Set a ‘Pee-Pee Clock’ for Potty Training

There are practically as many methods out there for potty training as there are toddlers resistant to them. There’s the classic sticker-chart-and-prizes method. The messy three-day method. The annoying toy method. Even the M&M method (it’s simple: you bribe them with M&Ms). A lot of these experiences boil down to some combination of bribery and a battle for power. But if you set a “pee-pee timer” for your child, it may help you take the edge off the typical potty training power struggle.

After Reddit user u/sonaked saw a couple of recommendations from other Redditors to use a “pee-pee clock,” they decided to try it:

I figured what the hell, I’ll give it a shot. So I went to sounds and settings on my phone, turned on my ringer and went, “Uh oh! It’s the pee pee clock! Time to go potty!” My toddler BOLTED to the potty, and kept going, “pee pee clock! Pee pee clock!” We’ve done this every hour on the hour now, and she’s excitedly told her grandma, “I gotta sit on potty. It’s the pee pee poo poo clock.”

The genius of this is simple: You’re not telling them it’s time to use the potty. The pee-pee clock is telling them to use the potty. A pee-pee clock is the perfect authoritative, third-party voice of reason.

Set your smartphone or smart watch to sound an alarm at regular intervals (probably about every 60-90 minutes to start). For extra legitimacy, choose a sound that you use only for potty training.

If that doesn’t work, you can always try using maxi pads to transition them to underwear or stock up on these products to clean up potty training accidents.