Potty Training Tips
Potty training is a big event--both for you as a parent and for the little one--try out some of these potty training tips to make life a little easier.
First of all, before jumping gung-ho into potty training tips, make sure that your child is ready to start. There really is not a specific age that potty training should begin. Your child could be ready at two years old, or maybe two-and-a -half, or maybe not until three. The biggest of any potty training tips you should take to heart is : be patient.
Before beginning such a big step in your child’s life, you should take the time to consider a few musts. Children must be able to pull down their shorts or pants and pull them back up. They must be able to go for periods of time during the day where they stay dry for a minimum of two hours. They must be able to understand instructions and follow them.
Ask yourself if your child can tell you when he or she needs to pee or poop. Does he or she ever wake up dry after a nap, or has he or she shown any interest in underpants? If the answer is yes to most of these types of questions, then give it a try. If not, it’s best to wait a little bit longer. If you push potty training before your child is ready, no potty training tips, no matter how good, are going to work. Every child develops at his or her own pace.
The biggest things you as a parent must remember is to go about potty training with a positive attitude, a sense of humor, and don’t push.
Get the potty chair and get it set up in the bathroom. Arrange it so that you can quickly set your child on the potty seat and his or her feet are either resting flat on the floor or on a stool if the chair is too high.
Talk to your child about the bathroom using normal everyday language. Let him or her see you or other members of the family using the toilet.
Start to take little potty breaks during the day. Make going to the bathroom a big event. Praise him or her for sitting on the seat. Tell him or her what a big kid they are becoming and how proud you are. Try having them sit quietly for a few minutes by playing with a toy or by listening to your read a book.
Stay in the room with your child at all times. Give him or her big praise when the mission is accomplished and also when it is not.
Be prepared at any moment to rush your child to the potty should he or she indicate in any way he or she has to go, whether by telling you or by body movements that might indicate the need to go, like squatting or touching the genital area or even by a squirmy look of discomfort.
When your child goes, be lavish with praise. Consider rewards like starting a chart and giving out bright red stickers or stars.
Don’t expect immediate success and don’t expect your child to be able to go through the night for many months. It is in the usual range if your toddler can manage to control their bladder during the daytime in three to six months. Nights will take much longer.
Don’t get angry, yell, or discipline your child over mistakes. There will be mistakes, sometimes many, many mistakes over what you may think is too long a period of time. Be patient. Be positive. If you child has no interest in learning or makes no progress, stop. Try it again in another few months.