Different Techniques for Potty Training

As a child nears age 2, many parents begin to wonder and worry about the task of toilet training. Through history, potty-training techniques have run the gamut from early, parent-initiated training, to a more relaxed, child-led training. The Canadian Paediatric Society states that most children begin using the toilet between the ages of 2 and 4. Some parents train their infants to use the potty. There are several techniques for potty training your child.

Child-Oriented Potty Training

The potty training method recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians is to wait until the child is ready, and to gently encourage him to begin using the toilet. Some indications that the child may be ready to potty train include showing interest in the potty, wanting to wear big-kid underwear, being able to tell or show you when he has soiled his diaper, the ability to pull his pants down and back up again, and the desire to imitate you. The AAFP suggests letting the child get comfortable with the potty seat while he is fully dressed first. Once he seems adjusted, let him sit on it bare-bottomed. If he successfully uses the potty, praise him; if not, try again another day. Be sure to keep your interactions concerning the potty positive, and your child should catch on eventually.

Elimination Communication

Elimination Communication, or EC, is a way to learn your baby's cues so that you can help her to eliminate in a potty or other receptacle, rather than in a diaper. Depending on the baby's age, some signs that she needs to use the potty include squirming, suddenly pausing, fussing and, as time goes on, gesturing toward the potty that you are using or holding her genitals. Diaper Free Baby suggests putting your baby in a cloth diaper without a liner and spending a day or so concentrating on reading your baby's cues. Once you have determined how she indicates that she is going to urinate or have a bowel movement, hold her in a squatting position over the receptacle that you have chosen, and make a "pssssss" sound. This sound will eventually be her cue to eliminate. Try to remain stress-free, and treat accidents matter-of-factly by changing her clothing and continuing to try to read her cues.

Potty Training Booty Camp

Nathan H. Azrin's book "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day," teaches parents how to potty train their toddlers quickly. Wendy Sweeney, a nurse in the Chicago area, holds "Booty Camp," a day-long workshop for toddlers and their parents to learn about all things potty-related. She begins by telling the children that if they eliminate in their pants, they have the responsibility to clean it. Then she provides a potty for them to use, and tells them that if they need to go to the bathroom, they must do it in the potty. She feels that asking children whether they need to go is counterproductive to handing bathroom-responsibility to the child. If the child is given salty foods and sugar-filled drinks, he will become thirsty and drink more, which leads the inevitable need to urinate. Sweeney says that if you keep the atmosphere positive and offer lots of praise, the child will feel confident and will want to be responsible for his own toileting needs.