If you’re wondering when you should start potty-training your child, the short answer is: when the child is ready! The longer answer requires you to read this article until the end! In it, you will learn to recognize the when your kid is ready both physically and emotionally to start using a potty!
When’s the Earliest Time to Start With First Potty Training Lessons?
When it comes to potty training, each child is different. In fact, the difference between two siblings can be huge – one can start with using the potty as early as 22 months, while the other can leave it for much later, even up to 30 months of age.
When they’ll start using it is something that depends on not only the child but the parent as well. Your job is to start training your child to use the potty at the right time, so it would come naturally to them. Actually, taking it slowly is the key, as that way the child won’t think of it as a frustrating process.
Rather than hurrying your child to start using the potty as soon as possible, you need to see if the child is really ready. The kid needs to be able to control the bladder and have a control of the bowel. One of the certain signs of this is a clean nappy after a night’s sleep. Another clue that the child is ready for the potty training is that the diaper remains dry after naps that last longer than 2 hours.
You might notice these signs even before your child reaches the age when using a potty is a common thing. This is because most children become physically ready for it really soon. The problem is that they’re not emotionally ready for the potty usually before they reach 2 years of age. The key to tackling this issue is to persuade them to use it! Unfortunately, that can sometimes be quite tricky.
How to Persuade Your Child into Using the Potty?
We understand that you would like to say farewell to the diapers as soon as possible. The problem is that pressuring your child into using the potty can have the opposite effect. That’s why you need to take it very slowly.
Children usually don’t have big problems learning how to use the potty to pee. That is exactly how you should start with the potty training! At first, they will probably find it funny, but in order to keep them interested in the potty, make sure to award them each time they do the job right! A simple candy would be enough of a bribe to keep their interest.
However, then comes the tricky part – teaching your kid to use the potty to poop. In some cases, the reason why they don’t feel comfortable using it is that they’re afraid. A trick to solving this problem would be getting a funny-looking potty. This is just one of ways of making your child familiar with the potty. There are many others, although they differ whether your child is a boy or a girl.
Potty Training Tips for Girls
Your baby girl learns everything by looking up to you. That is why some pediatricians suggest that the best way to teach a girl to use the potty is to show them how to do it. Of course, we’re not suggesting you should have a wee in the potty. Instead, simply show your child how you would do it.
If this doesn’t work, or makes her interested in the potty only for a while, you might want to try another trick. Why not try using some food coloring. For example, you can drip some blue coloring into the potty, so that it would turn green after she takes a pee. This is guaranteed to awake her interest!
Potty Training Tips for Boys
Here’s a good trick for parents of a boy – in order to make him want to use the potty, you can drop in some paper shapes, so that he could target-practice. Whichever trick you do, make sure it’s not too extreme. If your child gets scared or starts looking at the potty as the main source of their problems, you’re in a big trouble. It could mean another few months of diaper-changing!
