Potty Training Your Child: What Works

I have a 3 year-old son, who would not use the potty for anything in the world. He was two when I started potty training him, and now he's fully potty trained at 3 years old. It was difficult, but we finally pulled through. If nothing seems to work, try these tips.

1. Place the child on a toilet (with a small potty seat attached) and turn a television to where the child can see it.
   


2. Place on the potty about one hour after eating. The child may have to go, but might not be aware enough to realize it.
   


3. If the child does not go to the bathroom on the toilet, tell them they did a good job sitting on the toilet.
   


4. Reward with a treat if the child goes. Make the event a happy time. Make them feel like a big boy or girl. Give a lot of praise and make them feel special when they do use the potty! Children mostly like to please their parents, so your praise and pleasure with them for going may help to train the child.
   


5. Collect a few children's books about potty training, and read them as the child is sitting on the potty.
   


6. As soon as the child wakes up, sit them on the toilet, because they may need to go. Do the same right before they are supposed to go to bed. This can help tell them when they need to go to the bathroom.

It has been my experience that children like to be read to, so the potty training books really help. Some of the books include favorite cartoon characters. They get drawn in when they see their idols using the potty. Children use their imaginations to be like them, and when they really want to be like the characters, they do what the cartoons do. The pictures might make it easier on you!

Boys sometimes take more time to potty train than girls, but not always. The biggest tip you can ever get is to be patient! Don't get angry, or it may cause some phobias about going to the bathroom. Patience is the key. Children need to be potty trained when they are ready, so don't force them to go on the toilet if they aren't ready. Not even to make it more convenient or less expensive.

Be aware, though, that if you have a fully potty trained child, and later you try and potty train another child, the older child may regress for a while. Don't panic! This is usually very normal!