Potty / Toilet Training Your Child

How Do I Know My Child is Ready?
There's no right age, although there certainly are guidelines (between 18 and 24 months). Rather, look for signs that your child is emotionally and developmentally ready to use begin to use a potty. The signs will include:

he understands the concept of the washroom and will use words like 'pee', 'poop', etc.
he's interested in what happens in the washroom, often watching other family members
his diaper stays dry for several hours on end

Also remember that boys tend to stay in diapers longer than girls, so be patient with your boys.

How Do I Start?
Although it can seem like a major step - potty training doesn't have to be hard. Find useful guidelines on easy potty training techniques to make the process simpler and faster. To begin, it helps your child to feel emotionally secure before taking on the task of potty training. Let your toddler feel comfortable with pull-ups first.

Once you are ready to begin potty training, choose a day when your child's routine is running smoothly and he hasn't faced any major disruptions.

Now it's time to bring out the potty. Show him that it's his own by decorating it with stickers or writing his name on it. Leave it in the bathroom so your child gets comfortable with it and understands its purpose. You can even sit on it to show him how it's done. Telling stories about children who use potties is a great way for your child to use his imagination and learn at the same time.

The next step is scheduling potty times. Children usually pee or have a bowel movement about an hour after eating a meal. About 15 minutes after breakfast or dinner, have your child sit on the potty. If all proceeds smoothly and the potty is filled, offer warm praise to your child. If after 10 minutes nothing has happened and your child looks anxious, put his diaper back on and offer praise for the attempt.

Making it Fun
Whether if be Super Man or Dora that your child loves, buying underwear decorated with fun designs lets your child look forward to moving up to big kid pants.

For a boy, you can use targets to teach him to pee standing up. Floating cheerios are fun to aim at. Again, story telling or singing are a great way to get your child involved and happy.

Potty training Tip

Many parents are turning to a more intense method of potty training and finding success in as few as three days --especially with potty training boys. Find out more about the 3-day potty training method.

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