How To Prepare Your Child To Potty Train

The preparations to potty train your child can be challenging; Childcare India offers the following tips to help understand when a child can be potty trained.

Tips that help to successfully start potty training:

• First ascertain whether the child is developmentally ready to potty train; the time varies between 18 to 36 months, with girls being slightly faster than boys. Some of the signs that indicate a child is ready to be potty trained are his/her showing an interest in the bathroom, the child having the ability to walk to the bathroom and pull down pants, having predictable bowel movements, being dry for more than 2 hours, and an understanding through words or facial expression that he/she wants to urinate or have a bowel movement.

• Patience is required to potty train your child as it does not happen overnight. You and your child have to work on the process together and there could be accidents and setbacks. You need to be constantly encouraging to your child and take accidents very calmly. Never push your child to toilet train and realize that it is common for children to bed-wet up to the age of 5 years.

• A training potty is best and easiest to begin with potty training; you could find cute potties and those with children’s favorite comic characters. The potties would make your child comfortable in using them; you could also go in for a potty with a removable seat that can be easily placed on the toilet once the child is ready. Also place the potty near the playroom or living area; when the potty is within easy reach the child would be more inclined to use it.

• Right things at the right time applies to potty training also to be successful; never try to potty train a child when he/she has gone through a period of change that could be stressful like moving to a new house, the arrival of a new sibling, or starting at a new day care. Also choose a period when you can spend long time with the child; you could then offer support and encouragement to make him/her feel comfortable and secure.

• Potty training is best accomplished when you set a schedule for it; making it a routine to use the potty 2 to 3 times a day would instill a responsibility in the child to go to the potty all by themselves. The 3 times for use of the potty could be the first thing in the morning, after mealtimes and before bed. Do not get discouraged if he/she does not use the potty; the main purpose is to get them used to it.