If your child shows fear of the toilet, go slowly and gently into the endeavor of potty training. Many children are intimidated by the toilet, so start your child with a free-standing potty chair. Once he is comfortable with using the potty chair, have him migrate to using the toilet. As you proceed, strive to understand, to acknowledge and to appease your child's fears. Most children are ready to train between the ages of 18 to 24 months, but many remain in diapers until age 3. If your child is ready, he should know when his diaper is wet or soiled, show interest in the potty chair, act uncomfortable when wet or soiled, be able to pull her pants down and up again, and be able to follow basic instructions.
Step 1
Talk with your child about using the potty chair, and talk about her fears. Discuss specific fears, such as falling in and the noise of flushing. Reassure her that nobody is ever hurt by using the potty. Talk about how all big kids stop using diapers and start using the potty chair. Ask her if she knows any big kids or adults who still wear diapers. During one of these discussions, when the time is right, come to an agreement about a specific date when she will start using the potty chair.
Step 2
Start reducing your child's fears by creating positive experiences at least a couple of weeks before the first official day of potty chair use. Let your child keep you company while you are using the toilet. Make the experience enjoyable. Talk about things you can do while on the toilet, such as look at a book, hum, sing, talk or just think. Let your child flush the toilet after you are done. Make this process as enjoyable as possible.
Step 3
Help your child get used to the potty chair. Weeks before the first official day of potty chair use, place the potty chair in your child's main play area so he can get used to it. Announce that it is his chair. Allow him to sit on it with his clothes on, then have him sit on the chair without pants on so he can see what it feels like.
Step 4
Explore what the potty chair is for with your child. Have her drop stool from her diaper into the potty chair, and then, together, dump the stool into the toilet. Have your child flush the toilet, and celebrate the flush. Give high fives.
Step 5
Dress your child in easily removed pants on the day you actually start the "Potty Party Program," and assure him that the potty chair is available in whatever room he plays in throughout the day.
Step 6
Establish a potty schedule. Your child should sit on the potty chair after waking up, shortly after drinking something, about an hour after each meal, shortly before bedtime and at any other times she tended to urinate or to have bowel movements in the past.
Step 7
Monitor your child for cues that he needs to use the potty. Guide your child to the chair whenever he clutches himself, bounces up and down, crosses his legs or "gets that look" that shows he is eliminating or is about to eliminate.
Step 8
Have a "Potty Party" after every success. Reward your child with praise. Celebrate when you dump the waste into the toilet. After your child flushes the toilet, celebrate again.
Tips and Warnings
- Never express disappointment or frustration with your child when she has accidents. Do not use punishment. Focus exclusively on rewarding successes. If your child hasn't learned to use the potty chair by age 3, set up an appointment with her pediatrician to rule out any medical issues or other concerns that need attention.
Things You'll Need
- Stand-alone potty chair with removable bowl
