The idea of potty training scares most parents.  Most children will be ready to begin potty training right aroud the time they are suffering from the infamous “terrible twos”.  Many of us parents can’t imagine how it is possible to successfully potty train a little person who is already off the wall rambunctious.  Apparently it is possible, countless toddlers are successfully potty trained everyday, and both parent and child live to tell about it.

Knowing the basics of potty training and being prepared for what might be thrown your way will help make the process both smooth and painless for both you and your toddler.

Is Your Child Ready?

Knowing when you child is ready will be the most important factor in determining if potty training will be easy and successful or a long drawn out battle that ends with everyone in tears.  Look for these common signs that indicate your child may be ready to tackle potty training:

  • Shows signs of knowing when he/she has to go to the bathroom.
  • Can verbalize enough to communicate that he/she has to go.
  • Can sit quietly for several minutes at a time.
  • Communicates when he/she needs a diaper change.
  • Isn’t resistent to using the toilet or potty.
  • Has dry periods of at least 3-4 hours.
  • Has regular, well-formed bowel movements.
  • Can follow simple instructions.

Make Sure You Have All The Right Equipment:

Successful potty training requires the right equipment.  The grown-up toilet may seem a bit daunting to your child at first.  Invest in a good child-size potty or a special adaptor seat for your regular toilet.  The convenient thing about the child-size potty is that they can get on and off on their own.  Consider taking your child with you to help pick out the potty they want (it will help them feel part of the process).

Helping Your Child Grasp the Basics:

Potty training will only be successful if your child understands what is expected of him/her and he/she knows what to do.  Take a lot of time before you begin the actual potty training to teach your child the basics.  You can do this by reading books about potty training with your child (there are several great ones out there), demonstrating the basics of using the potty while your child is fully clothed (you can try having them sit on the potty with their clothes on every time you go to the bathroom and talk to them about what you are doing), and let them try it out “for fun” before you get down to business by letting them sit on the potty naked before bath time or before you get dressed in the morning.  Your child is more likely to catch on to the potty training if they understand a little bit about it before hand.

Don’t Get Discouraged by Setbacks:

Accidents are inevitable.  Even a completely potty trained child may have a setback every now and then.  Don’t be discouraged and don’t get upset with your child.  Explain to them that accidents happen and re-explain the basics of using the potty again.  Potty training doesn’t happen over night (for most children) so it will take some time.  Being prepared for that and handling setbacks with ease and grace will help make the transition a smooth one for your child.

Get Excited and Use Rewards:

Children love to be rewarded for doing “good”, it is part of human nature.  How you reward them is up to you and up to what works best for your child.  Making sure your child knows you are happy with them for learning to be a big boy or girl will encourage them to keep at the potty training.  Don’t be afraid be make a fool of yourself by singing their praises and jumping up and down for joy!

Most children will begin showing signs of being ready for potty training around the age of 2 to 2.5.  Some, of course may be ready sooner and some later.  Starting too soon may result in a lot of setbacks and the process taking a long time.  Only you will know when your child is ready.

What tricks worked for your when you were potty training your child?  Do you have any suggestions for those of us about to embark on this process in the coming months.

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