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POTTY TRAINING YOUR CHILD

It is sometimes hard for parents to know when their child is ready for potty training. There are no set rules and every child is different. Some will catch on with lightning speed while others will need much more time. I remember when my son (now 24) first started with potty training. He had a few successes with the bowel movements and quite a few misses when it came to urinating in the potty. Since we had planned on going to our summer cabin for a few weeks I decided that maybe we should put off all of the potty training until we returned from our vacation. It just seemed like too much of an effort to keep it up especially since our cabin was quite rustic (only an outhouse no indoor toilet) I did not pack his potty but decided to use pull ups instead of diapers. When we got to the cabin and were starting to get settled I asked my husband to take my son for a walk in the woods while I prepared dinner. When my husband returned 20 minutes later with this big grin on his face I had to ask what had brought that on. Apparently my two-year-old son had observed his Dad weeing in the woods so to speak and had to give it a try himself with great success. Watching his Dad had tweaked something in my son and he understood what the concept was all about. After that he would only go in the big toilet, standing like his Father.

Generally speaking when your child is able to communicate that his/her diaper is dirty or can tell you that they need to go potty you know they are ready to give it a good try. This can occur anywhere from 18-24 months but some children may still need to wear diapers at 3 years of age. A dry diaper in the morning is usually a pretty good indicator that your child is physically ready to try potty training. Keep in mind that you must be able to devote enough time and energy yourself in order for your child to be successful.

You can help prepare your child for toilet training by allowing your child in the bathroom when you use the toilet. Let them see bowel movements and urination in the toilet and you can even let them have the fun of flushing the toilet and hearing the sound it makes. Even before toilet training begins get a special potty for your child and help him/her personalize it with colourful stickers. Place it in the area where your child plays so they will get comfortable with it being there. Allow them to touch it and familiarize themselves with it. You can get your child to sit on it with their clothes on in the beginning. Tell them it is their special chair to sit on but never force them. Once they become accustomed to sitting on it fully clothed you can let them sit on it without pants or a diaper. Once they get used to that you can take some of the stool from the diaper and place it in the potty. Let your child watch you transfer the bowel movement into the toilet and let them flush it down and watch it disappear.

Learn to watch for signs that your child needs to use the potty. You can usually tell by facial expressions or if your child suddenly stops what they are doing. Place your child on the potty at regular intervals. Consistency is key. Every one in a half to two hours is usually sufficient. Keep in mind that the average child will have a bowel movement once a day about an hour after eating and will need to urinate about an hour after a large drink.

Keep your child company while they are on the potty. You can talk to them or read them stories or sing, whatever helps them relax. Never show disappointment if they don’t urinate or have a bowel movement. It is imperative that you have patience with your child and constantly offer encouragement but never force them to go if your child has other ideas. Never scold your child if they have an accident because that is part of the learning process.

Keep in mind that it may take up to three months to fully potty train your child and if they are not successful after that it may just mean they are not ready.

By Monicka

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