This is an average age and for some children this might be too early. If you feel your child is too young or not ready then don’t push it. Don’t feel pressured because your children’s friends are potty trained already. Let your child find his or her own pace, rushing into potty training can be traumatic for your child and frustrating for you.

Talking About Potty Training

One of the most important potty training concepts that is often neglected or short lived. Talking to your child about potty training is one of the most important parts and will help to prepare your child for the whole process. Your toddler is naturally curious and explaining everyday things to your child will be just as fascinating as learning a new game.

When changing your child’s diaper explain the process. You are taking off the wet diaper because he or she peed or pooped in it. Now you are putting on a new one. Ask your toddler if it feels nice to have a new diaper.

When you need to go to the bathroom explain what you are about to do. That mommy and daddy both need to use the toilet and one day your little one will too. Keep bringing up the topic of potty training at moments like this to prepare your child for the idea that using the toilet is normal and natural.

The Potty

Another one of the important potty training concepts is to let your child feel that the potty is special and belongs to him or her. To mark the occasion you could wrap the potty and tell your child it is a special present. Let your child get used to the potty and explain clearly what it is for.

One of the potty training concepts that you should keep in mind is that small steps are best rather than giant leaps. Let your child play with the potty and then introduce the idea of using it as a toilet slowly. Explain that this is a how big girl and boy go to the toilet and then you can slowly move your child to using a regular toilet with a seat adaptor.

Potty Training Children: Learning From Experience

You have already been educated in Child Development. Still, however, the prospect of potty training many children at the same time is exceedingly daunting to you, as it would any other professional. So, what you need to do is devise a plan, and one that has full cooperation of each child’s parents.

Begin by calling a parent meeting. In it, go around, and ask each parent how they intend to potty train their children. Unfortunately, some children’s parents might expect you to do everything, which is simply not acceptable. What you need to do is make a plan that each family can generally follow.

For example, if you have five children in your care, and you need to help potty train each of the children, you should make it a kind of game. Each child should have his or her very own potty. You could even take it a step further by having each child decorate the front of their potty. It might sound silly, but it is one way to have the children take an active interest in the process.

When it comes to the participation of the parents, you must ensure that they cooperate at home entirely. Some working parents become too tired to remember to remind their child to go to the potty. The result is a dirty training diaper, more of a mess to clean up, and a generally nonproductive situation.

So, make sure that each parent agrees to take the child to the potty before dinner, after dinner, and right before the child’s bedtime. While you are taking care of the children, make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for teach child to visit the potty whenever he or she feels the urge.

Make a group activity out of it when you are potty training the children. When a child successfully asks to go to the potty and does something in the potty, the children could all shout their congratulations.

This will teach them to support each other, and also it serves as a reward to each child who goes to the potty. So, with creativity and cooperation, you are sure to make the process of potty training the children in your care a successful one.

This is when they will need to come up with some answers pretty quick in order to rectify the situation. Sometimes, they may resort to bribing the toddler that in the jargon is known as tangible reinforcement and which can, in some instances; act as motivation that gets the toddler to learn their potty training.

Encourage the Child

There are also potty training charts that can be used to potty train children and these charts also provide varied results and unless the parent shows enough commitment and consistency in using charts and stickers, they may not get the desired results. What’s more, you as a parent must use potty training chart only when there is need to encourage the child to learn their potty training.

You must also be clear about how you are going to use the potty training chart. In addition, you must inform the rest of your family about the rules that must be enforced and also choose a potty training chart that is right for the rules you wish to enforce.

Next, you need to make a call as to what sticker your toddler will receive and for which action. In addition, also decide whether it is correct to give them a reward at the end of the training session, and also decide on the type of reward which should not be sweets or junk food because they will only make matters worse rather than better.

The use of a potty training chart can prove to be beneficial if you also let the child know why they are getting stickers and what they must do once they get one. You should be sure about whether you are trying to record and document the progress that the child is making or whether it is meant to reinforce (positively) the correct behavior of the potty training child. In any case, it is necessary that parents be fair as well as consistent otherwise the whole exercise of using a potty training chart can prove to be very unsuccessful.

The bottom line is that different methods of using a potty training chart will provide different results in different children. So, even if you do not succeed at your first attempt when using a potty training chart, you must persevere and even make suitable changes to the chart and then make a fresh attempt at potty training your toddler with a new potty training chart.

It can also make the whole thing less intimidating. You want your child to be as relaxed as possible when you start potty training and potty training chairs are ideal for this, they can be personalized and played with well in advance of the actual potty training.

Chair vs. Seat

There is a debate between the practicality of potty training chairs and potty training seats. The logic seems to be that since children will have to eventually use the grown up toilet anyway why not get them used to it right away. Although this argument does have its merits there are also a few drawbacks to this method.

A child can feel intimidated by using an adult toilet even with a fun and colorful toilet training seat in place. A potty chair that is just the right size for your toddler to sit on is much easier to ease your child into. Your child can spend time getting comfortable sitting on the chair with books or toys without danger of falling or the toilet lid closing on him or her.

