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When To Potty Train

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:12:45 +0000

One of the keys to successful potty training is to find out when to potty train. Get the cues from your child and your chances of him or her getting a hang of the “potty thing” quickly are much higher.

When to Potty Train Your Child

It can be hard to figure out when it is the right time to potty train your child. It is really a decision that can only be made by the child. Today’s parents just don’t seem to want to take the time to wait for their child to be ready to potty train and instead force them into doing it early. This is a real problem that can cause all sorts of problems for the child if he or she isn’t ready to begin the process.

Most children are ready to begin potty training when they are between the ages of 18 and 24 months. You will know when they are ready because the signs will be there. These are the signs to look for:

* Expresses an interest in using the toilet
* Tries to imitate other family members using the potty
* Is able to tell you that they need to go potty or telling you they went already
* Is able to pull their pants up and down by himself
* Expresses irritation when diapers are wet and stays dry for about two hours at a time
* Expresses an interest in big kid underwear
When your child shows that they are ready for potty training, it’s time for you to begin introducing him or her to the potty. You need to choose a comfortable potty chair that will make potty training fun for your child and is also easy for you to clean. If you are not sure which chairs your child will like, bring him with you when you choose it.

You can introduce the idea of potty training by reading a potty training bedtime story at night or by watching a potty training DVD together. You can also teach your child the steps to going potty on your own which include:

* Taking underwear off
* Sitting down
* Actually going to the bathroom
* Wiping themselves
* Flushing
* Washing your hands afterwards

Quick tips:

Give your child a bit more liquids so that you can increase potty training chances. This will help your child to build muscle memory and help your child potty train quickly.

Take your child to the potty every thirty minutes and on time. Have your child sit for a couple of minutes and read a book together while he’s still on the potty.

Turn on the faucet or place your child’s feet in warm water to encourage urination. Don’t you remember that sleep over trick that you pulled on your friends? It will work on baby too!

Additional Resources:

The Potty Trainer
I can highly recommend the Potty Trainer Ebook. Johanne Cesar has done such a great job in putting a tremendous amount of hands on potty training information and advice in this ebook. You will get a step by step guide to potty training your child.

Tip For Child Potty Training

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:08:14 +0000

The best tip for child potty training is to make sure your child is ready to cooperate with you when it comes to potty training. Your job will be a lot easier, if your child is as ready as you are to potty train.

If your child has started potty training and is not taking the chance to go on the offensive about it on his/her own, you are going to have to help him to ease into it. there are some things that you can do, so here are some ideas to consider to help him make progress towards getting the process started:. You can start by asking yourself these questions:

* Am I the one who is reminding him/her to go potty or is he/she reminding me? Remember, that the ultimate goal is to have the child be responsible for doing all the work such as going to the toilet, going potty and then finishing the process.

* Are his/her pants big enough to make the training process a simple one or does he need my help to pull pants off? If the child needs your help, you must try loose-fitting pants.

* Have I confused him/her by being inconsistent with the rules?
basically if you have to help your child pull down his pants and at other times make him do it this could be a problem.

* Are you changing the order of things he should do and confusing the child? You have to be consistent with the steps of the process so there’s not confusion.

* Do you need to offer better rewards all of the time to reignite interest? If this sounds like you then it is possible that you need to change the rewards. For example, instead of treats, would your child like a chart that he/she can put stickers on to see how many times he goes to the bathroom?

* Maybe he would be motivated by getting a special treat if he is dry all day or all week just to keep the reward system fresh. Sometimes we stop giving rewards and the child loses their early motivation.

* If he is forgetting to run to the toilet, get the child to practice.
The way I like to do practices is a lot like sports in that if they look like they need to go potty or they have wet or pooped in their pants, take hold of him and help them run to the toilet.

If they already had an accident, clean up and get them cleaned up as quickly as possible.

A practice is where you take the child to the place where he/she had the accident and then offer some support and not a criticism to the child and ask them to show you how to use the potty.

