The ABC’s of Potty Training

Assess Your Child’s Readiness Skills

•Most people being training when their child is about 2 ½

•Some children, however, may not be ready into well into their fourth year.

•Watch for the right signs…imitating others’ bathroom habits

•Don’t pressure your child to start before they are ready!

Buy the Right Equipment

•Invest in a child-sized potty or special seat that attaches to your regular toilet

•Make sure your child can stabilize himself with their feet so they can push when they are having a bowl movement.

•You may want to pick up an explanatory picture book or video for your child to help them get interested.

Create a Routine•Set your child fully clothed on the potty once a day

•After breakfast, before a bath, or whenever they are likely to make a bowl movement.

•This allows them to get used to the potty and accept it as part of their routine.

•If they don’t want to sit on it, that’s okay

•Never restrain them or physically force them to sit there

•Don’t push the issue if they seem scared

Ditch the Diaper•Set your child on the potty seat…diaper-less

•Let them get used to what it feels like this way

•Begin to explain that this is what Mommy and Daddy (and older siblings) do every day

•Undress, sit down, go to the bathroom, wipe and redress

•If they get the idea and produces something…that’s fine!

•Again, don’t push it!•Wait until they are ready and demonstrate a clear interest in using the toilet on their own.

Explain the Process•Show your child where their bowel movements go

•The next time they go in their diaper, take them to their potty, sit them down, and empty the diaper beneath them into the bowl

•This will help them make the connection between sitting and producing

•After you’ve emptied the diaper into the potty, let the child flush if they want to…don’t force them if they are scared

•Teach them to re-dress and wash their hands.

Foster Independence•Encourage your child to use their potty whenever they feels the urge to go

•Make sure they know that they can tell you and that you'll take them to the bathroom whenever they want you to.

•If you can, let them run around sometimes without a diaper (or any clothing below the waist), with the potty nearby.

•Tell them they can use it whenever they want to and remind them occasionally that it's there if they need it.

Grab Some Training Pants

•Once training is underway, you can consider adding training pants (extra-thick cloth or disposable ones) to your routine.

•Many parents say the cloth ones work better because your child can really feel it when he pees or poops in them.

•What do you think?

Handle Setbacks Gracefully

•Virtually every child will have several accidents before being completely trained during the day and at night.

•Don't get angry or punish your child; after all, it's only recently that their muscles have developed sufficiently to allow them to hold their bladder and rectum closed at all.

•Mastering the process will take time. When they have an accident, calmly clean it up and explain what happened and what they can do next time to avoid it.

Introduce Night Training•Even when your child is consistently clean and dry all day, it may take them several more months or years to master night training

•So don't throw away those diapers just yet (if they refuse to wear diapers, put a plastic sheet under the cloth ones to minimize your cleanup after accidents).

•At this age, their body is still too immature to reliably wake them up in the middle of the night just to go to the bathroom.

Introduce Night Training 2•You can help cut down on wet nights by…

•Not letting them drink too much before bedtime

•Telling them that if they do wake up in the middle of the night they can call to you to help them get to the potty

• You can also try leaving his potty near the bed in case he wants to use it

Jump For Joy - -

You’re Done!

•Believe it or not, when your child is ready to learn this new grownup skill, they will

•And if you wait until they’re really ready to start, the process shouldn't be too painful for either of you

•They will eventually be trained, and you won't have to think about it again — at least, not until the next baby!