After months and months of dirty diapers, most parents are looking forward to potty training their toddlers. Parents can get frustrated when they feel their child is old enough to potty train, but the skill isn't sticking. According to MayoClinic.com, successful potty training depends on the toddler's emotional and physical capabilities, not her age. Most toddlers begin to potty train at age 2, notes the staff of the Mayo Clinic, but some healthy toddlers wait another six months or longer.
Physical Readiness
Before potty training, your child should be able to pull his pants and underwear up and down, notes MayoClinic.com. He should be able to stay dry for two or more hours during the day, know when he has to use the restroom and be able to hold it a few minutes, and feel uncomfortable in wet diapers or training pants.
Your toddler should be able to communicate using simple questions, understand and follow simple directions and have a vocabulary for different body parts and toilet activities, suggest the Mayo Clinic staff.
Be Consistent
If your child has multiple caregivers, such as day-care workers, baby-sitters, grandparents, and separate parent homes, make sure everyone uses the same toilet training technique, suggests MayoClinic.com. Try to communicate in person with each of your child's caregivers. Outline the routine your child uses during potty time, including vocabulary you use for body parts and bathroom activities, incentives for successful potty trips and how you deal with mistakes. Write down information for caregivers who look after multiple children, such as day-care workers, so they can easily reference information on your toddler.
Kid-Friendly Clothing
Avoid snap buttons, zippers and tight bottoms, which toddlers can have difficulty removing. Baby Center suggests using dresses for girls so they can quickly remove their underwear. Also, use elastic waistbands and loose shorts that are easy for your toddler's small hands to pull up and down.
Track Success
Show your child a visual of her potty success with a chart. Choose a theme, such as a racetrack or princess tower. Each time your child successfully uses the toilet, give her a sticker to place on her chart, suggests Baby Center. Once the stickers reach a certain point, like the end of the racetrack or top of the princess tower, she can purchase a new toy or invite a friend over to play.
You can tier her rewards so she earns more for difficult actions, suggests Parents magazine. Try giving one sticker for pee, two for poop and three for successfully wiping herself.
Flushing Fun
Simple actions can be big rewards to your child. Instill good flushing habits by treating this act as a fun activity that he only gets to do when he uses the potty, suggests Parents magazine. Say, "Because you made it to the potty, you get to flush this time!" Use voice inflection and word choice to make flushing seem like a fun thing your toddler will want to do. If he asks to flush the toilet other times, remind him that he only gets to flush when he successfully uses the potty.
Boy Games
For little boys, learning to stand and aim at the toilet can be difficult. Parents magazine suggests dropping a few pieces of cereal such as Cheerios or Froot Loops into the toilet bowl. Tell your son to aim at the cereal pieces as he pees and reward him for each bull's-eye.
You can also put a few drops of blue food coloring in the toilet water, so your toddler can watch how it changes color when he aims correctly. Dr. William Sears, a leading pediatrician, and his wife, Martha, a registered nurse, of Ask Dr. Sears, recommend using games to raise interest in potty training among little boys. Use floating targets or pieces of toilet paper and encourage your child to try to sink them as he aims. During outside playtime, let your toddler write in snow or dirt and play criss-cross streams with his dad or an older brother.
Schedule Potty Time
Throughout the day, schedule a bathroom break for your child, even if she says she doesn't have to go. Encourage her to just sit on the toilet for a few minutes and try, suggests Mayo Clinic staff. Make potty breaks a special time by reading a potty-oriented storybook while your child sits. Or keep a specific toy next to the toilet that she can only play with during a potty break. Stay with your child and give positive encouragement just for trying.
Sit Backward
Little boys can have trouble learning to sit on the toilet at first, and some training toilets are difficult for boys to use. Try lifting him onto the regular toilet seat backwards, so he can hold onto the toilet tank, recommends Parents magazine. He will naturally aim into the toilet, with no spray on the floor. He can also have a bowel movement in this position. Place toys on the back of the tank and provide a step stool so your child can access the toilet on his own. As he develops physically, he can turn around on the potty.
Go Bare
Diapers prevent children from feeling the discomfort of bathroom accidents and having to deal with the mess, according to Ask Dr. Sears. Cover floors and furniture with painter's plastic and allow your toddler to play without diapers or underwear. Let her go completely bare. The first time she has an accident she will definitely make a mess, but she will also realize what happens when she has to pee. This helps her quickly recognize when she has to use the toilet and take action, so she doesn't make a mess.
