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Every mama’s life comes to a point when she believes it’s time to potty train her lovely little peanut who is no longer so young. But how are we going to accomplish it? Let’s discuss about quick and easy potty training.
Are you still buried in the weeds of potty chairs, paper towels, and bathroom sprints, or is it on the horizon? If that’s the case, I’ve got all the answers to your potty-training worries.
Keep in mind you don’t need special equipment or fun underwear for this learning process and it will take time to get the hang of potty training. Also keep in mind that the 3 day popular method does not work for all kids, so please do not beat yourself up if your child’s toilet training isn’t going well or you’re seeing a potty training regression.
While I have you here stressing out about potty training, here are some funny potty training quotes you must read if you’re on your potty training journey. So take a deep breath and read my guide on potty training kids!
What Age Should You Start potty Training?
Potty training age has no bearing on me. It all comes down to maturity, signs of potty training readiness and the ability to follow and vocalise directions from a parent– can they tell you when they need to have bowel movements?
These factors are more important than a children’s age, whether he or she is 18 months old or three years old.
Some parents use Elimination Communication when their babies are newborns, so it is up to you when you start potty training, just be aware of the regressions that you might see if you child early potty training.
I’m not saying you won’t see regressions if you start later either! You are the parent and it is your decision when you should start potty training your child.
The basic explanation is that most two-year-olds are not toilet trained, but the majority of three-year-olds are. To be honest, none of my children were toilet trained before the age of three.
See also: 18 Best Potty Training Books
How Do I Know My Child Is Ready To Potty Train
Another difficult question that will differ from child to child. At the absolute least, children must be able to take direction, convey their wants, and recognize some body parts and clothing items.
In addition, the child should be comfortable sitting on a toilet in general if you want to avoid a power struggle. If a child sees their parents and/or other adults using the toilet, they are more inclined to do it too.
So, rather than attempting to anticipate the ideal age, wait for these indications to manifest. “Pull down your pants,” you want to be able to say, and they’ll know what to do.
See also: How To Prepare Your Toddler For Potty Training
Should You Use A Potty Or Is The Toilet Ok
It makes no difference in your potty training success if you use a small portable potty or the regular toilet at home.
I personally prefer the potty for the toilet-training process because the child doesn’t need a lot of help to sit down on the potty on their own.
I also believe that placing an insert directly on the toilet helps children understand where they should go to the bathroom: the toilet. When we visited to a friend’s house a few years back, their toddler was taking a crap right in front of the TV in the living room, which was unpleasant for all of us.
If you teach your child to go potty everywhere, you’ll have to retrain them to go pee in the proper location after the potty chair is removed. You’ll be far more successful if you just keep everything in the bathroom in the first place. Ask me how I know!
How To Start Potty Training
So you think your child is ready to start toilet training… where do you begin? It’s a lot less difficult than you would imagine. Start by showing your child how to use the toilet chair or potty insert you bought for them. Allow them to sit on it, stand on it, and carry it around the home to become acclimated to this new object with which they will be spending a lot of time. If they aren’t interested right away, wait a few weeks or months if necessary. A loud “no” or shout of defiance will simply make things more difficult for both of you.
Sit your child on the potty once they appear to be comfortable with the concept. Maybe they’ll pee, maybe they won’t, but either way is OK for now. Allow them to wipe with toilet paper, flush, and wash their hands to get the job done.
If the test round went well, the real training may now begin. Choose a time when you can give your child plenty of water. This is the time for juice or another of your children’s favorite drinks to help him or her achieve a lot of accomplishment. Set a timer for your child to go potty every 15 minutes.
Make the most of this chance by making it entertaining! Parents are allowed to use the restroom as well. Demonstrate that you do this every time the alarm goes off, and they’ll finally leave (since they’re sitting there, hydrated!) Give your kids some gentle praise and perhaps a small incentive, like as an M&M, on those instances when they succeed. Leave them in underpants or pull-ups.
It’s up to you whether they wear pull-ups or underpants. Accidents are unavoidable at this time. We’d want to emphasize the victories.
To get your child acclimated to the potty, repeat this routine every fifteen minutes for one or two days.
After a day or two, check in with them to see how they’re doing! Do they want to stay on the toilet for a while longer? Respect their preferences if they answer with a “No.” If they did not perform well throughout the trial time, you may have to move on and try again in a few weeks or months. If the procedure went well, you might be able to gently encourage them into it– you’ll know if your child is simply being difficult at the time.