Next you will help them run quickly to the toilet, pull their pants down and get on the toilet. Then you have to remember to congratulate them. The key to this is for you to make it fun so they are encouraged that they can actually do it. Sometimes, it may seem like a punishment to the child. If this is the case, then it should only occur once or twice. You are going to have to do some practices at neutral times as well, when they are not thinking about going potty, so that they’ll learn how to shift from what they’re doing to quickly and make it to the toilet. That is why you have to make it fun, have a race, and include the entire family and then everyone can get the rewards together.

Additional Resources:

Pre-Potty Training

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 06:04:16 +0000

The first step toward successful potty training is pre-potty training. Don’t skip this all-important step to getting your child ready to ditch the diapers.

Learn How To Pre-Potty Train Your Child

When I first tried to teach my daughter to potty train, I put her in “panties” and thought she would know what to do. Of course, I knew very little about the subject than I eventually learned some time to learn how to teach her to go potty. Then we would start over.

It is important that no matter what, you keep potty training, and like anything else, keep things in perspective. You may make some or many errors but it will eventually work itself out. As a parent it is very important that you try to keep your sense of humor when potty training your child. It is also very helpful that mom, dad and any siblings are in on the process of training. You can keep things upbeat by thinking no more diapers, no more diapers and try to stick to that except at night when it is not an option. By relaxing a bit, you can make potty training a fun time.

There is a lot that can be accomplished in the pre-training time that really helps make the actual potty training time much more effective. First of all, potty training is one thing, but it is often the pre-potty training steps that will decide if it will be successful or not. If you are wondering what pre-potty training is, it is looking for and recognizing the signs that tell you that your child is ready for training and these signs include:

1. Ability to hold urine for long periods of time.

2. Ability to follow 1-2 directions at a time.

3. Knows when urination or bowels movements are about to start.

When your child begins to show these signs, that’s when you know that it is time to begin having practice sessions pulling up their pants whenever they get dressed and undressed. It is going to take a lot of time, but it is important that they learn how to pull up their pants by themselves. You are going to have to try to help build some positive form of excitement in your child. You are going to want to be encouraging about potty training if you want your child to be excited too.

You will also have to start to develop your plan for the training process. There are several different opinions of how to potty train. However, it is important that you choose your method to make sure that it is the method that is most effective for you, your child and your family. There is the potty train in less than a day method that Dr. Phil offers. This can work well but it is very intense and can be overwhelming for parents who are young or for those who do not have the right patience. You have to think of your personality as well as your child’s, and then choose your method.

Additional Resources:

How to Potty Train Your Child in Five Hours
Discover the steps and secrets to having your own child potty trained in five hours or less.

Potty Training Tools

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:59:00 +0000

Here are a few tips and potty training tools that will make going to the potty more fun for your child.

1. Blue & Yellow Make Green method: if you put a few drops of blue food coloring in the toilet water and show your child that the color will turn green when he or she pees in the potty. This method works on many children and can be used with others.

2. Toilet Target Practice: with this method you get to buy or make toilet targets to teach your child to aim. Many parents use cheerios cereal.

3. Musical Potty Chair: Musical potty chairs, such as the Tinkle Toonz, play a song tune when your child uses the potty which can be a blast.

4. Potty Training Doll: these are anatomically correct drink & wet dolls, such as the Aquini dolls, which can be used to help make toilet training fun and easy by demonstration. This method is recommended by Dr. Phil if this is of any interest to you.

5. Potty Training Watch: you can easily make potty time reminders fun and exciting when you use the VibraLite toilet training watch. The VibraLite watch, which comes in two different colors, can be set to vibrate every 30 minutes as a very entertaining way to remind your child that it’s potty time!

6. Books, Videos, & DVDs: you can find things like toilet training bedtime stories, videos and DVDs which are a fun and educational way to introduce toilet training to your child.

