Accidents will happen

To handle accidents, stay calm and be prepared.

Calmly change your child into a dry diaper or training pants. Don't get angry, shame your child or use punishments such as making your child wear a dirty diaper. Use kind, gentle encouragement instead.

For instance, you could say, "I know you'll get better at going to the potty." Rarely, it's OK to gently tell your child that you don't approve. For example, you could say, "Big kids don't like pee in their pants."

Keep a change of underwear and clothing handy, especially at school or in child care.