One of the most powerful tools in a parent’s arsenal is a potty training chart, aka reward charts. There are so many available on the internet; some free while others are not. Variations include various cartoon characters, color, shapes and designs. A potty training chart can be elaborate creations or even simple ones – sometime hand drawn ones are just as effective. A few examples of a potty training chart::

At the end of the day, they serve the same purpose and the style is only defined by the individual or the child.

So – how do we use a potty training chart? Well there are a few ways but the most common was is as follows. You would need to get some sort of reward stickers. You can get this from your local stationary store, or perhaps even a toy or dollar store. Try and be creative when choosing these. Get something that you know your child would like or enjoy. Best bets are cartoon character from TV shows that your kid watched often, or perhaps colorful stars or even some other inanimate object that you child enjoys, like stickers of sport cars for example. My kid loves airplanes – that did it for me. You are limited by your imagination and by the attraction to your child.

So now we have our stickers and a potty training chart – what next?

Well, every time you child successfully completes a pee or pooh session, then he/she is entitled to add a sticker into the respective day block. It would be nice to hype and make a great deal about them earning this sticker and you should really show off and be proud that the child achieved this – As visually as possible as this reinforces your approval for the child, and they notice this! In fact let him/het choose which sticker they want and let them stick it in the correct column. Let your child know that if reaches a certain number of sticker rewards in a day; he is entitled to a special surprise. This can be in the form of a visit somewhere like the park, or perhaps a sweet or even a toy. You could even allow the child extra TV time for reaching this milestone. This is a great motivator as the child has something extra to work towards.

There are many resources online for finding charts… a good paid resources are which includes potty training chart:

http://adviseit.org/babypottytraining/baby-pottytraining

And a free one:

http://www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com/toilettrainingcharts.htm

Good luck with your baby potty training and making your first potty training chart.