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Tips for Toilet Training

By: Dr. Noel Swanson.

Often, parents are seen to be anxious about toilet training. Some of them see it as some sort of competition as though toilet training proves the intelligence of their child or how good they are as parents. It’s all nonsense of course! On the contrary, if you try to potty train your child before he or she is ready, you will be frustrated and you will traumatize the child unnecessarily.

There is a time for everything in nature. The less you tamper with it the better it is for you and your child. Your child will be ready for it one day and then the whole process will be more natural, much easier, and less stressful. Don’t compare your child with the neighbor’s child. It proves nothing.

Every child is different, and that’s the beauty. Learn to cherish it. Most toddlers are not genuinely toilet trained before the age of two or three years though there are exceptions that may be toilet trained at 20 months. Moreover, as a rule, boys take longer to be potty trained than girls. Almost all children are toilet trained by the age of 4, though bedwetting continues till the age of 5 in about 10% kids. There is no need to be in haste. If you do that, you might have to face problems, such as soiling, that can last much longer.

Nevertheless, you have to make an effort to prepare your child for the great Potty Training Experience. Here are some tips to know when he or she is ready to start and how to go about it.

1. Before you start with potty training, it is important for your child to be familiar with the body parts, their functions, and the names you use as a family. Every family has its own names. So, it really doesn't matter what names you give as long as everyone knows what they mean.

2. Allow her to witness you or other family member (preferably same sex) using the toilet. No it won't traumatize her - unless you make a big thing of it. Just be natural and she will consider it natural as well. Talk about it as a grown-up thing to do - that one day, when she is ready, she too will be able to use a potty and then the big peoples toilet. This instills a sense of anticipation and desire as all toddlers want to do the things that grown-ups do. Letting her flush the toilet also gets her used to the whole process.

3. As the time approaches for starting the toilet training, get the potty out and leave it in a visible place. Make sure she knows what it is, and what it is for but, again, talk in terms of "one day you will be able to use this".

How to know when your child is ready for toilet training? Watch out for the following signs:

1. In order to help your child tell you when he is wet or dirty, you can point at the potty immediately after he urinated or had a bowel movement. And, in order to reinforce the idea of cleanliness and dryness, make sure you change the diaper as soon as possible, regardless of whether you spot it, or he tells you. Also, praise your child profusely when he comes and tells you that he needs a diaper change.

2. Can she physically manage the potty? That is, can she pull off her own diaper (the elasticated pull-ons are great for this), can she sit on the potty without falling off? Can she walk/run quickly to the bathroom? At the beginning children don't get a lot of warning so problems with getting to the bathroom and getting clothes off may lead to more accidents and more frustration. Maybe better to wait another month or two.

3. Your child will take some time to follow directions and instructions. He will have to be taught how to take a piece of tissue and throw it into the toilet. Do that first.

4. Are there signs of developing bowel and bladder control? For example, are the bowel motions settling into a clear pattern such as twice a day after meals? Are stools firm and well formed? Is she able to stay dry for several hours at a time? If not, she may not be able to contain herself long enough to get to the bathroom. On the other hand, also make sure that she is not straining or experiencing pain on passing a motion as that can lead to deliberate witholding and a whole host of problems that can become very intractable and long term. She may need a change of diet to make the stool softer and easier to pass.

5. As part of the preparation for toilet training, remove all negative notions about potty from your child’s mind. Some children have fears about flushing water or falling into the potty. You need to address these first. Your child should be looking forward to the day he can use a toilet like a grown up.

These are the signs to look for in order to start toilet training. Be positive. And reward your child for success but don’t punish for failures.

Bon Voyage!

Article Source: http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-articles

Dr. Noel Swanson offers free expert parenting tips and advice on his website - you will also find a free chapter to his highly acclaimed book, the GOOD CHILD Guide. You can also meet with other parents on a parenting forum.
You can get a unique content version of this article.

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