Shona's creative potty training reward hack:
Alarmingly, Christmas products are already in the stores, so I thought it would be timely to submit this hack:
If your child likes Playmobil and you are thinking of embarking on toilet training over the next twelve months, snap up a couple of Playmobil advent calendars while they are in the stores, and stash them away till you're ready. Advent calendars are like ready-made potty training reward charts, complete with prizes.
The prospect of opening an advent calendar door for each success worked amazingly well to motivate my 3-year old son after chocolate buttons, jellybeans, temporary tattoos and a sticker chart had all failed. It was like magic!
I'm not in any way affiliated with the company, though I have played with their toys since the 1970s. Obviously this hack is only suitable for children who are old enough for the small parts not to be a choking hazard.
Advent calendars are a Christmas tradition I've always admired (I'm a Hanukkah celebrator myself). So simple, so fun, and SO PERFECT FOR POTTY TRAINING, SHONA! Perfect for any type of reward system, really.
If the "little toy reward" idea appeals to you or your kid, there are some pretty cool LEGO advent calendars as well. I'm partial to the LEGO Star Wars version, because you can never have too many mini Yodas. There's even a mini version of that funny, black rolling robot droid that ran/rolled away when Chewbacca roared at it in the original movie! That's one of my favorite moments in the whole film!
OK. Breathing. I'm not sure if it's Star Wars mania or my love of tiny toys, but I need to regain my composure. Or buy an advent calendar to hang in my office…hmmmm…
More: Potty training hacks
If you’re willing to take the risk, you can wait until after Christmas to purchase them on discount.
My husband’s family is Eastern Orthodox and they celebrate holidays according to the Julian Calendar, which puts Christmas in January. So they do a lot of clearance shopping which in theory saves them money (especially on things like wrapping paper) but also means sometimes stuff is just sold out.
I was thinking the same thing, Brigid, but I also know that potty training is a high-stakes activity, so may be worth shelling out a few bucks from some families!
There are lots of DIY (aka u-fill) advent calendars in craft stores, etsy, etc. Look for “Advent Calendar Kit” on Amazon to see some examples. That way you can put whatever you want in there and vary the rewards.
If you want the Star Wars Advent Calendar, order now. I waited last year and they were sold out by Thanksgiving. I ordered mine 2 weeks ago.
BTW, my daughters are 12 and 15. 🙂 We just love lego and Star Wars.
If you are not a Christmas person, use it to count down to Thanksgiving, New Years, or a family vacation. Just an FYI – there is a Yoda dressed as Santa Claus in there, feel free to decide that he is dressed for the Hoth battle.
The conversation on Twitter about the LEGO Star Wars advent calendar is has been hilarious. Folks are strongly suggesting I buy it for myself.
Imaginext has an Advent Calendar for half the price of the lego one. Might be more appropriate for the potty training set. (although my 2.5 yo plays with brother’s legos) I had been thinking this was cheap way to buy a bunch of special rewards for other things too.
Lego sells out by early November usually (3 years experience talking). We’ve also seen My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop advent calendars through the years, and sometimes those last past xmas.
I’m totally lusting over the Lego Star Wars advent calendar. Alas… we are US expats living in Israel where the Legos are ridiculously expensive due to tariffs. A set that costs $40 in the US costs ~$110 in Israel. Crazy!
There are no robots in Star Wars, there are droids. So that droid you described is a “mouse droid”. /nerd
DROID! How could I have made such a mistake? I stand corrected, Kathy.