Different children show signs of readiness to learn toilet training at different ages, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Some children are ready at 18 months while others aren't ready until they're approximately 30 months old. Watch your toddler for the signs she's becoming ready to learn how to use her potty chair and grow out of diapers so you can teach her this important step.
Readiness Signs
Look for signs such as your child's bowel movements becoming predictable, staying dry for at least two hours during the day or after waking from his nap and becoming uncomfortable with having a dirty diaper and asking to be changed.
When your child is ready for potty training, he'll be able to follow simple directions, undress himself, ask to use the potty and to wear big-kid underwear. You can also tell when he's about to have a bowel movement or urinate because of the signals he displays, such as grunting, pausing in his play or getting a red face.
Prepare Your Child
You can help prepare your toddler for potty training. Instead of making it a surprise, start slowly introducing the idea of using a potty chair by taking your child to the bathroom with you. According to ivillage.com, it's easier for the child to get the idea of using the bathroom if the same-gender parent or siblings go to the bathroom at the same time.
Start introducing your child to the concept of what it feels like to be wet, how it feels to wet her diaper and how she feels when she's about to wet her diaper. When you notice her pausing as she's playing, comment on the moment by saying, "You're having a BM" or "You're about to wet". This way, according to ivillage.com, you're teaching her to associate the physical feelings with what actually happens.
Develop a Training Routine
Start getting your toddler used to a toileting routine by having him sit on his potty chair fully clothed after he eats breakfast, when he gets up from his nap or before he gets in the bathtub, according to babycenter.com. It's better to have a portable potty chair handy so you can help him stick to his routine even if you're not near a bathroom.
Progress your child to sitting on his potty without his pants or diaper on once he's gotten used to the idea of sitting on it clothed. Remind him that this is how his brothers, sisters, you and his daddy use their toilet when they need to go. If this idea scares him, don't force the issue. Wait for two weeks, then try again.
Have Necessary Equipment
Before it's time to start training your toddler, be sure you've bought a potty chair. A potty low to the ground enables her to keep her feet on the ground. This makes it easier for her to sit on when she needs to go quickly and she'll be more comfortable with her feet on the floor rather than seated high up on the adult toilet, where her feet will dangle over the edge. Prepare a stash of small toys and books she can distract herself with while she's sitting on her potty chair.
Buy Training Pants
Training pants can be a good incentive to use once your toddler has begun to experience some success with his potty chair, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Remind him that it's a sign he's becoming a big boy, but watch for the inevitable accidents. They will happen.
