Advice for Toddler Potty Training
Potty training can be a very trying time for a child as well as the parent. It means the child is growing up and someday soon will not be a baby anymore. The key to successful potty training is patience, patience and more patience. When it is thought there is no more patience to give, there will be more patience required. The potty-training process will not be pretty from time to time, but the end result will mean no more dealing with soiled diapers. There is no magic age when the potty princess appears and declares the child worthy of potty training. The time will come when the time will seem right. Of course, mom or dad may have to gently help the time to be right. Kids learn and advance according to their own time line.
There are a lot of potties on the market, and the choice of potty is just preference more than anything. Parents may choose a brightly colored potty while others choose a typically colored potty chair. As long as the potty is functional, it does not matter what it looks like. Before potty training begins, place the potty in an area where the child is likely to see it. It will arouse their curiosity and they will most likely want to investigate it. They may even find it a cool place to sit once in a while. By the time potty training has arrived, the child is familiar with the potty chair.
Some kids will find potty training fascinating. They may not fully understand the concept, but they will instinctively know it something they should do. It may take a few tries to get it right, but they will be successful at it. Other kids may be a little reluctant to use the potty for its intended purpose even thought they have seen it before and perhaps even explored it. Do not force a child to use the potty but gently encourage the child to use it. They will soon see it is not a monster they have to escape from or something that will swallow them if they sit on it. Sitting the child on the potty at regular intervals will ease any fear they have and begin to establish a potty routine. A working potty schedule should be established and include using the potty when getting up in the morning, before bed and after meals.
It may take a few times before the child actually uses the potty for its intended purpose. When the child is successful with the potty, acknowledge the success with a pat on the back, a round of applause or a high or low five, depending on how tall the child is. Once they have had a few potty success events, ask the child from time to time if they have to go potty. They will start to associate using the potty rather than soiling diapers. If the child does not make it to the potty in time, do not punish the child. That will do nothing more than setting potty training and any goals achieved thus far back a few steps.
While the child is on the potty, do something with the child to hold their attention to prevent the child from getting up to soon. Reading a story or teaching the child a song are two excellent methods of keeping a child’s attention as is teaching the child a new skill such as blowing bubbles or applying removable tattoos. The goal is not to keep the child on the potty for hours but long enough for them to begin to learn what using a potty is all about. Once that is achieved, potty training will be a success.