Rewards and positive reinforcement are the key to any good potty-training method. But when the training takes an unexpectedly long and messy path like ours did, the rewards tend to get just as grandiose as the process. The promise of a party to celebrate my little pooper finally becoming a fully functional tiny human at the young age of 2 ½ was not only worth the celebration for him but also for Mommy and Daddy’s efforts as well — we were drained, so it was time to party! Here’s how to throw a fun and successful Super Pooper Party at the end of your potty-training journey:
“Potty” like a Rockstar: The décor!
Remember, this is not your elaborate birthday party, so there’s really no need to go over the top with décor. The event alone will be enough for your little one to feel celebrated. In order to keep the party relevant to the potty, I used everyday items that were part of the daily grind: toilet paper, undies, and bathroom books. It was easy and fun to basically TP my living room and kitchen. Draping toilet paper everywhere and placing extra rolls on the tables in lieu of party flowers was simple and on theme. For my banner, nothing expressed these congratulatory sentiments more than just a clothesline of clean undies to hang across the TP. Next, we collected all of the bathroom literature we had on my son’s book shelf. The many books read for encouragement and reminders during all those long waits on the potty were showcased across a table. This component would replace your typical 1 year photos you might display at a birthday party or something similar of that nature. And, viola! You’re home is ready for a Super Pooper Party.
Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!
To stay on this very unique and slightly unpleasant theme, the food needed to coordinate with the décor and basically look like … well, ya know. So, for the snack and dessert table, I picked up white powdered donuts and tootsie rolls to unwrap and stick inside. This might’ve been more for ornamentation than eating, but either way, it was a great item for little hands and adult humor.
Next, I made plenty of cupcakes with chocolate icing swirled on top as well as turtle cookies, because this party needed tasty desserts that looked like foul restroom deeds. After that, I needed to exhibit the daily rewards we used every time there was some success in the toilet, even if just a little bit. So a bowl full of M&M’s placed on a tray surrounded by chocolate donuts donned the dessert table as reminders of our family’s daily push for victory. Again, this kept the party reward relevant to the potty success.
In addition to the snacks and desserts, what’s the main dish served at a Potty Party??? Beans, of course!!! Red Beans and Rice was served for all the guests with every little pooper’s favorite rhyme displayed right next to it: “Beans! Beans! The magical fruit! The more you eat, the more you poop!”
Finally, to add a finishing touch, I placed little representations of “number 2” all over the tables and toilet paper rolls, unwrapped Hershey’s Kisses. This just added a little bathroom embellishment and, again, was easy for little hands to just grab and pop into their mouths.
Every Party Loves a Pooper That’s Why We Invited You!
The Guest of Honor had to stand out as well! Thanks to The Audubon Zoo gift shop, there was no shortage of animal poop products to purchase. Hey! Everyone Poops, right?! My son wore a shirt we purchased from the gift shop that read “Keep Calm and Poo On.” But, this was a Super Pooper Party, so as part of his big reward, he needed to feel like the super kid he was for finally conquering this feat. We ordered a Super Hero Cape with a matching Super Hero mask. After all, he was a Super Pooper at this point.
And there you have it! An easy, affordable, and fun reward for any toddler (or parent) in the need to celebrate finally flushing this chapter of life down the training toilet! But, don’t worry, because one day we’ll look back and wish poop was our biggest problem. As long as we cherish and celebrate the victories in between, parenting a super pooper can be quite rewarding.