7. Charts & Stickers: this toilet training method with charts and stickers are great motivational tools that many children love. You can start this method by giving stickers for sitting on the potty and every other step he does correctly. After a while, give stickers only when your child uses the potty. Finally, you can slow it down by giving a small toy as a reward for 3 accident free days.

8. Toilet Training Pants: toilet training pants and liners come in many different and fantastic colors. You have to let your child choose the color of training pants or underwear to wear if you want him to be behind this method.

9. Phone Call From their favorite Superhero: you can choose to offer a reward to your child for using the potty with a phone call from his or her favorite superhero or idol. You can get your friends or neighbors to play the part.

Additional Resources:

How to Potty Train Your Child in Five Hours
Discover the steps and secrets to having your own child potty trained in five hours or less.

Potty Secrets
Potty training is now effortless and an enjoyable experience as you watch your baby gain a sense of independence and throw away his costly (and messy) diapers – forever!

Supernanny Secrets
Super Parenting Strategies, based on the Supernanny.

Potty Training Guide

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:53:57 +0000

Potty training is an exciting process for parents and children. You will
find some great tips on how to make a smooth transition from diapers
to the potty.

Toilet training (herein referred to as “potty training”) is an exciting time for parents and children, as the child takes the next step to becoming a “big” girl or boy. While parents usually start this adventure filled with the anticipation of being able to cross “diapers” off the shopping list, their toddlers can make them wonder if this will ever happen.

Successful potty training requires a positive attitude and tons of patience on the parent’s part. More importantly, it requires cooperation and readiness on the part of the trainee. Attempting to train a child who is not physically or emotionally mature will not only be unproductive, it will cause unnecessary stress for both parent and toddler.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that between 18 and 24 months, children often begin to show signs of being ready to begin training. Some children may not be ready until 30 months or older. Since children under the age of 18 months have little to no control over their bladder or bowel movements, beginning before this time is not useful.

Some of the signs that indicate a child is ready to be trained are:

* Your child shows interest in using the toilet.
* Your child makes a face, changes her posture or tells you when she is about to urinate or have a bowel movement.
* Your child wants to be changed soon after soiling his diaper.
* Your child can speak well enough to communicate when she needs to use the potty.

How to Start

Once you feel your child is ready to begin potty training, the first step is to purchase a potty chair. A potty chair is smaller than the toilet and helps the child to feel more secure.

Have your child sit on the potty during times she is most likely to urinate or have a bowel movement, such as in the morning, before and after naps or after mealtimes. Reading a book, talking or singing songs will encourage your child to sit on the chair longer. Avoid trying to force your child to sit for long periods of time or against her will.

Don’t be surprised if, after sitting on the potty without result, your child stands up and begins to urinate. This is often perceived as stubbornness. The fact is, your child may not have mastered the skill of relaxing his bladder muscles. If this happens frequently, it may be a sign that he is not yet ready.

Training Pants

When your child begins to successfully use the potty, you may want to consider purchasing training pants for daytime use. Disposable training pants are convenient for outings, but cotton training pants will allow your child to be more aware of when they are urinating, encouraging them to use the potty instead. Plastic diaper covers will help protect your home from accidents.

Nighttime

Some children simultaneously learn to stay dry during the day and at night. For others, it can take several months, even a few years. Allowing your child to wear a diaper at night until she begins to consistently wake up dry will prevent feelings of shame and failure.

Regression

A new baby, changes in routine, family crisis or putting too much pressure on your child, can cause him to regress in the potty department. Avoid making your child feel bad during this time and encourage him to keep trying.

Relax

Every child’s body is different. Some catch on quickly, while others take much longer to recognize the signals their body is sending them. Lavish praise on your child when she is successful and reassurance when she has an accident.

Avoid comparing your child’s potty training progress to that of an another child’s. Mastering the use of the toilet is not an indication of a child’s intelligence. It is dependent on their physical, physiological and emotional maturity. Have patience and eventually, your child will be a “big” boy or girl.

