Potty training can be a daunting task for parents. Assessing the child’s readiness is crucial, with most children being ready between 18 and 24 months. Timing is important, and rushing can lead to regression or refusal to cooperate. Incentives and positive reinforcement can help, and staying dry through the night may take longer. Once completed, it’s smooth sailing until teaching them to ride a bike.
There comes a time in every parent’s life when they realize they’ve changed one diaper too many. After countless thousands of diaper changes and dollars, potty training can be a parent’s best dream and worst nightmare. Every parent in this situation is bombarded with advice from friends and family, instruction from medical experts, and an entire industry of consumer products, leading them to ask, “How do I potty train my child?”
First, a parent needs to assess his child’s readiness. Between 18 and 24 months, most children reach the physical and cognitive stage where they can start using the potty. These ages are very optimistic, as most children are ready by the age of three. Some particularly resistant diaper aficionados remain diaper-bound until fourth grade.
Studies have shown that girls on average are potty trained earlier than boys and that firstborns are more difficult to potty train. Experts agree that the parent who tries prematurely to potty train will undergo a longer training process. The following is a potty training checklist:
It can go several hours between urination and the next
Empty your bladder completely when you urinate
It has words for its bodily functions, like “pee” and “poop”
Can physically get on and off the potty or potty
Understands and follows simple directions on how to use the potty on the toilet
She has regular and predictable bowel movements
Show interest in other people’s bathroom habits
He understands the body’s signals that it’s time to go potty
I don’t like a dirty diaper
Values and recognizes independence
As most experts agree, timing is of the essence. First, determine if your child is physically and emotionally ready for the potty. Don’t try to rush because you’re about to move, go on vacation, or start preschool with your child. This usually ends badly, with a regression or an outright refusal to cooperate. Children don’t always cope well with change, so this should be an easy, non-stressful event in their lives.
Once you’re ready to get started, it’s time to navigate the potty training section of the child’s department. Since toilets are designed for large people, get a padded adapter seat or a children’s potty to make it more comfortable for your child. A footstool helps with height and gives dangling feet a place to rest. There are books and videos available to set the mood. Yes, books like Everybody Poops and Once Upon a Potty do exist and have become classics in their own right.
After setting up the new potty, do a couple of “dry” runs: Have your child sit on the potty dressed in a way that they feel comfortable. Demonstrate with a doll or soft toy. The key is no pressure! Buy your child some cool underwear with her favorite cartoon character on them to get her excited about wearing the underwear.
Once “P-Day” has arrived, set a schedule that designates how often you’ll visit the potty with your baby. Most experts agree that it’s best to go cold turkey by switching to underwear and reserving pull-ups for the night or long trips away from home. For boys, start with sitting—he may learn to miss the toilet later.
Some parents find incentives work, such as a chart of stickers or treats for successful trips to the potty. It’s important to make the experience fun and positive. Be sure to give lots of praise for every attempt, whether successful or not.
Most parents find that staying dry through the night comes later, sometimes several months or years after initial potty training. Restricting fluids after a certain time can make a difference to bedwetting, and pull-ups are a mainstay for new potty users.
Whether it takes a day or several months, potty training is a challenge for nearly every parent and child. Once you complete this step in your child’s progression, it’s relatively smooth sailing until you have to teach him to ride a shifter. Then you’ll wish he was back in diapers.
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