Potty training is a big step in the development of your child, and while you may be excited for them to move out of diapers it probably won’t happen overnight. There is no one correct method when it comes to potty training because what works for one child may not work at all for another child. Here are a few potty training tips to help get you started.
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Make Sure that Your Toddler is Ready
Make sure that your toddler is ready for potty training. No matter how many parenting magazines say that you should start potty training at a certain age, keep in mind that they don’t know your child. Is your child showing interest in going to the potty? Do they follow you into the bathroom and ask questions when you go into the bathroom? Do they tell you when they are wet or messy? Do they have a special spot they go to and “hide” when they poop? All of those can be signs of potty training readiness, and those signs occur in every child at different times.
Involve your Toddler
If your toddler is showing signs of potty training readiness then let them be a part of the process. Let them help pick out a training potty, or let them choose their own big girl or big boy underwear. Make it exciting and include them and they will want to wear that new underwear and use the potty.
Take a look at our post on encourage independence in toddlers next for more educational activities.
Don’t Ask if They Want to Go Potty
Once you have determined that your toddler is ready to begin potty training and you start the process, don’t ask them if they would like to go to the potty. Likewise, don’t ask them if they need to go to the potty. Instead, tell them “Okay, now it’s time to go to the potty”, and make sure that you take them to sit on the potty once every hour to two hours regularly during the daytime.
Don’t Use Nappies at Night
It can be convenient to put your toddler in a diaper at night, but it can also be very confusing to your toddler. Controlling their bladder through the night is one of the last potty training skills your child will learn so don’t get frustrated that they still wet at night. They will need nighttime wetting protection at night, but you will be better served to use overnight disposable training pants and not nappies.
Don’t Offer a Nappy for Poop
Many toddlers are scared to poop in the potty, and many parents will get frustrated and offer a diaper for pooping so that their child will just go and not get constipated. In the long run, though, you are just making things more difficult for yourself. If they know that they can just not poop in the toilet and that eventually, you will give them a nappy to use, then they have no reason to try going in the potty.
Remember that potty training is not going to happen overnight in most cases. Use the tips listed here to help you along the way. Potty prizes such as stickers, candy, and small toys as a reward for using the potty can also go a long way in helping with potty training success
Don’t Get Frustrated
It doesn’t matter how many mum’s you see on social media claiming that their toddler was potty trained in X number of days, potty training is a process and it takes as long as it takes. Don’t get frustrated with your toddler or yourself. They will get the hang of it, and you will both be much happier for it.
There are lots of “experts” and other mums who may try to tell you that you are going about potty training all wrong. The truth is, you need to find what works best for you and your child and just go with it. Who cares if someone else goes about it differently? Use these tips to get you started, but in the end, just do what works for you and your little one.
Is your toddler ready to move on from sippy cups to drinking bottle? Check out our post on best toddler drink bottle next. Are you expecting a new baby? Know how to prepare toddlers for the second baby here.