Additional Resources:

Karen Bianchi is a freelance writer and the editor of AwesomeMomsNetwork. She is also the mother of 4 potty-trained kids. You can contact her at kbianchi@AwesomeMomsNetwork.com

Potty Training At Night

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:47:20 +0000

After your child has mastered the potty during the day time, it is time to move on to potty training at night.

Once your child has the daytime potty training routine down, it’s time to start working towards staying dry during the night. This is a process that can happen quickly for some children and more slowly for others. Don’t worry and don’t push them if it is hard at first because that is a common problem. Chances are that everyone in the family has been working hard at potty training with your child, so it may be a good idea to take a break at night.

At first, it helps for you to put your child in a diaper or pull-up for the night-time so that there will not be any wet sheets in the morning. You will have to be sure to encourage them that they are doing great staying dry during the day and that you are so proud of them and not to mention that they should not be self conscious of wearing them. You will want to reassure them that it’s okay to wear a diaper or pull-up at night. If your child is having difficulty staying dry at night you can try to follow these tips:

* Limit the amount of fluid intake that your child has after 6:00 p.m.
* Have them go potty just before going to bed at night.
* Wake them up when you go to bed and have them go potty again. Your child might be very tired but you can help them into the bathroom anyway. Sometimes, just a few weeks of doing this will be the thing that gets your child on the road to success, and they’ll start getting through the whole night dry.

Sometimes if your potty-training child is having nightmares, it can be a sign that they need to go potty. One of our children, who had been having a hard time staying dry through the night dry, came walking in, crying about the big fish that was after him. My husband said “Go to the bathroom and then come back and talk with us.” He did and then just went back to bed. The bad dream was gone because he had taken care of the problem. We had a good laugh in the morning.

For some children, night-time training may take months, and in some cases even years to master. Sometimes children can be 8-10 years old and still be having the same problems but they didn’t condemn him for it, rather they chose to love him through it, and the problem resolved itself. The key to helping your child to potty train is standing with your child through the training process. You do not want to make your child feel bad if he wets the bed. When you walk through the steps and just keep moving ahead. Have him help you change the bed, carry the linen to the laundry room and put it in the washer.

This is a great way for you to let your child know what it is like to do the laundry, Also have him help you put new sheets on so he learns how to make the bed. You may need to use some protection for your mattresses for a while like plastic covers or rubber mats. Eventually, he will get the hang of it. You should not hesitate to consult your child’s doctor for advice and support if you think there may be a physical problem that is the cause. Otherwise, the best method of helping to ease nighttime training is to be positive.

Additional Resources:

Potty Training A Child With A Disability

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:42:39 +0000

Potty training a child with a disability can be even more of a challenge. Here are some great tips to help make this new skill easier for you and your child to master.

While many parents often complain of experiencing difficulty when they are potty training their children, for most families, potty training is a fairly easy thing to do. Even when there are problems or children show signs of resistance to it, usually they will eventually become potty trained. However, this is not always the case when dealing with children that have developmental delays or disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, etc. Children with special needs can be more difficult to potty train.

Most children show signs that they are ready to begin using the toilet as toddlers, usually between 18 months and 3 years of age, however that is not the case with all children such as those who have the intellectual and/or psychological readiness to be potty trained at this age. It is more important to keep your child’s developmental level, and not his actual age in mind when you are considering starting potty training.

Let the child show you signs that he is ready first. The signs of intellectual and psychological readiness includes being able to follow simple instructions and being cooperative with your directions, being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and wanting them to be changed, recognizing when he has to go to the bathroom or needs to have a bowel movement, being able to tell you when he needs to urinate or have a bowel movement.

The signs that the child is physically ready to potty train can include your being able to tell when your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement by the types of faces he makes, posture or by what he says, having the ability to stay dry for at least 2 hours at a time, and having regular bowel movements. These things are very important in your child’s success at the potty. If your child is not ready your efforts will be fruitless.

