they were wet faster.
Pampers, Easy Ups Training Underwear, 46 Count
Grab character underwear the second your kid shows interest. My daughter refused to pee on JJ's face. Literally her words. Character underwear was more motivating than any sticker chart we tried. Let them pick the characters themselves.
Cocomelon Toddler Girls Training Pants, 6 Pack, 2T-3T
Pair these with the prize system. Wearing Elsa undies was the ultimate reward in our house. She earned them after a full week of dry days and treated them like a trophy. Way cheaper than the American Girl doll she originally requested.
Customer reviews for Disney Frozen Girls Brief Underwear
Keep plain ones for nighttime or nap backup. No character guilt if there's an accident while sleeping. Save the special pairs for daytime when she's actively trying. This separation helped my daughter not get upset about nighttime wetness.
Gerber, Baby Toddler Boy Training Pants, Dino, 3-Pack, 2T
Stock up on at least two packs. We went through more underwear in week one than I expected, and running out meant an emergency diaper that felt like defeat. Having plenty in the drawer kept the momentum going.
Paw Patrol Toddler Girls Training Pants, 7-Pack
Cleaning Supplies That Saved My Sanity During Training
Nobody warns you about the sheer volume of laundry and floor scrubbing. I was on my hands and knees three times a day the first week. These products cut cleanup time in half and kept me from losing my mind completely.
Spray this on carpet accidents immediately. Yes, it's marketed for pets. No, I don't care. It pulled the smell out of our living room rug when nothing else worked. My husband thought I'd shampooed the whole carpet.
Nature's Miracle Odor Control Spray for Cats, 32 oz
Keep a canister next to every potty seat in the house. Quick wipe after each use meant the seat stayed clean enough that she'd actually sit on it again. Toddlers notice grossness more than you'd think.
Clorox Disinfecting Cleaning Wipes, Bleach Free
Buy this before you start training, not after the first couch accident. I waited and regretted it. Pulled out a cushion stain that had been setting for two days. Paid for itself in the first week honestly.
Warranty Policy
Toss a scoop in with every load of training underwear. Pre-soaking for 30 minutes before washing got out stains that I was sure were permanent. My daughter's Frozen undies survived things no underwear should survive.
OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover Powder
Use this on mattress accidents. Spray it, let it sit, blot it up. Our mattress protector failed one night and this saved a $400 mattress. The enzyme formula actually breaks things down instead of just covering the smell.
Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. Pet Stain Odor Remover
Throw two sheets in with training underwear loads. After a week of heavy washing, her underwear started feeling scratchy and she complained. Soft underwear meant no excuses to switch back to diapers. Small detail, big difference.
ARM and HAMMER, Fabric Softener Sheets