How to Set up a Reward System for Potty Training

Set up your potty training regimen so you’re ready to handle the process. You’ll need a potty seat, at least 10 to 12 pairs of underwear, a sheet of paper, some little stickers and an idea of what rewards you will give to your child. You might stock a box full of inexpensive toys she can choose, you could plan some special excursions and activities as rewards or you might plan a shopping trip as a reward.
Make a one-week sticker chart to keep track of potty success. Hold an 8.5-by-11-inch sheet of paper, oriented in landscape, and divide it into seven equal columns -- one for each day of the week. Write the days of the week across the top of the chart. Your little one will earn a sticker for every potty training success and he will place each sticker he earns in the appropriate column for the day. You will need to make additional sticker charts for the second and third weeks of the process.
Determine what actions will earn stickers. For a reluctant potty trainer, you might award a sticker for just sitting on the potty. For a more advanced child, you might require that the little one actually use the potty to earn a sticker. You also need to decide how many stickers will earn a prize. If you have little, inexpensive prizes, institute a system that requires fewer stickers to earn a prize. If your prizes are larger and more expensive, your child should earn more stickers to earn them. In this scenario, you might create a tiered system with small prizes awarded more frequently for fewer stickers and more expensive prizes earned less frequently when your child earns more stickers.
Talk up the reward system and the potty training plans to get your child on board. Explain the details a day or two in advance and tell your youngster that it’s almost time to begin using the potty.
Begin the potty training routine on the big day. Place the sticker chart on the refrigerator and show your little one the stickers she’ll earn when she sits on or uses the potty. Encourage her to sit on the potty and provide a sticker for every success. Show your child where to affix the stickers and watch as she does this. Remain positive and upbeat as you proceed through the day.
Continue to award stickers for potty training and keep track of the point where your child will be ready for a bigger reward. When this happens, make a big deal out of presenting the prize or the earned activity.
Remain consistent with the sticker chart and rewards for at least three weeks to ensure that your little one’s new skills have the reinforcement needed to make them permanent. Less than three weeks of stickers and rewards could lead to relapse, warns physician Caren Glassman, with Potomac Pediatrics.
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