With my first son Brendan I was very keen to get him potty trained as soon as possible, especially as dear son number two (Jacob) arrived when he was only 17 months old. Two sets of nappies is never fun! I took the plunge when he was 2 and a half,  the weather was getting warmer which meant I would be able to get the washing dried easily that I anticipated would start filling my laundry basket.
 I had bought all the books and done my online research, potty training in a week - it sounded so easy! I was delighted at how quickly he got the hang of things and I made the mistake of thinking just how easy it had been. That was until his little brother Jacob started to walk and suddenly the prospect of losing the toy he was playing with while he nipped off for a wee was a fate worse than death compared to weeing in his trousers.
 Having only really got Brendan back in the habit of using the toilet within the last few months (on the promise that I won't let any harm come to his toy until he returns!) I was in no rush to start toilet training Jacob who has only recently turned two years old. It is funny how you become much more laid back with your second child, and all the milestones you were so keen to reach with your first you are quite happy to leave until later. So while I was happily thinking that perhaps I would wait until next summer to potty train Jacob when he would be nearly 3 and easier to communicate with it appears Jacob had a different opinion. A few weeks ago I was having a sneaky catch up of some emails while my boys were playing, I glanced round to see Jacob proudly sitting on the potty with his trousers and nappy around his ankles! With an even prouder look on his face, and with some amazement as he glanced in the potty and saw what he had done he turned to me and shouted 'Look mummy POO!!!'. 
As proud as I felt of him looking at his delighted face I have to admit that I also made a silent 'Oh no!' at the prospect of having to go through all the potty training again! 
So we are a few weeks in and it is going fairly well, my experiences from training my first son have obviously helped me along the way this time so I thought it may be useful to share a few tips I have found useful:

♥ Choosing a potty together with your child can be a very good idea, you would be suprised at how fussy a little person can be at the prospect of plonking their behind on something that they don't like the colour or shape of! We bought a Fisher Price frog potty which has gone down well with both of my children and has a removable middle which makes it easy to empty and clean. 

♥ Star charts can be a great reward and incentive that can help potty training for a child old enough to understand them, make sure you show them the chart before you start using it and explain clearly what it is for and how the child can earn a star. 

♥ I discovered some potty stickers called 'My Wee Friend ' that look like black circles that you stick in the bottom of the potty.Then when your child uses the potty the sticker changes into a star or character of your choice. They last for weeks in the potty even through thorough cleaning and worked better for my first son than the star chart.

♥ Try not to worry too much about how early your friends or families children have been potty trained, you often find that those who brag about having a potty trained child at a young age are exaggerating a little at just how dry their child is. We could all put our child into pants from a young age and change their clothes four to five times a day but that doesn't mean they are potty trained! Take the lead from your own child, can they take their trousers down, can they tell you when they need the potty?

♥ Reading stories to your child about using the potty or toilet is a great way of leading up to potty training. My sons loved a book called "Pirate Pete's Potty" by Andrea Pinnington that I bought from Amazon, but there are lots of childrens books on potty training so have a look for one that you think your child will enjoy.

♥ The last and sometimes most difficult piece of advice is not to get cross with your child when they have an accident, it is very easy on days where they are on their third change of clothes to feel like they just aren't trying. Plus on days like this the sight of the overflowing laundry basket alone is enough to put anyone in a bad mood. However by telling your child off for having an accident you are focusing in the negatives and giving them a bad association with not wearing a nappy. It is far better to go over the top with praise when they use the potty and have dry pants as this is the behaviour you are looking to encourage!

I would love to hear any more tips or advice you have on potty training, and for those that are going through it for the first time - good luck!!