How to Potty Train Your Child

At some point in your child’s early years, he or she will need to be potty trained. Toilet training a child can be an intimidating undertaking, especially if the parents are not prepared for what it will entail. Knowing what to expect during potty training, and how to handle it, will make this stage of your child’s life pass quickly and more easily.

Is Your Child Ready?

Potty training will be much easier on child and parent alike if the child is already developmentally ready for the challenge. There are several ways your child may let you know when he or she is ready, so pay close attention.

Your child’s diaper is often dry when you check it. If your child is showing signs of holding it for a period before relieving their bladder, it means they are developing control of the muscles.

Your child lets you know when his or her diaper needs changed. Alerting you to a wet or messy diaper also shows the beginnings of awareness of how their body functions.

Your child tells you his or her diaper needs changed – before it actually does. If your child alerts you of the need for a clean diaper before they wet or soil it, they have learned to recognize the bodily sensations of having to go.

Your child shows interest in using the toilet. When a child begins asking questions about using the toilet “like the big people do,” it is usually a dead giveaway that he or she is ready to be potty trained. This curiosity may come sooner in a child with older siblings or friends who are potty trained, or in a child that has any other motivation for acting grown up.

Reward and Punishment: What Not to Do

There are many fallacies that parents and caregivers may succumb to when potty training a child. Knowing what not to do may avoid certain problems along the road to successful toilet training.

Dangerous Rewards