Is your toddler ready for potty-training?

I know you wish your toddler walked into the toilet and did the job!

We parents want our kids to get rid of diapers and use the potty instead – as early as possible. But they can do that only if you toilet-train them.

And potty training a kid requires time, patience, effort, and time on our part. However, with the right technique, you can reduce the necessary effort and enjoy the results in a shorter time.

How can you tell your toddler is ready for Potty Training?

This perhaps stirs the most passionate debates about potty training.

The probably little over-anxious parents who refuse to deal with diapers anymore might try to force their toddler into going with toilet before they are prepared.

This can be highly detrimental to them, however, You have to wait until your child shows signs of readiness before you go ahead with the training. If you try to force it early, it will be a very frustrating process for both you and your child.

There is no universal age when you can say ‘My child is ready’. It goes without saying that every child is different.

As for my own children, my first daughter was staying dry at night from 18 months. My other daughter, however, gave me absolutely no signs of wanting to use the potty until she had turned two and a half.

Generally, kids should be ready around the age of two / two and a half years. Girls tend to be able to train earlier than boys do. Boys are often able to control the urine but have more problems with bowel control.

These are the common signs that your child could be ready for using the potty:

• Bowel movements occur at about the same time during the day
• Soiling is more predictable
• Your toddler stays dry for a couple of hours at a time
• He or she often wakes up from sleep dry
• The child begins to talk about the potty
• Ability to tell you when they have a dirty diaper.
• Understanding the connection between the soiled diaper and using the potty.
• Signs of an interest in the bathroom and attempts to use the toilet.
• Has fewer wet diapers, which means your toddler’s bowels and bladder have better holding capacity.
• The child shows an urge to urinate with gestures or facial expressions.
• Displays motor skills like walking, open doors, and pull up/pull down clothes.
• An ability to say “no” as a sense of independence.
  

Potty training

These signs show that your toddler is ready to start with potty training. But what about you? Are you prepared?

Successful potty training begins with the right preparation. Here is how to go about it:

Pick up the right time: Do not start training when your baby is likely to be stressed. For example, during times such as moving to a new house or when new people are around. You can also schedule toilet training according to the season. Summer is probably the best time of the year as your kid is wearing less clothing. Cleaning any mess will be easier.

Start before a  weekend: Use the three days of a weekend for potty training. Cancel any social appointments so that you can be at home with the kid and focus only on potty training.

Have the supplies handy: Pre-stock yourself with wet and dry tissues, extra clothes for your kid, and some emergency diapers just in case. The extra clothes will come handy if your toddler is unable to control his bladder or bowel movements at the first time.

Get the potty chair: Go potty chair shopping together with your toddler and explain the purpose of it. Tell him that he will pee and poop in the potty chair. Use words like: ‘your potty chair,’ ‘big boy/girl,’ etc., to give the child a sense of pride and responsibility.

Have a trial go a day or two before the actual training begins: A day before the actual training, dress your kid in an oversized T-shirt for a few hours. Ask him to tell you when he wants to urinate or defecate and keep an eye on the child to gauge his/her behavior. If you sense that the toddler has to use the toilet but is unable to express, put on the diaper right away.

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source https://mammahealth.com/potty-training/