Is my toddler ready for potty training? Readiness is not something that just happens; there are a set of concepts/skills that can be presented to your child to promote readiness. For the most part, almost all children can be made ready for potty training by 3 years, many by 2 ½ years, and some even earlier. The most important part is not to give into social pressure and to pay attention to your child’s cues as you make them ready for toilet training.
Keep in mind that bladder control during the DAY
is achieved first, and several months to even years later, bladder control
during the NIGHT is achieved.
Follow these tips to prepare your toddler for successful
potty training. Start doing this at 18-months-old, maybe earlier, and continue until
potty training is achieved.
-Introduce the words pee, potty, poop to your child’s
vocabulary.
-Explain to your child that pee and poop are
normal and that everybody pees and poop’s.
-When
your child poops in the diaper, drop the poop in toilet/potty say poop and pee
goes here.
-Don’t say that pee or poop are yucky.
-Change your child often so he/she would prefer
to be clean and dry.
-Take your child with you to the potty, have him/her
observe you or an older sibling who is potty trained.
-Initially motivate your child to sit in their
potty even with his/her clothes on, just to transmit a sense of familiarity with the potty.
-Put your child’s potty facing yours in the
bathroom and have your child sit every time you go.
-Start reading toilet training books and buy
underwear.
When you are starting the process of toilet
training avoid interruptions, keep the potty close to the room that your child spends
more time in. Offer to sit in potty every 2hrs, NEVER force to sit in
potty. Commit the weekend for this purpose. Keep the process fun and praise for
successful attempts. Do not punish for accidents. Do not go back to
diapers, keep underwear during the day and diapers only for sleeping.