Using a potty training reward chart can be extremely helpful in keeping your toddler interested in the potty training process. But it doesn’t work for everything. Here are some areas that a potty chart does not perform well in.

– All by itself.

It sounds obvious, but if you post a reward chart and expect your toddler to magically potty train himself, you will be disappointed.

A potty chart, like any chart, needs to be a part of a comprehensive plan to work effectively. When it comes to potty training, a chart is a visual aid for your toddler; a way to help him see his progress and thus keep working. You’ve got to design the training structure first, then use the chart to track the structure’s usage.

– Potty resistance.

There are exceptions, but in general, a potty chart will not overcome training resistance. You need to discover the cause of the resistance and deal with it independently. In fact, pushing chart usage when a child is resistant can actually make things worse and escalate a power struggle.

Once you resolve the potty resistance, then a chart can get your child excited about the process again.

– If overused.

Like any other potty training aid, overuse will kill a potty training chart’s effectiveness.

So give it a rest. Here are some ideas for doing just that.

– Take a couple of weeks off from using a chart. Instead you can move buttons or macaroni from one jar to another, keeping track of successful potties.

– You can print out bright tickets which your child can get every time she uses the potty correctly. Enough tickets will earn a prize of some sort.

– Or write on craft sticks several fun things to do or small prizes to win. Every time your child has a toilet success of some kind, she gets to grab a random stick and earn the prize or activity. If you let her “help” you write out the activities on the sticks, she’ll be even more excited to earn them.

– Instead of a chart, use a large wall calendar. Let your toddler put a colorful dot by each day he worked hard at potty training. This sounds like using a chart and it is, but it will look different to your toddler.

– Cut out magazine pictures of children your child’s age. Let him make a picture collage of children who might be potty training “just like him”. He can glue on a picture every time he uses the potty chair. Of course, add his picture to the top of the collage!

– Start a potty club within your child’s playgroup. Make a poster with all the children’s photos on it and generally keep track of potty information shared by the parents. This works great for children who have a competitive nature, even at a young age.

– Make a potty video of your child, for her use alone. Young children LOVE to watch themselves and seeing herself using the potty is a powerful reinforcement for her. This may become the most popular video in your home!

As you can see, using a potty training reward chart is a smart thing, but the real power is the idea behind the chart, not just the chart itself. Being creative will help your child stay interested in the potty process long enough to make his new potty skills second nature, which is what you are aiming for.

Author Bio: Colleen Langenfeld has potty trained four kids and helps other moms get more out of their mothering at http://www.paintedgold.com . Toilet train faster by getting her free potty training reward chart plus creative ideas for using it by visiting her website today.

Category: Parenting
Keywords: potty training reward chart,potty training,potty training reward,potty chart,potty resistance