Life
5 Potty Training Apps For Parents, Designed To (Hopefully) Make The Process Less Painful
Thanks to ever-advancing technology, virtually every aspect of parenting has changed since we were kids — and potty training is no different. A variety of apps on the market are helping evolve a process that once involved little more than, well, a potty (and a whole lot of patience), into a much more potentially entertaining experience. Toddler-specific potty training apps employ everything from videos to digital sticker charts to get little ones on board, but the truth is, you could probably use some help, too. So what are some potty training apps for parents that will actually make this milestone a little easier to manage?
It can honestly be a little tricky to find potty training-related apps that don't specifically cater to the toddler set. And while watching beloved cartoon characters demonstrating such skills as making it to the bathroom in time and remembering to flush will no doubt be super useful to your little one, they're not going to help you keep track of your child's progress or remind you (to remind them) that it's probably potty time again. Luckily, there are a few apps out there designed specifically with parents in mind — and while they might not make potty training a breeze, per se, they'll definitely help take some of the stress and chaos out of one of the more stressful and chaotic experiences every toddler parent goes through!
1Perfect Potty
Perfect Potty (Free, iTunes)
A simple way to keep track of when your little one attempts to use the potty (and what happens when she does), this app seems to be popular with parents looking for a no-frills approach: Raved one user review:
"This is not a fun app for kids, but rather a practical potty tracking tool for parents. I love that I can see the exact time that my son went in the potty, attempted to go, or had an accident. The reminder alarms have been a lifesaver!"
2Potty Baby
Potty Baby (Free, iTunes)
Another app with features that allow parents to keep a log of potty attempts and all the related details, users seem to find the reminder functions helpful, as well as the relative ease of keeping track of more than one kid's progress at a time (particularly helpful for parents of multiples!).
3PottiTrain
PottiTrain (free, Google Play)
Developed by a dad and inspired by his real life experiences, there are a couple of unique features that set PottiTrain apart from other apps in this category. In addition to the usual ways and means of logging potty usage patterns, there's also an option for recording how much and how often your child drinks (a crucial but oftentimes overlooked part of potty training). Plus, there are no ads popping up every five seconds; in fact, you don't even need internet access to make it work once it's installed.
4Potty Training Tips
Potty Training Tips (Free, Google Play)
A departure from the standard tracking and reminder apps, Potty Training Tips offers parents exactly what you'd expect from the title: Bits of advice (alphabetized for convenience) meant to help you guide your toddler on his path to ditching diapers for good.
5Potty Time
Potty Time (Free, iTunes & Google Play)
Sort of a best-of-both-worlds scenario, Potty Time has features that are tailored to both kids and parents. Little ones will like their encouraging phone calls from "Miss Rachel" (whom they might recognize from another popular app, the sign language app Signing Time), songs and videos, while parents can chart progress and even share it via the Potty Time Facebook page (if you don't think your kid will find out someday and be really, really mad).
Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.