Things that you will have to avoid when toilet training your child, which will also help prevent resistance, are beginning during a stressful time or period of change in the family such as when you are moving, there is a new baby, etc., pushing your child too fast, and punishing the child for his mistakes instead of being positive will also cause problems. Be sure to go at your child’s pace and show strong encouragement and praise when he is successful because this simply works better.

Since an important sign that your child is ready and what can be used as a motivator to begin potty training involves being uncomfortable in a dirty diaper, if your child isn’t bothered by a soiled or wet diaper, then you may need to change him more often to get him used to being clean and dry. Other children can continue to wear a diaper or pull-ups which are also great for day training.

Additional Resources:

Potty Train Advice

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:38:43 +0000

More great potty train advice and some excellent tips on what potty train mistakes you as a parent should avoid making.

Potty training can be a trying experience for parents sometimes. It’s extremely important to make sure that your child feels like he is well supported and that you maintain a positive attitude toward him if you want to ensure success. Here are some things that you will want to avoid. Don’t try to force the issue. Make sure that your child is ready to use the potty, is able to tell you what his needs are and can handle what is needed to do it before starting.

You should be sure to always offer encouragement and support. If your child refuses to go, because if you start forcing him to go and sit on the potty you will only create a very angry and hostile atmosphere and can lead to more resistance. It can create negative associations with using the bathroom that can be hard to undo later, and can also cause your child to start bedwetting, which can be emotionally harmful. Try to approach this time of learning much the same as you did with other skills like sitting up, walking and talking.

Don’t start potty training during a time of stress for your child. Even good stress is bad stress when it comes to potty training a kid. Marriages, new babies, and during vacations can be just as difficult for your child as a divorce, death or moving into a new home. If anything big and new is coming up in your lives, reconsider potty training until the time is past. Wait until life settles down and the normal flow of life comes back. This will help creates a secure place for your child and helps him place toileting easily alongside other routines.

Don’t set deadlines in the training process or try to accomplish training in a set number of days. Young children don’t work too well under pressure and they certainly don’t have the same concept of time that adults do. Make sure that you are realistic with your time expectations from your child, which is really important if you are looking to potty train an infant. Programs that promise that your child will be potty trained in three days, one day or even 100 days aren’t being very realistic and they are certainly not taking your child’s individuality into account. Each child has his own temperament and brings different skills to the table, so there is no set potty training method for any child.

Additional Resources:

Parenting and Toilet Training

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:33:26 +0000

Toilet training is an important step in parenting. It is your job as the parent to guide, help and support your child in this transition from diaper to potty. Parenting and Toilet Training go hand in hand. Become your child’s teacher and cheerleader when it comes to toilet training.

Toilet Training: One of the Joys of Parenting

Toilet training can be fun and drama free. The most important thing to do to ensure that the process is easy for all involved is to make sure that your child is ready before you start the process.

How do you know if your toddler is ready to be toilet trained? Well, there are some clear indicators that your child might be ready. These include long dry spells followed by a big wet nappy, being able to tell those around that they have wet or dirtied their nappy, and being able to pull their pants down/ up and sit on the potty independently. Those are the main things to look for. If your toddler is showing these signs then they may be ready. So, it is your job to get the environment ready for them to learn to use the potty or toilet.

If you are using a potty then consider putting it in the place where your child spends most of it’s awake time. That way it is easy to access and you can remind your toddler to use it regularly. If you are using the toilet then consider using a toddler attachment to make your child feel more secure and comfortable. A step might also help your child begin to toilet independently.

In order for toilet training to be as painless and smooth as possible, make sure that you and your child are ready. Some toddlers toilet train quite easily, while for others it becomes what seems like a long drawn out battle. If you are incredibly busy at work, moving to a new house or a new baby is due soon, it’s ok to wait a few months to let things settle down. You might need to be prepared for a few accidents and extra dirty clothes during the process.

Above all you need to make this a positive process for your child. They need to learn that this is a natural thing and should never be told that their body is dirty or yucky. Use lots of encouraging words and hugs to reward your child’s successes. Praise is a fantastic motivator! This is probably one of the biggest steps for your child and it’s worth your patience.

