So it's time to potty train your child. Take a deep breath and have a little fun with it. After all, there are some great resources to make the process a celebration of learning a new skill rather than an overwhelming obstacle on the way to a diaper-free life.

In this article, we'll share some of our favorite potty training charts as well as reward certificates and reward jar labels—just a few of the things that can get your child more engaged in the learning process.

Charts come in many different forms so you'll want to pick the one that best meets your needs. Before we present you with choices, though, we'll share a few recommendations for making the most of these resources.

• Decide what type suits you best. There's a treasure trove of charts on the internet. Some track specific milestones; others track dry days. Some have cartoon characters; others have animals, cars, and hearts/flowers. You can peruse our "best of" guide below and decide which chart suits your child's interests and meshes with your potty training strategy.
  
  Since many of these charts can be printed for free, you can try a few to see which one suits your needs. If they don't work, scrap them and move to another format. No harm done.

• Laminate (if desired). If you find a chart that works for you and you don't want to keep printing it out over and over again, you can laminate it and reuse it.

• Choose your marking mechanism. You can mark off the chart in different ways—check it with a marker or use stickers or stamps.

• Remind your child to use the chart. Since the chart will be a new development in your child's life, you'll need to prompt him or her to use it regularly. You can reinforce their new habit by praising them each time they remember to use the chart.

• Select your rewards. Depending on the chart and the frequency with which you want to incentivize your child's behavior, you can reward them for each box checked, each row or column completed, or for finishing the entire chart.
  
  Your rewards can include small pieces of candy, stickers, a coupon for 30 minutes of screen time, an outing with you or your spouse, play time at the park, or a new toy. Incentives can be very simple—it's amazing what kids will do for a sticker or a stamp and kudos from Mom and Dad. Don't wait too long between the child's action and their reward. Since kids often lack a fully developed sense of time, they may lose the connection if you don't act soon.

Types of Potty Training Charts

To help you decide which of the many charts works best for you and your child, consider these different types:

Milestone potty training chart

This chart tracks progress on a number of tasks associated with potty training, including pulling down pants, sitting on the potty, peeing or pooping in the potty, and washing hands.

• Boys: Download here from "free printable behavior charts."

• Girls: Download here from "free printable behavior charts."

"Cut to the chase" milestone chart

These are like the charts above except that they only track peeing or pooping in the potty.

• Boys: Download here from "free printable behavior charts."

• Girls: Download here from "free printable behavior charts."

Dry days potty training chart

This chart is marked once daily to track whether or not your child stayed dry.

• Download here from Hloom

Successes and failures potty training sticker chart

This is similar to the dry days chart, but it allows kids to mark both their successes and failures on opposite sides of the chart. This sets up a competition of sorts, giving the child a visual on the good days vs. the bad days and incentivizing them to get more stickers/check marks in the good column. The chart below includes six weeks of accountability on either side of the chart, so it will last you a while.

• Download here from Hloom

Rewards potty training sticker chart

This customized log gives you and your child the freedom to create your own goals, write them on the chart, and track compliance. This can come in very useful if your child has specific areas they need to work on, such as remembering to wash their hands after going to the bathroom or staying dry at night.

• Download here from Hloom

Journey potty training chart

While other charts involve rows and columns, this chart allows your child to go on a "journey" from point A to point B. Each successive goal reached (such as a dry day) moves the child one step closer to the finish line. You can build in "bonus spaces" along the way that entitle the child to a special treat.

• Download here from Sherbert Cafe

Scheduled potty training chart

This chart helps get kids on a regular potty schedule with spaces to mark when they use the toilet in the morning, afternoon, and evening. This reminds kids to use the toilet throughout the day as part of their regular routine.

• Download here from Hloom

Pictured prizes potty training chart

If your child is prize-motivated, this chart is a great choice. It features a picture of the prize the child is working for to give them constant motivation to reach their goal. Some of these charts—like the one below—are customizable so that you can copy and paste pictures of your incentives onto the chart.

• Download here from Hloom

Potty training treat jar

This tracking method doesn't involve a paper chart, but rather a jar of treats or prizes that a child can dip into every time they meet a milestone or have a dry day.

This label can be affixed to the front of the treat jar and customized with your child's name:

• Customize and download here from rewardscharts4kids

Themed Potty Training Charts

Now that we've discovered different types of tracking resources, here's a list of charts themed by different interests (cartoon characters, hobbies, etc.)

