Toilet training is a huge step for toddlers and marks a significant milestone in their independence. Many parents are anxious to herd their children into the potty portion of their lives due to money or convenience, but children may resist if pushed too hard into a potty-training program. Some simple ideas for toilet training can help make the learning process easier and go more smoothly for both you and your child.
Determine Readiness
The first and possibly most important step in toilet training is determining if your child is ready for this big step in his life. Most girls are fully potty trained by 2 1/2, while boys develop a bit slower and are ready to use the potty by age 3, according to Ohio State University. But those numbers aren't set in stone. If your child doesn't seem interested, wait until he is. He also needs to be physically ready, which means he must be able to communicate his need to go to the bathroom, follow simple instructions and stay dry for longer periods of time. Most kids eventually will have a desire to get rid of their diapers and go in the potty like the big kids do.
Teach About the Potty
Children are naturally inquisitive and love learning about new things, so help educate them about what the potty is all about. A large---to them---piece of equipment like the toilet that makes funny noises can seem intimidating at first, so help them become comfortable with the toilet by helping them flush it. If you're comfortable with it, you may even let your child watch as you use the toilet. Children love to mimic and imitate, so showing them how to use the potty may just be the motivation they need to try it themselves. If you feel embarrassed, just remember that they're young enough that they'll be highly unlikely to remember it when they're older.
Read Potty Books
Turn story time into learning time when it comes to potty training. The children's book market is full of potty-training stories that can help your child learn what going potty is all about, how it's done and even that it's a cool thing for kids to do. Stories help children understand and relate with complicated tasks that may seem foreign to them.
Notice Body Language
One of the keys to getting your child to go on the potty regularly is to recognize when she's urinating or having a bowel movement. A red, scrunched face, grunting or squatting are all common signs your child is going in her diaper, so take the opportunity right then and there to teach her about how it feels when you have to use the potty so next time she can let you know when it's time to go.
Buy Appropriate Apparel
A frustrating part about teaching potty training to kids is the false alarm. You get your toddler undressed, the diaper off, after which he proceeds to sit on the potty for 10 minutes with no results. That can get old after a while, so get your child out of those hard-to-take-off onesies and diaper straps, and buy some training diapers and pants he can pull on and off by himself. It will make your life easier and make him more likely to make it onto the potty in time.
