Toilet Training Tricks that Work

There is no magic method that will help every child learn to use the toilet, each child will need to work in his or her own time. There are toilet training tricks that can help the process along. Pick and choose which parts of a method work best to find the perfect blend for each child.

The Toilet Drills

A very popular toilet training trick is "the toilet drills", think sports drills not the power tool. This toilet training trick involves literally timing the child, taking them to the toilet to give them a chance to perform, and repeating all day as needed.

To break that down this is how an average day could go: Wake up go directly to the potty (Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200), put on big kid underwear with rubber underpants on top, set a kitchen timer with a loud alarm for 30 minutes, and have breakfast. This should be repeated every thirty minutes all day every day.

Every time the alarm sounds the parent should immediately take the child to the toilet, regardless of that they're doing, and give the child a chance to use the toilet. The parent should keep the rubber pants on the child at all times they are not on the toilet, until the child has a whole day without an accident.

To make this toilet training trick the most effective, when the child does use the toilet, the parent should act "over the top" excited about the child's accomplishment. If the child has an accident, the parent should simply change the soiled pants, clean up, and reset the timer.

The Naked Method

This toilet training trick takes advantage of the fact many small children have never urinated or had a bowel movement out side their diaper. Often times when a child is naked they aren't sure what to do when they feel like they need to use the bathroom; this can help children recognize the feeling associated with needing to use the bathroom. As a result many children will learn how to tell the parent that they need to "go potty" (or which ever words the family uses to describe that function).