Potty update - and tips!

We are 4 weeks into potty training. And I'm pretty darn proud of my little girl! In the past 5 days, she's had 2 accidents. She tells us when she needs to go once or twice a day. More often, we take her once an hour. She has got #2 down pat - none of the 2 above were #2 accidents... but we still carry a change of underwear and pants with us!

For those of you looking for tips, here are mine... in the form of helpful products. First and foremost - invest in a seat like

this. This saves their little butts from falling in and it saves you from the mess of cleaning up a little potty (before you order - you need to know if you have a round or oval seat). Depending on the age of your toilet seat, there may be some cursing involved to remove the current seat and install this, but it's worth a little sweat and a little dough... especially if you have more than 1 little one. We had a little potty, but neither of my kiddos ever used it. We had the little potty out before Abby started potty training (she'd sit when bubba did), but I put it away when we started. Also, going in a little potty seems like it would be confusing when you have to go in public... more on that in a minute.

While you're at it, get a pair of

these too. Lots of hand washing is in your future.

Finally, since you'll be carrying a change of underwear and pants (or 4) for a while, you really aren't ready to retire that diaper bag quite yet. Finish off your Amazon order with one of

these to put in your diaper bag. It keeps their bottoms from falling in when you're in public, but folds up to fit nicely into your bag. Also - have you SEEN some of those public bathrooms?! I also think it creates some consistency when you're out, which is always comforting. You'll still have to say "Don't touch anything" over and over, but at least while the seat is out, you'll have one less worry. The seat was a MUST for us for the first 2 weeks, but we've been able to use it less and less. It still comes out when the toilets are questionable though.

And one last tip for girls - pack away the dresses for a little bit. It's so much easier to pull pants down and something you may miss at first! Trade in those dresses for some skirts and you'll be just fine!