Potty Training Tip For Scared Tots

Toilet training is usually a pretty exciting time for little ones, but for some kids there’s just something super scary about the loo. If you have a tot who needs some encouragement to sit on the on potty, this simple little trick is a winner!

Mum hack queen, Jacquelin, has shared how she helped her daughter shake off a fear of using the potty with some beads and warm water (and the warm water is very important!).

It’s as simple as putting some water beads and warm water in a container and placing it at your child’s feet. Then let them dip their feet into the warm water as they sit on the potty. It’s a fun, sensory experience and helps get rid of those negative feelings around the potty. And the warm water on their feet will actually encourage them to do a wee!

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“If your child is scared to go potty, try using water beads. Warm water will help them go and it will make it more fun for them to sit. And if you’re worried about the mess, just put them in a bag.”

Jacqueline says both her daughter and son were ‘stubborn’ to potty train but she managed to get them sorted when they were two-years-old. She says even if your toddler doesn’t actually do a poo or wee while sitting on the potty, just getting them to stay there is a win. “If they were scared to sit and they sat for a while that’s awesome.”

31 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 27 Aug 2024
    11:44 am
My youngest regused to sit on the potty. It turned out she hated it and wanted to go straight to the toilet. Once i worked that out all was good.

- - mom466087 said
  - 07 Jun 2022
    8:30 pm
This is a great idea!! Will definitely use it for my little boy in the near future

- - Zmijka86 said
  - 02 Jun 2022
    9:19 pm
Very interesting idea. Thank you for sharing

- - mom461384 said
  - 12 May 2022
    5:15 pm
What a fantastic idea!

- - sharna_booth_weinrowski said
  - 02 May 2022
    7:50 am
What a great idea! thank you for sharing

- - Ellen said
  - 02 May 2022
    4:46 am
When your toddler is very scared, it might be good to wait for a bit. Don’t make it an issue and do not focus too much attention on it. The more relaxed you are about it as parent, the more relaxed your child will become.

- - Jessica said
  - 01 May 2022
    7:47 am
Oh this is a really cool idea!

- - mumof3 said
  - 30 Apr 2022
    6:46 pm
See although I totally get the idea of this I don’t like encouraging my kids that it’s play time when they need to use the toilet.

- - BellaB said
  - 30 Apr 2022
    3:33 pm
Some kids just aren’t ready for potty training – waiting a bit is a good idea.

- - Forgetful Mumma said
  - 29 Apr 2022
    10:05 pm
Interesting idea. Whatever works. My eldest would go potty for an icy pole, my middle child would go to get either the iPad (watching potty videos) or YouTube. Both got the gist of the potty in a day!
My youngest has sat on the potty a few times when we needed to get wee samples but is yet too young for us to consider potty training. But she was happy to sit on it and play

- - mom466557 said
  - 29 Apr 2022
    7:24 pm
What a fabulous and fun idea!

- - mom101628 said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    9:39 pm
Never had a problem with this, but can see how this might help. Because most toileting is done behind closed doors, it could easily be in the mind of the child a scary thing to do, so anything that would help is a great break-through. Thanks for sharing this idea.

- - Ellen said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    5:25 pm
I think anything that can help your child to relax in this process is helpful. Most important thing is to take the pressure off all together and be patient

- - Mumofboys said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    3:36 pm
What a good idea I’m gonna try this

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    3:06 pm
How clever! It can also help to allow your child to be with you when you go to the toilet.

- - tessie said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    11:56 am
My youngest started using the potty when he was 11 months old. By the time he was 14 months old he was out of nappies.

- - rovermum said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    10:05 am
Ahhh, what a clever idea. It’s not something I had ever considered, but is brilliant.

- - cassy26 said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    8:33 am
Ooh this is great. I’m going to try this today…

- - Amanda Holland said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    7:54 am
Oh I love the beads idea

We signed up to a program for potty training. The one thing that they say is make it fun! Read a story, play a game, and have a rewards chart for every time they go, giving them a lucky dip prize when they have reached a certain amount of times gone. (For this I just bought a few very small toys that didn’t cost much and used some toys from home that they might have forgotten about)

They also have little foam nuggets that you put in the toilet for the toddler to try and wee on (perfect for little boys and aiming hahaha)

- - mom465683 said
  - 28 Apr 2022
    7:43 am
That’s interesting. I have to start toilet training my twins soon. I’ll keep that idea in mind.