Congratulations if they respond with a simple “Yes.” You are free to proceed.
At various ages, children will begin to use the toilet. You may force it and make it a battle, but it will be painful for everyone involved. Your child will usually pick up on the every-fifteen-minute technique if you keep testing it every couple of weeks.
Planning
Potty training could be a nuisance for mom, especially when she has to clean up with each accident. You’ll have fewer mishaps and get results faster if you know exactly what you’re doing, prepare, and stick to the plan. Stick with the process and don’t give up, even when things get difficult.
Choose a week when no one in your family is ill or feeling under the weather, including your child. Make sure you don’t have any prior obligations or appointments during that week. During the summer, I found it more convenient to toilet train.
Preparing
Start talking to your kid about toilet training before you begin. Encourage him to be enthusiastic about the process. Take him to the shop and let him choose big-boy underpants. Get him a toilet as well.
A potty chair, a toilet seat insert with a step stool, or a combination of the two are all options. Some mothers appreciate the toilet insert since it eliminates the need to clean the toilet. Other parents prefer the potty chair since it is portable and can accompany their kid everywhere he or she goes.
We utilized the potty chair, and our kids were able to use the big toilet without the insert within a short time. Choose what you believe will be the most beneficial to your family.
Start The Training (or Learning If You Prefer)
When your toddler wakes up on the first day of potty training, tell him that it’s a big day and that he’ll be learning to go potty like a big boy. Remove the dry diaper and immediately place him on the toilet. Encourage him to take the trip.
Get him up after 5-10 minutes, but don’t be shocked if the toilet is empty.
Turning on the sink faucet and giving your child a cup of water while he’s on the potty seat is a simple tip to help him go as part of the process.
Make a big production out of putting on his new big boy underpants. Keep in mind that there will almost certainly be several accidents on the first day of learning this new skill. Prepare yourself and your child, use positive reinforcement and don’t be upset. Be gentle with your small child because this entire process is new to him.
One of my friends let her kids run around the house in only a t-shirt while toilet training. She claims that being nude appeared to help them control their impulses better. We wore underwear, but if you want to go completely nude, go for it.
Every 20-30 minutes, take your kid to the potty. Continue to be with him, read to him, and urge him to go. Make a huge deal out of it and rejoice if you detect even a little stuff in the potty!
I danced, clapped my hands, and sang a song about my child going potty that I made up on the spot. That section was a hit with all of my kids. They were delighted to see Mama so happy.
Treats And Rewards
You have the option of rewarding him once he leaves. After each successful toilet break, my kids place stickers on a blank sheet of colorful paper. You can use a sticker chart if you like.
They enjoyed choosing which sticker to use and applying it. Stickers on paper provide a visible representation of development.
My singing was the finest reward for all of my children. I made up songs with them as the protagonist. They would always smile and clap their hands in delight while I sang and danced.
Navigating Naps And Potty Training
Put your child on the potty before putting him down for a nap. Remember that the objective is to remove the disposable diapers permanently, so don’t put it on him out of habit for this important milestone. We’re working hard to ensure that our toilet training goes well.
It helps if your toddler’s bed has a waterproof mattress cover below the bedsheet. Put him on the potty as soon as he wakes up, and as an extra measure try disposable training pants.
Navigating Bedtime Potty Training
I prepare my toddler’s bed for the night when we potty train by placing a waterproof pad on top of the bedsheet and another bedsheet on top of the pad. I used a big bath towel folded in half before I got the waterproof pad.
This makes for easy clean up if mid-night accidents happen. All you have to do is take the top sheet and the towel or pad off, change your toddler’s bottoms, and you’re good to go. If you do wake up to clean up an accident, don’t forget to put him on the potty.
This leads me to another critical point. It’s rare for children to stay dry throughout the night when they initially start toilet training. This is why, three hours after kids go to bed, I walk into their room and place them on the potty half-asleep. This reduces nighttime bedwetting.
Set an alarm if you go to bed at the same time as your kid. Of course, you don’t have to do it to be effective, but it will help your child learn to wake up in the middle of the night if he needs to go, which will speed up toilet training.
Another nighttime suggestion is to place a potty chair in your toddler’s room and instruct him how to use it. He won’t have to travel across the hall to use the bathroom if he wakes up in the middle of the night. It’ll be waiting for him right there. Be prepared for the potty to spill, so use a puppy pad, or something to absorb accidental spills.