In 1995 I completed my Bachelor of Teaching, specializing in Early Childhood Education. I have worked in education since 1996. I started in Child Care as a Preschool teacher. I have also worked as an ESL teacher and have been promoted to the level Teacher of Exemplary Practice.

I’m a mother of two boys, 5 and nearly 2 years old. Although parenting my two wonderful children is my main focus, furthering my understandings about how children learn and develop is something of great interest to me. I have been doing a Master of Education for the past two years.

I am interested in parenting, as a teacher, as a mother and a member of a wider community. How we look after our children does impact on others in the world around us. I believe I have something valuable to share. I hope you find it interesting and useful.

For more information and articles please check out my website http://www.saneparenting.com

Additional Resources:

Free Toilet Training Guide

SusanneMyers — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:28:33 +0000

This free toilet training guide is full of tips on how to get started and how to successfully potty train your child. Read through this toilet training guide to come up with a “game-plan” for you and your toddler. Before you know it he or she will be potty trained.

Potty Training Tips

Potty training. Most parents don’t look forward to this part of child rearing. Even though it certainly isn’t fun, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

Potty training usually starts around ages 2 or 3. Generally speaking, though each child is different, girls usually start sooner, and boys usually start later. Some signals that your child is ready to start potty training includes the following:

* Pulling on their clothes
* Signaling that their diaper is dirty
* Crossing legs or holding their crotch area

One potty training tip that can be of immense help is one that most parents don’t even think about. Try letting your child accompany you in the bathroom and watch you use the toilet. This way, the child will see that “even mommy does it”. This will go a long way towards alleviating their anxiety or fears. Below are a few more potty training tips that you can use when the time has come:

* Potty training tip #1 – Let the child help pick out their pull-ups, if you plan to use them

* Potty training tip #2- Use a potty training book for interactive learning

* Potty training tip #3 – Get your child a small potty especially for them to use in the bathroom; this makes potty training less intimidating

* Potty training tip #4 – Give your child proper instructions on using their special potty

* Potty training tip #5 – Use visual aids for motivation, like a potty training chart

Potty training charts are also of immense help. A potty training chart is a chart of progress for a child, and works as a type of reward system (positive reinforcement). Potty training charts are used by daycare providers and child psychologists. You can put your child’s name on the potty training chart, and use a smiley face sticker for each time that your child is successful in going to the potty. Potty training charts come in different sizes, with lots of colors and different characters. Using a potty training chart helps you involve your child in their potty training in a way that is fun for them.

Another potty training tip that parents sometimes fail to use is getting the child familiar with the potty, even if that means sitting on it and doing nothing. Just being familiar with the act of sitting on the potty will help stop the battles that can sometimes occur during potty training.

Here is the ultimate potty training tip: Don’t yell or punish your child if they have an accident. This will only lead to regression with whatever progress you’ve made up until that point. If the child feels pressure, it will be harder for them to use the potty when they are supposed to. Conversely, if you get overly excited when they do go, they may also regress, feeling pressure to please mom or dad.

Unfortunately, you will probably be potty training your child when they are in the “terrible twos”, that is, when they are most inclined to challenge your authority as a parent. It is very important not to give in to this kind of behavior and let it escalate into a battle. If this happens, the process of potty training will be very slow. So keep your cool work with your child and make sure that your child is familiar with the potty before you begin.

Johanne Cesar knows children! Find out how hundreds of parents potty train their children successfully in 3 short days with Johanne’s no-nonsense expertise. Get your free potty training mini-course by visiting her Potty Training website.

Johanne Cesar is a successful daycare provider with over 9 years’ experience. She has potty trained hundreds of children successfully. Johanne specializes in working with parents to teach them the keys to painless potty training success. Work with an experienced child care expert and mother of 2 who knows what it takes to get your child potty trained now! Visit:http://www.thepottytrainer.com

Additional Resources: