Potty Training

All moms and dads always ask the question; "Is my child really ready to start potty training".

I will help you with both determining if your child is really ready and what the next steps are if they are ready.

Seven early signs your child is ready for potty training

1. Interest In The Potty

When your child starts to notice and take interest in what you and your family members are doing on the toilet, it’s a great time to teach them what the toilet is for. Usually if they are interested and curious about this, they are ready and willing to learn about it. What’s great for kids is to see their dads, big brothers, moms and sisters using the potty. It helps them to comprehend what the potty is for and that they can do it, too, just like daddy or mommy.

2. Able To Pull Their Pants/Diaper Down On Their Own

If you notice that your child keeps pulling their pants and diapers down and off, they could be ready for the next big step of going potty on the toilet. This can be one of the biggest battles when it comes to potty training a child. I know teaching my son to pull off his own pants was difficult (and still is even though he’s completely potty trained), but if they’re already doing it on their own, that’s great and one less thing you have to worry about.

3. Diaper Stays Dry For Long Periods Of Time

One of the biggest changes I noticed in my son when he was ready to potty train was that he would go hours without peeing in his diaper. So many times I would go to change his diaper and it would be completely dry! I was shocked and knew that he was ready to start using the toilet instead of his diaper. If he was holding it in his diaper, then he could certainly hold it while wearing underwear, too.

4. Their Bowel Movements Become Predictable

It’s weird and kind of gross to talk about, but toddlers eventually become pretty routine and regular when it comes to bowel movements. Since my son turned 2 and a half it seemed like he always pooped in the early afternoon right before his nap. This regularity is great for potty training because then you can predict when they’ll need to go to the bathroom so you can watch them around this time and encourage them to use the toilet instead of going in their diaper. It takes a lot of stress out of wondering if you’re going to end up with poop in the corner of the room one day or not.

5. Dislike Dirty or Wet Diapers

A huge sign of being ready for potty training is when your toddler dislikes when their diaper is dirty or wet. They may cry, get upset, tug on the diaper, take it off, etc. This is great because if they don’t like it, chances are they’ll be more open to not having to use a diaper anymore. They’ll probably welcome and enjoy the opportunity to go on a toilet instead of soiling themselves and sitting in it or walking around in it for a while until you change their diaper.

6. Express The Need To Go Either Verbally Or Non-Verbally

Just because your child doesn’t verbally tell you that they need to go potty, doesn’t mean that they’re not telling you some other way. There are other signs they can be doing that will signal the need to go. Those would include the potty dance, holding themselves, passing a lot of gas, etc. If you notice your child doing any of these, start asking them if they need to go potty or take them into the bathroom and have them try to go on the toilet instead of in their diaper. If they flat out tell you that they need to go, they are most definitely ready for potty training.

7. Tell You They Need Their Diaper Changed

It didn’t seem like my son cared one way or another if his diaper was wet or dirty, but once he got older he started telling me when he needed his diaper changed or he would tell me that he had pooped. If they’re aware that they soiled their diaper and are able to tell you that, then they are old enough to be aware of when they need to go potty and are certainly old enough to tell you so.

So now you have established that your child is showing the signs of readiness but what is the next step? To help you with the process here are some ideas to reward you child and motivate the idea of potty training.

Sticker Chart

Create a day-to-day chart and decorate it with your child's favorite superhero or TV character. After each successful trip to the bathroom, she can place a colorful sticker on the chart.

Potty Training Chart

Coloring Book

Let your child color a drawing after each trip to the bathroom. After he's fully potty trained, you can treasure his art and remember the big achievement.

Books

Books can be incentives in a number of ways. Try one of these ideas to get toddlers reading and potty training:

* Keep a stash of books in the bathroom that are only for use while on the toilet.

* Get your toddler comfortable in bathroom by having him sit on the toilet fully clothed as you read a book. When he's ready, have him sit without the diaper.

* Take a trip to the bookstore and have your child pick out new books, but let him read the special potty books only when going to the bathroom.

Big-Kid Underwear

Let your kiddo pick out new underwear with bright patterns or favorite TV characters as encouragement, and tell him he's ready to wear them like other big kids. He might want to try the underwear over his diaper first, but the building curiosity can lead to success.

Water Colors

Dye the toilet water with red or blue food coloring -- when he goes potty it will change color to orange or green, turning potty training into a game. As your little boy gets older, he will love this motivation as he learns to aim.

Reward Bag

Put several inexpensive toys and stickers into a colorful gift bag. Every time your child uses the toilet, allow him to take one surprise out of the bag.

Help from his/her favorite toy

If your child is still attached to his comfort item, let him take that to the potty with him. It will give him a sense of security as he moves into this next big step.

So mommies and daddies, join in the conversation and share your tips and tricks to ease the potty training process. Share your stories and how easy or hard it was for you to potty train you child.

If you wish to have a copy of the potty training chart, pop me a mail and I will send it to you for FREE. Wow isn't that just great.