It is a magical moment the first time the thought crosses your mind that your toddler may be ready to be potty trained.
Imagine! No more diapers!
Before you get too far in this fantasy, you'll want to check with reality and determine if your child is truly ready to begin toilet training. Why is this important? Not checking for potty training readiness signs before starting toilet training is probably the biggest mistake parents make concerning potty training.
If your child is not physically and emotionally ready to train, you will be setting up both you and your child for frustration and disappointment. And possibly delaying completion of training for weeks, months, even years.
I know. This happened to me when training my first child. He wasn't ready but I was! What I learned is potty training is not about the parent's convenience, it's about the toddler and his needs.
Let's look at some common potty training readiness signs you can look for in your child.
- Nap time dryness.
Does your toddler ever wake up from a nap dry? If so, this is an excellent readiness sign. To be ready for toilet training, your toddler will need to be able to hold her urine for at least two hours; longer is even better.
By the way, most of the time, urine training comes before bowel movement mastery. There are exceptions, of course, but often that's the way it works for kids.
Try taking your child to the potty right after those dry naps. If you can catch his potty in the potty chair, you'll help him get the idea.
- Asking to be changed.
Does your toddler ask to have her diaper changed when wet or soiled? Does she seem uncomfortable in wet diapers? Do you ever find her removing her used diaper?
All of these are readiness signs. Take note of how often they occur and how regularly. (See my author's resource box for a potty readiness log you can use.) See if you can identify your toddler's physical and facial cues before wetting or soiling. This information will help you get her on the potty at the appropriate times.
- Being cooperative.
Does your toddler genuinely want to please you? Your child will need to be in a mostly cooperative mood to train well.
This is a tricky readiness sign. After all, toddlers are not known to be cooperative people! If your child is truly belligerent or stubborn, you'll want to improve upon that before potty training.
Also take a look at the level of stress in your home. If it's too chaotic or undergoing tremendous change, it is best to put off toilet training until things calm down.
- Big boys and big girls.
Is your toddler excited to be growing up? Is that a favorite topic of conversation? He'll need to be eager to "be a big boy" to be ready to potty train.
This is an area you can definitely work to your advantage. If you've got an independent soul who wants to do everything "by myself", you can let him know repeatedly that you've got the perfect task for him to do - all by himself.
It's called potty training.
In summary, this is not an exhaustive list of potty training readiness cues, but it will get you started.
Take note of your child in relation to this list for a couple of weeks. If several of these signs are regular and consistent, you probably have a child ready to be trained. The more readiness cues your toddler displays, the better.
Be excited when talking to your child about these signs so she can catch your enthusiasm about the potty training process. Do your research, gather your supplies and clear your schedule for your initial toilet training event.
And yes, it is time for you to get excited. Your child is getting ready to leave diapers behind!
Colleen Langenfeld has potty trained four kids and has a free potty readiness log for you. Toilet train faster using her reward charts and creative ideas plus uncover more about potty training readiness by visiting her website today.
