How to Potty Train with The Potty Fairy ~ A Book Review
Get your kiddos potty trained with Bud, the Potty Fairy! He has arrived at our house, along with the book The Potty Fairy by Mary Pope, and our son was so happy to see him!
The Potty Fairy has arrived!
When Author Mary Pap introduced it to me and asked us to give it a try, and review her book I fell in love with the concept, and knew it was for us! The Potty Fairy believes that potty training requires a differentiated approach, which is selected by the parent for their child, with a mix of creativity and imaginative play. Just what we were needing! Because our kids fell in love with the Elf on the Shelf this past Christmas, I knew the concept of a fairy helping with potty training would be great!
Loved from the get-go
Reading the book was fun and it worked its magic from the first reading. You and your kids will be introduced to the world of the Potty Fairies! They love making little kid underwear for you and come to visit to encourage and give gifts. This is what Mr4 loved!
We wanted to play on this a lot because, unlike my older two children, we could not find our third sons "currency". What would motivate him enough to make the decision to do the task he knew he needed to do. Jelly beans didn't work. Chocolate ice cream didn't work. You name it, we tried it. But, being accountable with a fairy, who gave him new underwear every morning was a really great support system!
"When I make a mistake, I know it's ok because the Potty Fairy will bring me new underwear to try again tomorrow!" -Mr4
The thought that the fairies made the underwear for him was also cute, and that they would bring him a new pair every day was really the best thing ever. It encouraged him to keep trying, and we saw improvement every day the Potty Fairy was here. Every morning was a joy!
What happens on days without the fairy?
There were days where the Potty fairy wasn't able to show up, and Mr4 wondered why? Our answer was, even potty fairies need holidays. After 2 weeks of new underwear laid out on his bed in the morning, we asked him what else would help him accomplish his goals? He asked the potty fairy for molding clay and bath bombs. He said he would try his best for those rewards from the fairy.If he did it right, the fairy would show up. If not, no fairy and no reward. He began to get it right every time and was eager to see what the fairy would bring him.
What can I say, It worked!
I can't say enough how grateful I am to the Potty Fairy Book and Doll, which has been so much fun for our family in cheering on our youngest son with his process of growing up from being the last baby of the family to a big kid!
Older siblings can get involved
Miss8 and Mr7 knew the potty training struggle was real and wanted to help! As they saw that the rewards from the fairy were working and that the fairy was his "buddy" they got excited for him and helped with the fairy's rewards.
Seeing their help in his success was a joy to my heart, and helped their relationship grow in the process! They helped to hide rewards around the room, build him toys out of snap cubes, and leave treats, and writing notes from Bud to him. Soon our son wanted to thank Bud for the gifts he was leaving for him, so we helped him write a note to bud. Then Bud was writing Mr4 notes of encouragement back as well!If you are potty training your child and need a boost of fun and encouragement, check out the potty fairy!
Buy this Book Today:
Meet the Author of The Potty Fairy: Mary Pap
I recently sat down with Children's Book Author Mary Pap, to chat about what inspires her with her writing!Mary Pap lives in Minnesota, with her husband and dog Indy and has three daughters. She studied elementary education with music and art in college and recalls how her book has all three areas mixed in!As a young mother, she and her friends were struggling with the task of potty training their children, and one night, she had a very vivid dream of potty fairies helping children to potty train. After the dream, she was inspired to write down the story, and sew up special underwear for her children and her friends' children. They were all surprised and very happy to see that it helped! She continued to share the story and saw that its concept was continuing to be helpful.As her children grew older, and she began working in public education and was developing curriculum and working with fellow teachers and parents. When she retired from this work, she decided to write this book, to help others on a larger scale!
"The inspriation for this book was to help make potty training joyful and fun." -Mary Pap
Mary wanted to help parents and children have a positive potty training experience because she knew how important this developmental step was for children. That is exactly what the Potty Fairy did for us, and I am so grateful!
What Mary's Creative Process looks like with Writing:
Mary recalls that she woke from her dream and immediately had to get the ideas from the dream I had on paper. Mary wrote and drew pictures for a full day and didn't even get dressed because she was afraid she might forget something. "I wanted to get it down as quickly as I could". As the story was closer to being published, it was edited, shared and read many times for more feedback.
"I love to see the joy in children’s eyes when they hear my story and I love to see the happiness The Potty Fairy brings to others." -Mary Pap
It was my pleasure to interview Mary Pap, review her latest book, and we have been so happy to have the Potty fairy visit us!
You can find more from Mary Pap on her Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
Are you potty training and homeschooling? Let me know in the comments below.
Til next time, have fun with scissors and glue, and the potty fairy too,Alexandra