Every parent’s dream is for their child to move on from diapers. The best person to train a child on how to use a toilet is their parent as they understand them better. It is these little moments with your child that counts. However, knowing when your child is ready for potty training could be difficult.
When should I start potty training?
Children should be toilet/ potty trained at their own pace. Kids learn at different speed and thus there is no right age to train your kid to use potty. However, the best age to start potty training is between 18 months and 30 months. The following are some of the signs that will give you a clue your child is ready for potty training:
- When your child starts to mimic
- When they know what stays where
- Signs of independence for example when they say they “no”
- When they start alerting you when they want to pee or poop
- When they can sit and walk around
- When they start showing discomforts when in diapers. You will
- Realize your kid trying to pull them out when they get soiled
- Following you to the toilet. This shows that they are really
- Interested in knowing the toilet matters
- When they are able to do simple tasks as requested. For example, “bring me your shoe”
How to get started with potty training?
Toilet or Potty training could be a nightmare to the kids if not done the right way. Wait at least you have identified some of the above signs for to take the huge step of toilet training. It should be noted that it is easy for kids to learn how to use a potty than a regular toilet. Here is some toilet training advice for parents to make the whole potty training easy:ing the potty familiar to the kids
This should be done before they start using it. You can play with them around the potty for the first few days. After they are comfortable with its presence, slowly introduce to them the purpose it serves. You can do this by talking about peeing and pooping which will make it sound like a normal thing.
Make the potty entertaining
You can look for musical potties. These potties play a certain song when your kid sits on it. These will make them want to sit on it often to hear the music. If you cannot find a musical potty, introduce a song that you sing to your child whenever they sit on it. Kids love being entertained and before you notice it they will be using the potty for the intended purpose.
Treats and praises
For the first few days or weeks, encourage your kid to use the potty by giving them small gifts whenever they us it. You could clap and tell them, “great job!”. Children love appreciation and they will do it every time to impress you. Withdraw the gifting slowly and let them use it with no expectations of being gifted.
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Accidents and mess
Your child might not get it right in the first days. This is no reason to yell at them. Keep calm and tell them its okay, that accidents happen. Getting mad at them will make them scared and confused. Instead, focus on the little improvements.
How long should the training take?
Do not panic if your child takes long to get the potty training. Children can take as long as 6 months to learn how to use potty. Well, some can take as little as 3 months. Not wetting bed at nigh might take up to several years for some kids.
Challenges to expect during toilet training
A child who is already trained on how to use a toilet or potty could get back to wetting themselves due to stress or an infection. Consult a doctor to be sure of the cause.
Even though your child is doing really good with the toilet training, it would be good you use diapers on certain occasions to avoid messes and accidents. The following are some of the few times you will need to use diapers:
- During their nap time. Kids of 2-3 years even though they are able to use potty, they might wet during their nap.
- When traveling. Most people do not want to stop over every few minutes while on the road. If you are on of them then you could use diapers during this time.
- When you are going to an event. During an event you will not have time to attend to your child’s mess.
- If your child has had many messes consecutively. They could probably
- be not ready for the whole toilet thing.
When should I start potty training?
Potty training is a part of life that we all have to help our children through, but it’s not as scary as you may think. Knowing the right information for helping your child through the process is key! If your child is ready for potty training, make sure to check out Carol Kline’s 3 Days to Potty Training Book!