Some potties also come designed in such a way that it includes a lid that can eventually be fixed to the toilet. This would be a great one to look out for if you don’t want the extra expense of a toilet seat later on. Potty training chairs now come in a number of designs. From the traditional wooden chair with a removable bowl to miniature toilets that will help your child prepare for using the real thing.

Choose the design based on your child’s needs and likes. Let your child go shopping for the potty with you so that they can choose the one they like. The color and design is just as important as the function of the potty. If your child likes the potty they are more likely to use it willingly.

Prep your child for using potty training chairs by letting them sit on the potty without a diaper on and explain to them what to do. You can carry out this exercise after meals or nap time when a bodily function is likely to take place.

Learn to Sit Your Boy Down

Taking tips from other parents is one of the simplest ways to begin potty training boys though at the same time you must also be ready to accept that worked in the case of other little boys may not always work out the same way with your little one. What’s more, potty training boys is sometimes not at all an easy task and to get off on the right note, you should first of all get your little boy to learn to sit down because you don’t want him to stand up before it is the proper time for him to do so.

Another useful potty training boys’ tip is to get them started with potty chairs. You also must not be surprised if your little boy shows initial fear of doing their potty because obviously it is a new thing for them to experience. The sights and sounds as well as new areas could scare them till they are taught to accept these things without being scared of their potty or the toilet.

The next step in potty training boys is ensuring that the little boy has become comfortable with using his potty chair after which it is time to make the transition to showing them how to use the main toilet. Remember also that proper potty training boys requires giving boys enough time to pace their own learning and often when they are allowed to use the main toilet their interest in potty training will rise because they will begin to feel more excited at using a “big toilet”.

Now is the time to make another switch and get your boy to use the main toilet though at the same time you need to enforce the need to continue making him sit when using the toilet. If it becomes necessary, you must not hold back from holding your boy up till he understands how to do it on his own. Once he shows that he can control himself and do the basic things on his own, it is then the right time to show him how to urinate while standing up.

This part of potty training boys is best left to the father or another male family person because they will understand what is required. One last thing that you should take into account with regard to potty training boys is the fact that you must always encourage your boy even if it means he fails in the first and subsequent attempts, because this is just one more aspect to the entire training process. Though there are many difficulties to contend with while potty training boys, in the end, with patience and commitment you should be able to teach your little boy the correct means of using the toilet.

Potty Training Books: They Are Not for the Faint of Heart

If you are the kind of person who relies more on visuals than the written word, then perhaps potty training books are not for you. Many of the potty training books can actually be quite dense, so you might do better to watch educational videos online.

If you are the kind of person who loves to read and analyze things, then you will definitely find the potty training books available very helpful. Most of the potty training books have been written by medical professionals, such as nurses, and they will give you ideas on how to approach the situation with structure.

So, what are you to do if you books are not your way of learning? In the old days, you would be in quite the predicament. However, now the internet has come along, and with it a lot of different advice websites dedicated to process of potty training.

However, you will find that each website will approach the issue of potty training with a different technique. So, it will be up to you to figure out what method will work the best for your child.

When it comes to this aspect, it is important to note that no amount of preparation on your part can truly prepare you for how your child might react. Each child is different, and as such you are going to need to have structure, yet at the same time let the child explore the situation independently.

A child will not be cooperative if the child feels that it is being forced into the potty training process. You need to gradually introduce the child to the potty, so that the child can assess the situation for his or herself.

By nature, children do not like to be in messy diapers. Thus, it should come as no surprise to you that the child might actually be receptive to potty training. What you will need to do not matter what is approach the situation with an upbeat attitude, and of course with a lot of patience.

Potty Training Aid #1: Music

In your experience as a parent, you have probably noticed that children respond readily to music. Thus, it should come as no surprise to you that music makes a great potty training aid. When it comes time for the child to use the potty, play a favorite songs of theirs and sing along. The result is a child who is excited to use the potty!

Potty Training Aid #2: Stuffed Animals

As children get older, they treasure several toys above others. Some toys are for playing with, while others are for sleeping with. How about you find a specific stuffed animal that is used for a potty training aid? Whenever the child does not want to go on the potty, have the stuffed animal come out and encourage the child in funny voices. This will make the child laugh and just go with the process.

Potty Training Aid #3: Healthy Treats

It used to be that parents would bribe their children to use the potty with treats like candy. While those treats are favorites with children, they are also very unhealthy. So you should get your child excited about healthier treats like fruits and yogurt. These incentives provide a healthy and fun reward for successful potty training sessions.

For More Information on Potty Training Aids

The market for children’s developmental toys and technology is steadily growing. Thus, it should come as no surprise that now a parent can even get a child a potty with toys and music included! Indeed, potty training techniques have take a turn for the better with new gadgets such as these.

If you would like to try some of these new technological techniques while potty training your child, you should first be aware that the majority of them are not inexpensive. Additionally some of the gadgets might work, while others might be a disappointment.