It will most likely take more than a week for your kid to be entirely toilet trained at night. Prepare yourself.
Navigating Having To Leave The House While Potty Training
It’s quite tempting to put on the diaper before heading out the door. You don’t want to have to clean the car seat in addition to cleaning up the spills at home.
I understand. However, keep in mind that you are retraining your children’s brain to recognise that he no longer pees or poops in his trousers. If you use that portable bathroom, you’ll slow down, if not stop, your development.
Before you go in the car, put your toddler on the potty. Just in case, you may line the car seat with a waterproof liner. The toilet chair accompanied us wherever we went while we were potty training. Keep it in your car so you can get it quickly when you need it.
Navigating Accidents
Accidents will happen, as I already stated. The most essential thing is not to become angry with your child. If he sees you angry, he may link toilet training with stress, making it more difficult for him to potty train properly.
If you notice your child has wet himself, calmly explain where we use the potty and place him on it. Put him on the potty while it’s still fresh in his mind, even if he recently emptied his bladder into the floor. He has to learn to link peeing with going to the bathroom.
What To Expect When It Comes To Poop
Most children do not learn to use the potty at the same time. Because pooping is less often, children have less opportunities to succeed on the potty. We put our kids in pull-ups until they can poo without making a mess – can you tell we don’t like messes?
Examine your children’s toilet habits for a trend. If they’re not too constipated, most kids will defecate at the same time every day. Try placing your child on the potty after they eat if they regularly defecate in their pull-ups after lunch. You may need to give them a book or tablet to keep them on the big toilet seat, but the aim is to give their body a chance to succeed, just as with peeing. If you’ve been searching for a reason to give your child some screen time, now’s your opportunity.
If they are able to defecate, be sure to congratulate them and offer them a treat. This one might be a little bigger than the last one. Repeat this practice at the same time every day for a while, and your child should ultimately feel comfortable using the potty.
Check to see if your kid is constipated if they are unable to have a bowl movement. You need to get this under control with the aid of a physician, not just for your children’s comfort and health, but also because it will increase their dread of using the potty. Your child could be constipated if you find them rushing away or hiding to go poop.
My one piece of advice for parents is to avoid comparing your child to others. All children are toilet trained by Kindergarten, regardless of how long it takes or when they start. If it appears that your child is taking longer to toilet train than others, don’t be too hard on yourself. Allow them to proceed at their own speed and be in charge; everything will flow more smoothly for everyone.
A Few Extra Potty Training Tips For You
If your child still drinks milk or water from a sippy cup at night, wean him off before starting toilet training. Limiting drinks before bedtime and at night will also reduce the number of mishaps.
Don’t ask your child whether he needs to go when you initially start training. Even if he does, you’ll hear “no.” Instead, take him to the potty and say, “Time to go potty,” or simply, “Potty time.” He’ll start informing you that he needs to go once he starts receiving the message.
If your child is preoccupied with his play and refuses to be brought to the potty, attempt to distract his attention while you accompany him to the toilet. “Do you recall the puppy we saw today outside? Wasn’t he adorable? Do you want to check to see whether he’s still alive? Let’s go pee first, and then we’ll look outside.” A distraction is typically simply accepted by toddlers.
Are pull-ups and diapers the same thing? Yes! When I say “take the diaper off all the time,” I also mean “take the pull-ups off all the time.” They have the same function and send the same signals to your child.
Retraining The Brain
Don’t worry, it’s not as difficult as it appears. Potty training entails retraining your children’s brain to let him to “go” while nothing is touching his bottom. Consider that for a moment. He’s only ever known going in a diaper, and now you’re telling him he needs to go pee and poo somewhere else.
He may realize that’s what you want him to do, and he may accept that he’s a big boy now, and he’ll have to use the restroom. His brain, on the other hand, need consistency in order to receive the information. He’s not used to suppressing his desires. He’s not used to having to rush to the bathroom when anything comes out.
“But they do pee on the floor if they go naked,” you remark, and I hear you. When kids aren’t toilet trained, they don’t need to wear a diaper to “go.” Even if the diaper is not on, they will pee if the desire arises. Another thing our toddlers must learn is to control their urges until they reach the potty.
As we assist our little boys and girls in learning to use the potty, we must remember that putting the diaper back on occasionally sends a signal to the brain that it is okay to use.
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