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A teddy bear sits on a child's potty seat next to a stack of toilet paper on a blue background..

My son and I were shopping when he noticed the display at the end of an aisle with shelves of different potty training toilets. We already had a little seat that you place on top of the seat on our regular toilet, but he hadn’t shown much willingness to use it. 

But the moment his eyes scanned that display and locked in on a Minnie Mouse pink potty training toilet, it was game over. We started potty training that day! 

I’m going to be upfront with you: We haven’t really been focused on potty training.  However, his response to that pink potty this last weekend has given me motivation. 

The moment he said he was excited, I was, too! 

So, now it’s potty time, and I have tips and tricks to make potty training smooth and fun for everyone involved. 

Watch for a sign

If you are thinking about potty training in advance and are wondering if it’s the right time or what to get together, here is what I found: The best way to know it’s time to begin potty training is to wait until your kiddo gives you a sign. 

That could be them not peeing for extended periods of time or while they are asleep. They might show more interest in the toilet in your home and when or why grown ups use it.

Build excitement

 Once they’ve queued you in that it might be the right time, get them even more excited by getting them involved in the potty training prep.

 This can be letting them pick out a training toilet or underwear with their favorite character on it. 

You can show them how to pull their pants up and down on their own and practice it together. Maybe purchase a book about potty training and read it together a few times before you start the process to make it feel more familiar.

 One idea that we are implementing is a prize bucket. We let our little guy pick out some prizes at a dollar store. These are small prizes, like a mini piece of candy, for going pee in the potty. We have some larger prizes to reward going poop in the potty. 

Once you have sufficiently hyped up the magic of potty training, it’s time to begin. 

Consistency is key

Try setting a timer for every 30 minutes to start. Encourage them to sit on the potty and attempt to go. Keep a positive attitude throughout and provide praise even for attempts. This is key to keeping them engaged and excited. 

Try allowing your little one to add a sticker to a chart for every attempt. You can offer prizes for every certain number of attempts as well.

 When our little one does sit down to try to go, we try to keep him entertained so he doesn’t get bored and want to run away. We do this by reading books and singing songs. 

Make a weekend of it

During the beginning stages of potty training, it can be a good idea to keep your plans to a minimum. Stay home for the weekend and really focus on the attempts, every 30 minutes or so. 

The more successes a child has, the more motivated they’ll be to continue.

 Do your best to keep things light and fun. If your little one is resistant to going to the bathroom for an attempt, that’s ok! Offer to take a break and try again later. 

Help your child to have positive experiences to associate with going potty. 

Unlearning and learning

It’s a lot, trying to teach our little ones to unlearn something they have been doing their entire live.

It’s OK to feel frustrated or overwhelmed at times. As parents, we are all trying to do our best!

Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works in advocacy for victims of interpersonal violence. Her son is almost three years old.

Luminous removes the hassle of arranging for tuition vouchers and helps make childcare affordable. Vouchers can help ease your financial stress. Learn more about qualifying for HRA and ACSvouchers at our Bronx and Brooklyn centers. Payment can also be made by SEIU/1199 Child Care, check, credit card, and through the Luminous reimbursement program. Contact Luminous Early Childhood Learning Center at enrollment@luminouschildcare.org or call us at 929.228.1180.

Happy little African American boy in a pumpkin patch in autumn,

Hi, parents, and happy October! I’m so happy to celebrate my favorite season of the year. It's that time of year for fall fun with little ones. Here are some autumn- and Halloween-themed suggestions to keep your little one entertained.

As always, we are keeping these as simple as can be. Let’s get started! 

Squishy Fun

First is an activity that is great for our really tiny humans. If you plan to carve pumpkins, don’t throw away the guts of the pumpkin.

Instead, toss them in a gallon zip lock bag to create a super simple and squishy sensory activity for those 12-24-month-olds.

This way they are still involved in the pumpkin carving, but in a safe way. And this allows us parents to really focus on our own pumpkins, am I right? 

Pumpkin Washing

Another idea for our little littles is a pumpkin washing station. To keep it really simple, go for smaller pumpkins. You’ll need to grab a container, fill it with warm soapy water, and make sure there you’re set up in an area that is protected from the splashing or is OK to get wet.

Our three- and four-year-olds can really get involved in the activity by washing everyone’s pumpkins before the carving begins! 

With larger pumpkins, skip placing them in water. Instead, just give your little one a couple of washcloths and some warm soapy water. This way they can wipe down all the pumpkins, and get them nice and clean for carving. But you don’t have to find a giant tote to fill with water either. 

Sensory Bin

Another easy peasy sensory activity for our littles ones is a fall-themed sensory bin.

You could use multicolored dry pasta, pinecones, smooth acorns, or even some leaves. There is basically no mess when it comes to this activity since everything is pretty large and we parents love to hear that.

Give this one a try and let me know how it goes and how long your kiddo stayed engaged in the activity. 

Hunting for Decorations

This next one, I just did with my kiddo over the past weekend, and we had such a good time. I realized, I didn’t have any Autumn or Halloween decorations for our house! As such a huge fan of this time of year, that did not sit right with me. Lack of storage space keeps me from holding onto a lot of decorations, other than those we have for Christamas. 

So, I asked my kiddo if he wanted to go to the thrift store to pick out some decorations. Surprise, surprise, his response was “NOW?” It just so happened we had a few free hours before I had to go to work. So, I said “Sure!” and we were off. 

We headed over to our local Goodwill. I really tried to let him pick out the things he thought would be cute for our little home. He found some pumpkin string lights (LOVE), tealight candle holders (one black cat, a pumpkin, and a little ghost), a wooden pumpkin door hanger, and the cutest little stuffed pumpkin with a black top hat and black and white striped arms and legs. They are absolutely perfect.

Extra tip: Bring something to donate to the thrift store. Most thrift stores offer a coupon for making a donation. So not only was everything pretty cheap in the first place, we also got 20% off! We spent a total of only $10. And we had a great time doing it. 

But, the fun didn’t stop there. We still get to go home and decorate with our super fun finds. 

There you have it, friends! Easy peasy autumn activities to incorporate when you’ve got the time.

I hope they are just as much fun for you as they were for me. Let me know how it goes!

Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works as a crisis responder. Her son is a 3½-year-old preschooler.



Luminous removes the hassle of arranging for tuition vouchers and helps make childcare affordable. Vouchers can help ease your financial stress. Learn more about qualifying for HRA and ACS vouchers at our Bronx and Brooklyn centers. Payment can also be made by SEIU/1199 Child Care, check, credit card, and through the Luminous reimbursement program. Contact Luminous Early Childhood Learning Center at enrollment@luminouschildcare.orgor call us at 929.228.1180.