At the sound of the phrase "Mommy, I gotta go potty" I am up and running to the bathroom with my toddler. Ahh, the joys of potty training. 

Emma initially showed interest in using the potty at 18 months, but she was in a full leg cast at the time so while we encouraged her to sit on the potty and we danced a crazy dance when she went "pee-pee" or "poop", we kept the diapers in play to protect the cast. About 9 months later, when Emma was 2 years old, we went at potty training full force. Here are a few of the essentials that helped us out. 

• Training potty and seat: We tried using both a little training potty and a seat on top of the potty, and ultimately the seat worked out better for us. At first Emma would sit on the training potty while I sat on the regular potty, but eventually, it was just easier all around to have her use the big potty and not have to clean the little one out each time she went. Emma now helps put the training seat onto the potty and puts it back away when she is done. And the little training potty lives in the trunk of my car for emergency bathroom stops (it has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion). 
• Flushable wipes: Cleaning someone else's bum is easier with a wipe than with toilet paper, and these wipes make sure I get Emma nice and clean after she poops. It is funny to hear her say "this one is for poop" and "this one is for pee" when she refers to the wipes versus toilet paper. 
• Pull ups: Accidents happen and pull ups are a huge help for us, particularly when we are out and about or going for a long car drive. The pull ups themselves didn't work for teaching Emma to use the potty as she would ask the question "am I wearing a pull-up?" and then start peeing because she knew it would act like a diaper, so we ultimately had to put her in underwear and let her have accidents in order for her to learn that it isn't fun to pee in your pants. Now she keeps her pull ups dry and they are our emergency protection for when we aren't sure what bathroom accessibility will be like.
• Underwear: All underwear is not created equal. Underwear with a fun pattern got Emma excited about wearing it (although we learned that the pattern needs to be on the front or she will try to wear it backward so that she can see the pattern). Extra thick underwear can also be a huge help with potty training. Gerber makes extra absorbent training underwear that helps you have less of a mess to clean up when accidents happen. Now Emma gets just as excited for a new fun pair of underwear as she does for a new shirt or dress.
• Faucet extenders: Did you wash your hands? This is a question that gets asked quite frequently after Emma goes to the potty. Little hands aren't always able to reach the water faucet easily so we got faucet extenders to help Emma reach the water and wash her own hands. There are plenty of DIY ideas for making these on Pinterest, but we found some on Amazon that we love (note: different faucet extenders work with different shape faucets). 
• Step stool: Along the same lines as needing a faucet extender to reach the water, a step stool helps little feet climb up to reach the sink and wash hands after going to the bathroom. A step stool can also come in handy in the kitchen too -- Emma loves to help me cook.
• Potty books: Kids learn a lot by example and reading stories in which other kids are performing the actions you desire are great for setting an example. Emma loves to read, so we picked up a few books about using the potty that helped Emma understand the concept of using the toilet. 
• Incentives: As much fun as using the potty is, kids also like splashing in their pee puddles too, so avoiding accidents aren't always enough enticement to use the potty. We tried stickers, but ultimately little pieces of candy helped Emma use the potty. Now we are weaning her off the candy incentives because sometimes I think she goes potty when she wants a piece of candy. It is admittedly cute when she tries to negotiate how many pieces of candy she get. It still cracks me up when she sits on the potty and says, "one is for pee and two is for poop." 
• Bucket for soaking clothes: Accidents happen. I keep a bucket by the sink in the girls' bathroom along with a container of oxi clean. When an accident does happen (whether it be an accident trying to get to the potty or a blow out diaper) I put the clothes in the bucket along with some oxi clean and some nice warm water, and then let them soak until I'm ready to run the next load of wash. I've also found myself using the "pre-wash" setting on my washer more since the girls were born as a pre-wash with oxi clean does a great job at getting the pee smell out of extra dirty clothes.

And the most important thing you will need for potty training --- PATIENCE. You will get frustrated with accidents, you will spend a lot of time cleaning, and then one day something will click and your child will start telling you when they need to go to the bathroom (instead of you pleading with them to try). 

Emma has gone through phases of loving the potty and hating the potty (at one point she would start kicking and screaming when asked to try to go), but at three years old, Emma is now down to only a handful of accidents a week and runs to the bathroom while saying "Mommy, I gotta go potty". In fact, just in the last few weeks, she has even discovered how to get onto the potty by herself (without the training seat). I can't even describe the joy I felt when I recently heard the bathroom door close and opened it to discover Emma had climbed on the potty by herself and was doing her business.

Good luck with your potty training!