Ready to get rid of the diapers and jump into the big kid world? Oh yes, I'm talking about potty training. This can be the most joyous and frustrating time with your child. The best way to approach is with patience and understanding. The most important thing to know is that potty training happens when the child is ready. Most children aren't ready to around 2 years old. If you start too early then the process may take longer then expected, so you have to ask yourself "Is my child ready for potty training?". Here are some help questions from mayoclinic.com to find out if you child is ready:
Does your child seem interested in the potty chair or toilet, or in wearing underwear?
Can your child understand and follow basic directions?
Can your child ask simple questions?
Does your child stay dry for periods of two hours or longer during the day?
Does he or she wake for naps dry? -Does you child have fairly predictable bowel movements?
Does your child tell you when he or she need to potty or poop?
Is your child uncomfortable in wet or diapers?
Can you child pull down his or her pants and pull them up again?
As a parent, both boy and girl, I can tell this is a challenge. Also it was very different potty training my son and daughter. My son could care less if he was wet, dry, or if he pooped. I would always ask him does he need to go potty and I got the same answer every time "no". Then one day I notice him in the corner going potty in his pull up. He would not go to the bathroom, but he would go in the corner. So I decided to put the potty chair in the corner where the magic was happening. I realize that he wanted to be alone but in a familiar place. Eventually I started moving the potty chair closer and closer to that bathroom until finally one day his dad said try the big boy chair (the toilet). He was excited because he felt his was a big boy and that the potty chair was not his anymore.
Now when it was time to start potty training my daughter it went smoother than with my son. She did not like to be wet at all, if she went potty in her diaper she would take it off. I knew right then it was her turn. So I would sit her on the potty chair and she did not like that, she wanted to go to the bathroom like her big brother. The problem is that she would not poop on the toilet, but she would still take the diaper off. So I had to do the reward system with her. If she potty on the toilet she would get 1 piece of candy and if she would poop on the toilet then she would get 2 pieces of candy. That worked out great because I don't give my kids candy often so she loved it. Here are some more tips from www.mayoclinic.com.
Pull out the equipment
Schedule potty breaks
Get there - fast
Consider incentives
Be consistent
Ditch the diapers
Treat mistakes lightly
Know when to call it quits
Venita McGee
Venita McGee writes on business, home and family, and economic realted issues. You can learn more by visiting my blog, NeeNee Views http://neeneeviews.blogspot.com.
