Having a Baby

Here’s some basic information that is useful to consider as you undertake to process of potty training toddlers.

FACT: Children around two years of age have often not yet made the connection between the urge to urinate and the sense of accomplishment. Realizing this connection is a major milestone and it usually takes a parent’s help.

POTTY TRAINING ADVICE: When you notice your child making that funny ‘grunting’ face, or heading off to her favorite quiet place where she frequently goes to fill her diaper, quickly whisk her off to the bathroom. If you make it there in time before the diaper is filled, she will experience not only the sense of accomplishment in successfully using the potty, but she will also achieve a better connection between the urge to go, and the act of walking to the bathroom. In addition, this will give you an opportunity to point out how much better it feels to have a dry bottom, as opposed to feeling saturated or grimy.

FACT: Disposable diapers and training pants might be convenient for parents and child care givers, but they actually delay the toddler’s natural inclination to start potty training, and prolong the process because they do not experience much discomfort when they are wet. Children raised prior to the advent of disposables were generally potty trained by age two. These days it’s not uncommon to see four years olds still in the toilet training stage.

POTTY TRAINING ADVICE: Switch to cloth diapers around age two and you’ll be amazed how your child begins to notice and complain about a dirty diaper. If your child is already older and you’ve been in the potty training stage for awhile, you may notice that the switch remarkably hastens his or her interest in using the potty.

FACT: Expect that your toddler will master the feat of going ‘Number One’ before fully mastering the task of ‘Number Two.’ This is simply because: The physical process takes more time and requires your child to sit still longer than his or her attention span generally lasts. Sometimes discomfort or pain occurs during a bowel movement, and this might temporarily discourage a toddler from trying again because he or she associates the discomfort with sitting on the toilet.

POTTY TRAINING ADVICE: When your toddler becomes too fidgety and won’t sit still long enough to have a bowel movement, try sitting alongside him or her while reading a book about the potty training experience. Many children’s books have been written about growing out of diapers, such as Bye Bye Diapers by Ellen Weiss, which can be found in most book stores and online.

If your child has been avoiding the task of Number Two, it may be due to some previously experienced discomfort. Why not try letting him or her use a different potty? If they’ve been using a potty chair, then let them give it a shot on the ‘grown up potty’ … or vice verse. This may help in providing him or her with a sense a sense of control over the circumstances.

FACT: Children under age two are only just beginning to understand what a potty is, and what it’s for. It may not really interest them. They often need a reason to be attracted to it as something other than just a fixture in the household.

POTTY TRAINING ADVICE: Tell your child that you need to go to the bathroom and invite him to come along and watch. This is a perfect opportunity to explain that he will be expected to do the same when he notices he needs to “go potty.” You can also invest in something a little more exciting than a potty seat that covers the toilet. Many colorfully designed potty chairs are available, some which even include music or even personalized recordings for the toddler to hear when they flush, such as the Flush & Cheer Potty Chair.