Tips for Potty Training

Potty training is a major milestone.  Most children start showing interest around two to two and a half years old. A child with special needs may take longer to be ready for potty training. Before potty training, it is important for you to make sure they are ready. A child is ready to be potty trained when:

·        They have a dry diaper for periods of two to three hours

·        They remain dry through the night

·        They seem interested in the potty

·        They can pull their pants down

·        They complain of dirty or wet diapers

·        They will sit on a potty chair

 If most of these statements describe your child, they are ready for potty training. If most of these do not describe your child, you may want to wait a few more months.

Here are some tips when potty training your child:

1.     Model: pull out a potty chair and place it in front of the big potty. When you or a family member use the restroom, allow the child to watch or mimic going to the potty too. If the child is ready to use the big potty, you can model by going potty first. Every time I use the restroom, I feel like it is a family potty party. We all take turns going to the potty. The kids think it is fun as we cheer each other on. If you feel uncomfortable with modeling, model with a potty book or social story about using the restroom. Some good potty books include: Once Upon A Potty by Alona Frankel, Potty Time by Caroline Church, Caillou: Potty Time by Joceline Sanschagrin, Even Firefighter Go To The Potty by Wendy Wax, and Super Hero Potty Time by Sue DiCicco. You can also model by making a visual potty chart with words and pictures that show the steps you use when going to the restroom: 1. Go to the toilet, 2. Pull down pants and underwear, 3. Sit on toilet, 4. Go potty, 5. Pull up underwear and pants, 6. Flush toilet, 7. Wash and dry hands, 8. Celebrate a job well done!

 

2.     Schedule: Create a schedule for putting your child on the potty. I put my children on the potty every 90 minutes. To help you stay on schedule, I highly recommend “The Potty Watch”. This watch comes in pink, green, and blue. You set it for the scheduled time of 30, 60, or 90 minutes. When it is time to go potty, music and lights will alert your child. It also has a celebration button once your child goes potty. This watch was a big part in our potty training.

 

3.     Reward: A sticker chart is a great way to reward our child for going potty. If they go potty when the potty watch alerts them, they get a sticker. Once they reached a certain amount of stickers (we did 10), they get a prize. Other parents have offered candy or coins for a piggy bank as a reward.

 

4.     Stay positive: Children want to make their parents happy. Encourage your child and praise them for sitting on the potty, using the restroom, wiping, flushing, pulling up their pants, and washing their hands. Do not punish for accidents. Say things like, accidents happen, or its okay, we will try again soon. Children that feel discourage usually shut down.

 

5.     Make it fun: Turn bathroom time into a game by throwing two or three cheerios into the potty and tell your child to hit the cheerios. Having something to focus on while on the potty eases the stress of sitting there and makes it fun. If you do not want them focusing on cheerios, you can bring them their favorite book, toy, or show on the tablet to help them have a good time while they sit.

If your child is having trouble, becoming anxious, or getting frustrated with using the potty it is a good time to take a break and return to training in a few months. During that time, try to figure out why your child was frustrated or fearful of the potty. Getting to the root of the problem can help your child potty train sooner. If you need help, consider consulting your doctor or therapist.

 

Our Story: My son was very nervous about using the restroom. Upon talking to him, I learned that he didn't like the texture of the toilet paper and didn't want to wipe. I told him that if he would use the restroom, mommy would do the rest. He was then potty trained in 24 hours. We are working on the next step of using toilet paper. One of my friends recently suggested that we try kleenex.

Potty training any child is difficult. The main thing is to be consistent. Good luck!