Mickey and Minnie Mouse potty training chart

These journey charts by Pull-ups feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse. You can come up with your own goals (sitting on the potty, going potty, washing hands, etc.) and mark your child's success as they reach their goal. There are 28 spaces with a few reward spaces that you can customize by writing in specific incentives (trip to the park, dollar store toy, etc.) There's a Mickey and a Minnie version, depending on your child's preference.

Preview/download here:

Bubble Guppies potty training chart

If your child loves this Canadian-American Nickelodeon TV show, they'll get excited about these Bubble Guppies-themed charts featuring Gil, Molly, Bubble Puppy and more.

• This link is a calendar format, allowing kids to chart their progress Monday through Sunday.
• This link includes specific milestones to achieve (sat on the potty, told an adult I needed to use the bathroom, etc.).

Dora the Explorer potty training chart

The bilingual Dora captured the hearts of many on her Nickelodeon-themed TV show—one of the longest-airing programs on Nick Jr. If your child is a Dora lover, this chart may give them the incentive they need to master potty training:

• Preview/download here.
• If you prefer a chart for tracking specific tasks or milestones, try this one instead.

Elsa ("Frozen") potty training chart

With the release of "Frozen II," Disney Princess Elsa has captivated imaginations around the world once again. If your child is an Elsa fan, consider this themed chart for tracking peeing and pooping (Sunday through Saturday).

• Or you can chart specific milestones on this smaller chart.

Paw Patrol potty training chart

If your child loves 10-year-old Ryder and his plucky bunch of rescue dogs in training, they'll likely be motivated by Paw Patrol potty charts. The first chart comes with bright shapes that you can mark off to signify dry days or other milestones.

The Paw Patrol "milestones" chart features a grid format with five columns for tracking several different potty training-related tasks.

Thomas the Tank Engine potty training chart

Although the British television program featuring talking trains is decades old, it still gets the attention of kids who are captivated by the mystique of trains. Thomas fans will enjoy this versatile Monday through Sunday chart. You can customize it to include different tasks or simply mark whether your child stayed dry for the day. If you go with the latter, this chart will last you up to seven weeks.

This other chart features a picturesque backdrop of Thomas the Tank Engine on the Island of Sodor and a milestones grid.

Minions potty training chart

Minions made their silver screen debut in Despicable Me and then appeared in a movie bearing their own name in 2015. There's something irresistible about these little yellow creatures, and you'll find them on this calendar chart that includes a place for your child's name, Monday through Sunday rows, and 7 columns.

For specific task designations, check out this other chart. Kids can mark off a star for each time they pee or poo in the potty.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates potty training chart

This relatively new animated television series shown on Disney Junior features a swashbuckling band of young pirates consisting of Jake, Izzy, Cubby, and their parrot Skully. They bravely face off against Captain Hook and Mr. Snee, inspiring courage in young viewers and emphasizing that good prevails. Track your child's potty progress with this 7 x 7 chart.

Pokémon potty training chart

The Pokémon franchise is one of the most enduring franchises in recent history. It debuted in the 1990s and is still going strong, with television programs, major motion pictures, a musical, video games, and, of course, trading cards. If your child is a Pokémon lover, you can print off this milestones chart with Ash Ketchum and his beloved sidekick Pikachu.

Disney Princesses potty training chart

From Sleeping Beauty to Snow White to Pocahontas to Mulan, Disney princesses have inspired many as beautiful, yet strong, heroes of the silver screen. Add some sparkle to your child's potty training instruction with this full-color milestones chart featuring the whole bevy of beloved princesses.

For another colorful rendition of a princess chart, check out this tracker. It features milestones followed by rows of brightly covered flowers that kids can mark off to show their progress.

Customizable Potty Training Charts

For fully customizable charts, have fun with this website. You can tweak the images, names, text (milestones), borders and more.

• Download here from 101printables

Potty Training Certificates

When your child masters potty training (or some aspect of it), don't forget to praise them for their success. You can even present them with a reward certificate to hang on their wall as a reminder of how well they have done.

Here's a selection of certificates that you can customize with your child's name and the date:

• Download here from Hoover

Pull-ups has a free, printable certificate to signify when a child moves from diapers to Pull-up pants. It has a cut-out for your child's face, which makes for a great photo opp.

And here's another certificate celebrating your child's rise to "big kid" status with their potty training mastery.

• Download here from Adore Them

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