Potty Station

What my potty station looks like and how you can use a potty together with pull-ups (eg. any clothing item that requires pulling up and down, such as training pants, leggings, knickers, baggy pants, shorts etc) to support development.

What's there and why

Potty Station with waterproof mat, cloth nappy, cloth wipes and high-back potty	Potty Station with waterproof mat, training pants, cloth wipes and travel potty	Potty Station with waterproof mat, underwear, cloth wipes and high-back potty	Potty Station with waterproof mat and travel potty.

The final image is what our potty station pretty much looks like now. Most of our wipes are in the wash or at the big toilet and my little one goes to her room to get clean underwear or tights if needed.

 

Essentials for your Potty Station

A waterproof mat - These are great to use as change mats, nappy free naps, in the car or pram as liners, as an extra layer of protection on the bed to save sheet changes in the middle of the night and of course under the potty in case of misses. 

The mats I have designed have squares and bright colours so that we play games. Some people like bringing props/toys to the potty, alternatively, I'm a fan of using 'real life' items and making up songs and games together.

Pull-Ups - A clean pair of your pull-up of choice, whether you are using cloth nappies, Training pants or underwear make sure they are kept within reach of your child so they can put them on once they have finished using the potty. If using a cloth nappy make sure it is put together, ready to go.

Cloth Wipes - We had two types, a square blue version and a large purple/pink version. When she was little we used one for poos and one for wees, when she began walking she would bring me one of the cloths to tell me whether she was going to do a poo or a wee.

A Potty - There are many different styles of potty and its important to find what's right for you.

Top Hat Potty Before your child can sit independently you can use a top hat potty or a little bucket, so that you can hold your little one over to top in the classic elimination communication hold and can easily toilet them even while breastfeeding. I have tried to find a biodegradable top hat potty in Australia and cannot find one.
	High-Back Potty The high-back potty is great as soon as your baby is able to sit independently. This is the $5 Kmart option. Although I have purchased a Australian-Made biodegradable version in the past, as far as I am aware there are no longer any in the market - check local BSS pages or local op-shops to use second-hand where you can.
Travel Potty We also have a travel potty, a pre-loved Potette Plus with silicone reusable liner. This one converts to a toilet seat reducer as well and is what we used when travelling and was kept in the car while my little one was still in training.

Where to set up your potty station

We have two set-ups around the house, one about halfway from the furthest point of the house to the toilet, and the other near the play room door which gets moved to the bedroom in the evening.  Is there somewhere that you often get a lot of misses? Try setting up a station there.

Baby sign

Teaching your baby simple signs based on the Auslan key words allows them to communicate their needs with you before they are verbal.

Nappy - A baby friendly version of this is to tap yourself instead of swishing your fingers.	Toilet - A baby friendly version of this is to tap the palm of the hand.

To carry or to assist

Encourage your crawling or walking child to get themselves to the potty and then help them on and off if they need it.

Try to limit carrying them to the potty unless it's urgent and you've half caught a miss!

This allows them to figure out how long it takes them to get to the potty and gives them more autonomy over the process.

While on the Potty

Sing about what you're doing. Narrate whatever is occurring and do it in song. Sing about and touch body parts, remembering to include "left" and "right". Use a clean wipe to put on body parts and sing them, do it to your child and to yourself so they get to feel and see. LAYING DOWN CHANGES/TOP HAT POTTY -

Make "psss" sound when you see them doing a wee or have already weed. Make "pfff" or "pbbbbb" sounds when they are doing a poo or have already pooed.

 

I'd love to see your potty station, so share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and remember to tag us @consciousparentingmovement or #consciousparentingmovement