Lady - posted on 03/28/2010 ( 260 moms have responded )
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I have noticed that a number of post on here are mums looking for help with potty training so thought I would create a place for mums to come and post their top tips. I hope people find this post helpful but if you feel your questions have been answered please feel free to still post your questions!!!
I'll start with my top tips and hope other mums will come along and post theirs;
Getting started;
If you feel your child is getting ready to start potty training (usually somewhere between the ages of 2-3) then the first thing you need to do is choose a potty. This is something you can get your child to do with you or you may want to present it to them at home. I have found that the chair type potties are the best but have had success with any type.
You can explain to the child what the potty is for but don't expect them to be ready to use it right away. Leave the potty around in the place where your child spends the most time playing and just let them use it as a toy for a while. This gets them used to it, it becomes part or the furniture and a lot less scary. After a while, during nappy changing you could ask the child to sit on the potty without a nappy on, but don't push it if they don't want to. If possible let the child play with out a nappy on for a while keeping the potty close at hand and hopefully they will start to sit on it. If they pee try to get them on the potty or sit them on after and explain that what it for, DO NOT get cross or angry about any accidents.
If the child is willing to sit on the potty try reading to them or put on their favourit TV programme and if they do anything make the BIGGEST fuss you have ever made in your life. Cheer, clap, dance around be sooooo happy and praise them with all your might!! Make the child feel they have done something wonderful and they'll want to do it again and again. Tell everyone, call aunts and grandparent and make sure Daddy makes a huge fuss when he gets home from work too.It won't happen all at once, there will be accidents or days when they won't want to but again don't get cross, try not to make a big deal of it, they need to get the attention for doing what you want, not for the opposite.
The biggest thing you can do to aid potty training is to not get stressed, don't rush it and remember all children will be potty trained in the end - how many children do you know that start school in nappies???
Other potty training problems;-
Number twos,
A lot of children who get the hang of peeing in the potty still have trouble pooing. My advice is to just let them wear a nappy or pull up pants for a while if that's what they want. It doesn't last long and just eases the stress for them. What to do is put on the nappy when they need it then when you take it off you and the child take the nappy to the toilet and flush away the poo saying good bye - I know it sounds mad but it does work. The problem is the child feels that they are letting something go and this gives them the chance to say goodbye.
Night time potty training;-
Some children very quickly will be dry through the night after getting the hang of day time potty training other wil take a lot longer. Sometimes if you have left the daytime training until the child is older then night time comes quicker, boys quite often take longer to be dry through the night than girls.
Most will just start to do it themselves but if you want to help thentry limmitting their fluid in the evenings - don't ever let your child go thirsty - still give them a drink with dinner and before bed but just don't let them over indulge and make sure they at least try to use the toilet or potty before bed. I don't recomend lifting your child to them on the toilet before you go to bed as this is teaching them to pee will still half asleep and in the end counter productive.
Moving on to the toilet ;-
Once your child has got the hang of going pee and poo in the potty you can try moving the potty into the bathroom, this may take a few months but again try not to rush as you don't want any set backs. Once they start to use the potty in the bathroom you can encourage them to start using the toilet, I recomend getting a special set which goes over the toilet seat to make it smaller and less fightening for little bottoms, a stool or step can be useful too to help get them up.
I hope this has been of some help and look forward to seeing everyone elses top tips!!
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