Potty Training Tips – Easy Ways To Potty Train Your Toddler
early start: That doesn’t mean your child should just sit on the potty right away! It simply means that he should present the idea early. At 14 months, he starts talking about going to the bathroom and reading books about going to the bathroom. I know some parents think they shouldn’t use the word “bathroom” and just refer to the word “toilet” because it might get confusing later. That is not true at all. By the time they’re 2 or 3 years old, believe me, they know the difference, so I wouldn’t worry about this when they’re younger. I think young children like the idea of having their own potty. Just make it special for them by talking about how great they are and the rest should fall into place.
No pull-ups required: Yes, the idea of them is great and can be convenient at times, but I think just wearing underwear is best. Pick times or during the weekend when you will do some serious potty training and just put on some fun underwear (like Diego or Dora). They will be so excited because they have their big boy underwear on! You want to make sure you tell them not to dirty their special underwear. In my opinion, pull-ups make it too comfortable for them to pee in them. You want it to be uncomfortable and if they pee in their underwear, it will be. You can always wear pull-ups when you’re out and about, but I think at home underwear or even nothing is better. At first, there isn’t much time between “mommy, pee-pee” and an accident.
awards: Oh yeah, make sure you have plenty of these. “I’ll give you a treat if you pee in the potty.” That will be your famous line. It can be anything from stickers to candy. Warning: if you use candy, good luck trying to give other prizes again! A rewarding technique ie you get 1 sticker if you pee and 2 stickers if you poop. Try to make it fun, or else they will feel forced and it will be much more difficult for them and for you. Make sure you move on, just like you would anything else. If they don’t go to the bathroom, they don’t get a prize.
The method: I think how you do potty training is all up to your child. For some, it will work to do a potty training camp, where you potty train for 3 days straight. During this time, they should only wear a diaper to sleep. When they’re awake, go diaper-free and get ready for lots of accidents! For others, simply being patient and letting your child let you know when they’re ready will work. Sometimes a little kid really wants to go potty and feel like a big kid, so that might be enough for him to do it. In the end, just relax: it’s not like your child is 10 years old (at least I hope so) and wears a diaper!
Outside the house: Make sure you are prepared! If you drive an SUV or Minivan, please bring a urinal with you. It can be very convenient and easier for you, instead of finding a bathroom. Keep an extra change of clothes in the car and constantly ask your child if they need to go to the bathroom. Look for signs like the infamous pee-pee dance. If an accident happens, try to relax because you don’t want your child to feel embarrassed about it.
Night: The most stressful part of potty training can be bedtime. You may think: how is it possible for your child to spend all night? Just leave this part out so you can worry about the last stage. Focus on the day and only have your child wear a diaper or diaper at night. When he’s finally ready for this stage, make sure there’s a potty chair near the bed. Have a new sheet and pajamas nearby, in case he wakes up after wetting the bed. If it doesn’t happen at first, it could also be that he’s just not ready to hold his urine at night. Be patient and eventually your child will be fully potty trained.
Kids: The best advice for a child is to make him sit down to urinate, when you first start potty training. Just make sure his pee-pee is pointing down! He has enough to think about and you don’t want to overwhelm him with too much information. As time goes on, you can introduce the idea of standing up to pee. The best thing he can do is let him see dad pee in the bathroom. What?! Yes, it makes perfect sense. We lead by example and now you can be like dad. It will work!
Girls: I’ve heard that girls are easier to potty train than boys. I’m not sure if that’s true, but maybe it has to do with the fact that mom usually does the potty training. One thing to pay attention to with girls is proper cleanliness. Yes, we all know “front to back”, but introduce it early on, before she wants to do it herself (she doesn’t want any infections).
If you follow the tips above and try not to stress yourself over potty training, it will just happen. Try to be consistent and remember that little kids are smart and at this age they want to feel like big kids. Make it special and before you know it, you’ll have a potty-trained toddler.