In order to make a more informed decision, first visit some of the websites of the known reputable stores that sell these new technological aids. There should be product reviews from parents like yourself who have tried them. Thus, with the proper research, you are sure to find ways to make the potty training experience a stress-free one.

Child’s Age Does Not Count For So Much

Contrary to what you may have been told by others, or what you believe to be true, the least important factor as far as deciding upon what the right potty training age is, is the child’s own age. What is far more important in this regard is to obtain enough knowledge and become well acquainted with the proper as well as key methods and techniques to be used in successfully potty training your child.

Another key factor that can help you decide on what the proper potty training age is, is to research all aspects of getting started with potty training your child. There is, in fact, a lot of useful information available online which may point to needing to start to potty train a child once they have reached two years of age as being the proper potty training age. Furthermore, you will also need to use cloth diapers rather than disposables once you begin the potty training.

Other pieces of advice and information that you will come across when it concerns potty training age is being told that girls potty train more easily than boys and that it is also better to potty train during the summer months because it could make potty training easier.

In fact, once you have decided on when the proper potty training age for your child has arrived, you must then entrust the task of potty training your child to just one parent who must then remain totally focused on the task. In addition, it is not recommended that you use pressure tactics in order to teach potty training to your child because it must be made a fun activity rather than become an unpleasant chore.

Besides determining what the most appropriate potty training age is, you should also be ready to do all that is required to properly potty train your child. Your mindset should be one that puts the child’s welfare above everything else and you must also create an environment that is harmonious for the potty training sessions and finally you must also be totally dedicated to the cause.

Don’t Rush Through the Process

No doubt, it must be the fervent wish of each parent to get the potty training over and done with as soon as possible and so, in their hurry to finish the exercise as soon as possible, they may not pay heed to such sound potty training advice. However, they will soon come to realize that what they thought was the quickest way to teach potty training to their children actually will turn out to be a bum ride and it would only end up forcing them to start all over again.

The fact of the matter is that such potty training advice has a lot of merit to it, especially after you come to realize that children (no matter what age they are) will pick up things much faster when conditions they live in are consistent as well as positive. A parent that shows consistency to their children will prevent the child from following a wayward path and in the process they will also signal to the child that it is not OK to get things wrong.

Half the battle can be won through following this simple piece of potty training advice because it will help your child understand what they should do. It will also allow them to realize what is expected of them by their parents and this in turn will help them achieve quicker and better results as far as their potty training routine goes.

A parent that remains consistent from day one of the potty training process till the very end will see positive results and thus benefit immensely from having followed this simple potty training advice. It of course also means deciding at the very outset which steps are needed to be followed in order to facilitate better learning on the part of the child, and in addition, you must also get those who are assisting you with the potty training to understand which steps have to be followed so that there is no break in the consistency of routines being taught.

If you heed such potty training advice, you will find that you won’t spend quite as much time in cleaning up your child’s mess. In fact, you will actually see positive results a lot sooner and thus will get suitable reward for all the effort that you have put in.

Why They Happen

You may have little memory of being two or three years old.  But keep in mind that at this age, a simple trip to the barber may be a completely new experience!  You may feel that you have lost progress when a child suddenly has an accident, but occasional potty training accidents are all part of the process.  It may have nothing to do with the success of your technique, but may be the child’s reaction to a relatively minor change, like a trip to a relative’s house or a birthday party.

The Do’s And Don’ts

When these accidents happen, there are few things to keep in mind.  As with many other challenges in child rearing, a positive attitude is the best weapon against potty training accidents.  Try to remove the emphasis from the potty training accident itself and place it on making more progress and remembering successes.  Positive feedback that a child can process effectively is a much more important tool than making negative statements.  Celebrating another dry night and asking which sticker do they want as a reward is much easier to process than reminding them that they keep on wetting themselves.

Keep Them Involved

There are so many products available now tailored to your needs.  But remember your needs come after the child’s!  When shopping for products in your quest to deal with potty training accidents, keep your child involved in the decision making process.  Do they want pull-ups at night, when potty training can be trickier?  Which character do they want?  Simply knowing that they’re wearing their favorite character may help them keep potty training front and center in their minds.

Regressing

If potty training accidents suddenly start happening with frequency, look to external factors to try and diagnose the situation.  The child may be experiencing a health issue like a urinary tract infection or constipation that they may be unable to verbalize.  Keep the lines of communication open by asking your child calmly and non-judgmentally about what’s going on.  They may be putting off going to the toilet because they do not know how to deal with an unfamiliar condition.

Another common reason for regression is the arrival of a sibling.  Many couples these days choose to space their kids by about two years.  Of course, two is primo potty training time, and you may see a surge in potty training accidents upon the arrival of a newcomer who is suddenly absorbing all parental attention.  Respond to this situation with understanding.  Remain firm about your shared goals for potty training, but take time to discuss what’s going on and give them a chance to talk about their thoughts.