Potty Training
Summary: Potty Training, or learning to use the toilet for the first time, is a big step in the normal growth of children. This article is not pediatric or psychological advice, please refer all concerns to your child’s pediatrician, in this article we’ll discuss common best-practice topics and how to tips. Having raised 3 kids I’ll also share links to sources that helped me. More below…
Potty Training Toilets in the eBay Marketplace
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Potty Peg Hanger Hang Bjorn Ginsey toilet training seat US $7.99
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MUSICAL STEPSTOOL ROYAL POTTY TRAINING CHAIR TOILET NEW US $18.95
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Visionaire Peter Potty Toddler Urinal Toilet Training US $37.99
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New Soft Padded Seat Baby Toilet Training Potty Trainer US $27.99
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BABY BJORN Little Potty Toilet Training Babybjorn GRN US $15.90
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A common question related to potty training is When Will My Child Be Ready For Potty Training? The university of Michigan’s heath department finds that children will develop the necessary maturity and physical skills sometime between 18 months and 30 months of age (read the article here). The average age for girls to be fully toilet trained is 29 months and for boys 31 months is normal. 98% of kids are fully trained by 36 months of age but remember that these are only averages, it will not happen before the child is ready.
How to potty train: Knowing when it’s possible to start potty training is the first step, if a child isn’t ready it’s not a good idea to force it upon them. The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote this article that offers some excellent advice on knowing what to look for as follows…
- Your child stays dry at least 2 hours at a time during the day.
- Bowel movements become regular and predictable.
- Facial expressions, posture, or words reveal that your child needs to go.
- Your child can follow simple instructions.
- Your child can walk to and from the bathroom and help undress.
- Your child seems uncomfortable with soiled diapers.
- Your child asks to use the toilet or potty chair.
- Your child asks to wear grown-up underwear.
Potty Training Tips: The following potty training tips are not rules however they may help your child (and you) ensure that potty training remains a positive experience. Proceed slowly and pay attention to the signs your child gives you, they may not all be obvious. Ensure that your child doesn’t feel forced so that they remain in control and an active participant in the learning process. Focus on positive reinforcement and avoid placing negative labels on anything such as stinky or yucky. Never force or pressure your child or they may learn to resist you instead of learning to work cooperatively. Reinforce positive steps no matter how small with praise to let the child know you approve but keep praise sincere. Punishment, criticism and shame have no useful purpose in the potty training process, avoid them even if your child makes mistakes. Concentrate on keeping it a positive experience.
Potty training seat vs potty training toilet: Another common question is “should I buy a special seat to place over my toilet or should I get a special potty training toilet?”. A simple answer would be to get both and to let your child have options. Some children are more comfortable using a special child sized potty that can be placed anywhere in the home and others want to use the toilet they see everyone else using. Kids will often imitate other siblings so if there is an older brother or sister in the home it may be a good idea to let your child learn from them.
Where can I find more reading material about potty training?: The number one source of information about your child is his or her pediatrician. Reading and learning more about the potty training process can help you know what to ask or tell your childs pediatrician but do not take what you read as medical advice, only your child’s pediatrician can give you that
Here are some additional sources of information, in no particular order.