Having a Baby

So, you have been changing nappies for two or even three years now and frankly you have come to the point where you have to say enough. You are sick and tired of that constant smell, the carrying of a changing bag on your shoulder and the constant worry about whether or not there are enough nappies in the house to make it through the day never mind the week. Perhaps you even have a new baby in the house so you are already doing your fair share of nappy duty for two. Would it not just be much easier if your toddler or preschooler was already fully potty trained and confident enough to go to the toilet by herself? Well, maybe she is, but then again, perhaps not.

Potty training takes immense dedication and patience and if your child is just not yet ready, then you are definitely going to go nowhere fast. And instead of easing your nappy load, you will have nappies to change and floors and underwear to clean. So before you take this next great leap, lets take a look at a couple of signs to see if your child is indeed ready for the next big step.

There will come a day in the near future when your child would want his hands washed or even would want to start being clean or start cleaning things around her. This is always an excellent sign that she might be ready and before you start thinking about stopping her, just let her go right ahead and clean away. During your cleaning regime, introduce her to the bathroom and ask her if she has met the toilet and what she thinks it is used for.

Another sign is imitation. If you find your child imitating toilet behaviour with a doll or with herself that could also be a good sign that she is indeed ready. Keep in mind that the bathroom is still a very unfamiliar place for your little one as the only time that your child has really spent in there is to go for a bath. So the next time she follows you into the bathroom just as you plan to visit the toilet, why not show your little one what the toilet bowl is used for even if you are only doing a dry run. Simply take the time to go through the motions of visiting the toilet with her, you will be amazed at how much it helps.