EXCLUSIVE: Amanda Jenner was left bringing up her siblings as a young girl, but it led to her passion for helping others as a child expert and author
Amanda Jenner may be hugely successful today, but she had a difficult upbringing, raising her own siblings as her heartbroken father struggled after her mother left the family home. But it gave her the spark to help others.
The mum-of-three has for the past 20 years been a hugely respected child expert, potty training guru and This Morning regular, who has sold over two million of her own invention – the My Carry Potty – worldwide.
Here, Amanda, 51, who has also helped toilet train the broods of many famous faces, opens up about how her life experiences brought her exactly where she is today, her top tips for desperate potty training parents and her big hopes for the future…
Amanda, you’re the potty training guru. How does someone get into that career?
I had a very tough background, but it gave me the fire in my belly to make my future better. I left school at 15 with two GCSEs and got told I’d never do anything with my life. I just thought, “No, I’m meant for more.”
When I was young, I lived with my dad for a lot of the time and basically brought up my siblings. I missed a lot of school – I was like Mother Hubbard at nine years old. No parties, no holidays. As a teenager, I had three jobs – cleaning, chamber-maiding and waitressing. Then I had my own clothes shop at 18.
Clearly you’ve always been very entrepreneurial, but you grew up fast…
It wasn’t easy. I’m part-Maltese, my mum is Maltese, so it was unusual for someone from her background to leave us like she did and go home. I lived with my dad in Portsmouth from nine to 13, then mum from 13. My dad was just heartbroken. But my experiences made me realise that if I could improve children’s lives, then I would.
When did things take off?
I grew up, had my own children, got married, and developed the My Carry Potty through having George, my eldest son. You never know where to put the contents of a potty, and I didn’t like chucking them down a drain. I thought, “For God’s sake, there’s got to be something better out there.” I wanted to put a lid on a potty. It wasn’t easy, so I parked it.
You also went through a marriage breakdown….
Yes, my first husband and I split up. We’re good friends now, though. I’ve been married to my second husband Darren Jenner for 20-odd years. My husband and I were in the garage one day. He said, “Look at this, what is it?” And I said, “It’s an invention of mine. I’m going to do it one day.” He said, “No, you’re going to do it now. Believe in yourself again. Get it back.”
So I did. I got the prototype made and banged on the door of John Lewis about 100 times. Finally, they saw me. I filled the potty up with water, handed it around, they opened it, and couldn’t believe it was 100% leak proof. I got my first order a few days later of 356 potties. I’ll never forget it. I had to remortgage my house to place an order because the minimum was a container-full.
They all came to your house?!
Yes, 3,200 potties arrived on my drive in a container outside our three-bedroom house. I was like, “Jesus, I did not calculate that very well.” I tested every single one for a week in the kitchen with my friends. I called them all over, plied them with wine, and we tested them. I didn’t want any to leak before I went to my first John Lewis.
It snowballed from there…
Yes, I started getting it into more stores, working in the evenings after I put my kids to bed. I’d be on Facebook until 2am, parents started asking for help, and the rest is history. I hope to inspire others to believe in themselves, even if you don’t come from a privileged background.
You have a famous five-day potty training regime – what are the key takeaways?
Yes, in essence, it’s about getting to know the child – and never judge, as every child is different. You need patience, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I really believe it’s about education, getting the equipment, then keeping it consistent for a few days in and out the home, and rewarding your child.
A big thing is, we think one day, “I’m going to potty train the child this weekend because we’ve got a gap,” and they’ve been in that nappy for three years, we put the potty in front of them and say, “Sit on the potty,” and they’re like, “What is this? I’ve got my nappy. I don’t want to sit on that horrible thing.” It’s got to be gradual and consistent.
Which celebrities have you worked with?
I potty trained Charlotte Tilbury’s son. She was so lovely. He did not want to sit on that potty; he was screaming. But I got him potty trained. I helped Ferne McCann and Rochelle Humes, too, also the loveliest people. I really respect those who aren’t scared to ask for help.
Any nightmare stories?
I had one client and I will never forget this for the rest of my life. She had towels on the floor, and she was potty-training her child to just stand up and pee on the towels. She believed in the freedom of going to the toilet. The smell was just unbearable – I lasted a day!
How do you feel about Louise Thompson’s recent comments, which seemed to mock statistics about children not being potty trained by the time they start primary school?
I was very upset. I would expect better of her. It p****d me off all day! It felt like mum-shaming. Absolutely nobody knows how hard, or otherwise, it is for any individual child and mum – we should all support each other and hold each other high.
You have a new children’s book out, too – the first in the series Mory’s Magic Milestones…
I do. I wanted to create something children and parents could use, with little interactive pull-out bits to get them engaged. Simon & Schuster truly believed in me and offered me a four-book deal. So the books will follow all the different levels and milestones in a child’s life – like going to sleep, putting the dummy away… I’m really excited!
What burning ambitions do you have left?
I’d like an advice column one day helping kids up to teenage years with some real talk. And to just keep helping people. This is my passion. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anyone – but it drives me every day to do what I do.
Amanda Jenner’s Mory’s Magic Milestone’s – Ready For My Potty is available on Amazon
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