Many parents have success potty training by putting their toddlers in underwear or letting them run around naked. The premise of this technique is that most kids don't like to feel wet and sticky from urinating so they learn to seek out the potty. Diapers, arguably, can't make this possible because they are so absorbent that the little one doesn't have to feel the wetness.

For some parents, this technique works in a few hours, but for most parents, there are weeks or even months worth of accidents on the floor before this method results in a potty-trained kid. If you are taking this approach to potty training, here's how to protect your carpet.

1. Corral your kid in a tiled area

If you think you can get this method to work relatively quickly, consider corralling your kid in a tiled area for a few days. Put a baby gate over the kitchen door and spend time baking, painting and doing other fun things in the kitchen. You can even bring in a tablet and a few cushions and watch movies in there.

2. Address urine stains on carpet as soon as possible

If your child isn't trained after a few days and corralling him or her in a tiled area seems unrealistic, you need to keep a close watch for accidents in carpeted areas. As soon as your child pees on the floor, use a clean rag to absorb the wetness. Absorbing the wetness as soon as possible prevents it from getting into the carpet pad.

Then, clean the spot with a carpet stain remover with an odour neutraliser in it. Many parents prefer pet stain removers for this purpose.

3. Use water, dishwashing liquid and baking soda to clean faeces

Unfortunately, there may be times when your child poops rather than just pees on the floor. Try to not get frustrated, and remember every kid is different. Some are comfortable pooping in the potty as soon as the idea is introduced but take a bit longer to urinate there on a consistent basis. Others, however, have the exact opposite schedule.

To address toddler poop on your carpet, pick up any large solid pieces and dispose of them in the toilet. Then, cover liquid poo with an absorbent such as baking soda or cornstarch. When it dries, vacuum it up. Scrub the leftover stain with a mixture of 32 parts water, 1 part vinegar and 1 part dishwashing liquid. That's roughly, 1/2 litre of water with 15 mLs each of dishwashing liquid and vinegar.

4. Shampoo the carpet professionally

Although it can be frustrating while it lasts, it is likely you and your child will be through this phase in a few months or less. Once you are pretty sure your child is done having accidents, schedule a professional carpet cleaning from a business like All Class Carpet Cleaning.

Alternatively, if you have your own carpet cleaning machine, you can spot clean after each accident. The heat can help to remove the stain more effectively than spot cleaning on its own.

5. Consider cloth nappies

If you like the idea of this approach but it is just too messy for you, consider putting your kid in cloth nappies. Cloth nappies absorb accidents, keeping them off your carpet, but they don't lock in the wetness like a disposable diaper.

That means your child still feels the wetness and hopefully should develop enough of an aversion to it that he or she feels incentivised to use the potty.

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