Potty training is about building new habits, and that isn't always easy. In fact, potty training probably represents the first time your toddler has had to make a significant lifestyle change. Diapers allow your child to eliminate anywhere and at any time. Using the potty requires him to plan ahead and decide how long he can keep playing and still make it to the potty in time. Potty training is a major intellectual and physical step.
Signs of Readiness
Step 1
Look for physical readiness signs. He should be able to walk by himself and keep his diaper dry for two or three hours at a time. This shows you that his bladder and bowel muscles are developed enough to hold urine and feces.
Step 2
Watch for mental readiness signs. She should be able to use words clearly. You can teach simple words for urination and bowel movements during diaper changes by telling your child in a matter-of-fact way, "There's poo in your diaper" or "You peed in your diaper."
Step 3
Look for emotional readiness signs. He will be interested in imitating adult activities. He might enjoy playing with a mixing bowl and spoon while you make dinner or imitating other activities. During this stage, your toddler will show an interest in watching what you do in the bathroom. Allow him to join you, and narrate each step in the toileting process. When your child shows discomfort when his diaper is wet or dirty, he is ready to begin potty training.
Teach Toileting Skills
Step 1
Show your toddler how to sit on the potty seat. Some children are most comfortable doing this fully clothed or putting a doll or teddy bear on the potty first. Others are ready to strip off their clothes and sit on the potty the first time you introduce it.
Step 2
Ask him to urinate while he is sitting on the potty seat. Remember to praise his efforts.
Step 3
Allow your child to play without her diaper after she has emptied her bladder. Every 20 or 30 minutes, cheerfully announce, "It's potty time!" and escort her to the potty seat.
Step 4
Stay calm if your child has an accident while he is out of his diaper. Escort him to the potty seat, and remind him that this is where he should urinate or make a bowel movement. Clean up the mess, and resume playing.
Step 5
Put your child in cloth training pants after a few hours. These will prevent full-scale accidents but will feel uncomfortable when wet. You want your child to associate that discomfort with toileting away from the potty seat. You can use trainers during the day, but do not use them for naptime or overnight.
Graduate To Big Kid Underwear
Step 1
Take your child to a department store to pick out his own big kid underwear when he keeps his trainers dry reliably.
Step 2
Remind your child that big kid underwear will not catch accidents, so she must get to the potty before she urinates or has a bowel movement.
Step 3
Have your child continue to wear training pants when you go out, if you are afraid you cannot get him to a bathroom immediately.
Tips and Warnings
- Be patient. Potty training is an ongoing process that can take several months from the first signs of readiness until your child is fully potty trained. Do not be alarmed if your child seems to regress at some point during potty training. Many toddlers do very well at potty training at first, then regress when the novelty wears off. This is normal, but resist the temptation to put your child back in diapers. He is testing your commitment to this new expectation you have placed on him.
- Do not punish your child for accidents. Instead, involve her in the task of cleaning up the mess, changing her clothes, and perhaps washing the toys she was playing with. Explain how she would have been back to playing much quicker if she had made it to the potty in time.
Things You'll Need
- Toddler potty seat
- Cloth training pants
