Potty training, which typically takes place when a child is anywhere from 18 months to 2 1/2 years old, according to the pediatricians at KeepKidsHealthy.com, can be a frustrating process. When parents face resistance, difficulties or setbacks during potty training, they may wonder whether they're doing something wrong or even whether something is wrong with their child. However, most of the potty-training problems parents experience are common and a normal part of the potty-training process.
A Child Isn't Ready
The most fundamental potty-training problem is that a child isn't physically, intellectually or emotionally ready. As BabyCenter.com points out, children are often afraid of the toilet, and they're comforted by the familiar, including diapers. KeepKidsHealthy.com explains that if you can't tell from your child's face, posture or words that he needs the potty, if he doesn't stay dry for at least two hours or if his bowel movements are not regular, he may not be physically ready. If your child can't follow potty-related directions, isn't cooperative around the potty, doesn't get uncomfortable in dirty diapers or doesn't attempt to communicate the need to go, he may not be intellectually or emotionally ready for training.
A Child Only Urinates on the Potty
It's not unusual for a child to learn to use the potty for urination only at first. Your child may be afraid of making a mess with a bowel movement or may experience constipation-related discomfort that discourages use of the potty for defecation. Also, as Parents magazine discusses, some children believe their bowel movements are a part of them and don't like seeing them flushed away. KeepKidsHealthy.com also points out that bowel control is more difficult than bladder control for many children.
A Child Only Uses the Potty in One Place
A child may be fully potty trained at home or at daycare/school but not use the potty consistently elsewhere. Children are likely to be more comfortable at home, surrounded by the familiar. Similarly, as Parents magazine states, they may only be comfortable using the potty with one particular person. On the other hand, KeepKidsHealthy.com points out that, for some children, scheduled bathroom breaks and the presence of other children using the potty at daycare or school can facilitate potty training there.
A Child Has Accidents
Accidents and even some regression are an entirely normal part of the potty-training process and not cause for concern or discipline. Parents magazine explains that negative reactions to these problems will probably draw out the time it takes to potty train. The process, which includes recognizing the need to go; holding it long enough to get to the potty, to undress and to sit down; and then realizing when the bladder or bowels are empty, getting off the potty and getting dressed again, is a complicated one for children. It generally takes from three to six months, according to KeepKidsHealthy.com, so parents can expect accidents along the way.
