Important Points for a Successful Potty Training

Potty training should not be an exasperating moment for both the parent and the child. As a parent, you know it's not easy to potty train your child. Sometimes it's even more frustrating for the child himself. You need to learn important things that are necessary to obtain a successful potty training.

These things include whether your child is ready to potty trained, which time is the best to begin it, and the most fun way to potty training.

Read the details below:

Pre-Potty Training

Before starting to potty train your child, it's best to get to know about the things that can make potty training successful. You can call it pre-potty training, which means finding out and recognizing the signs whether your child is ready for the training or not.

These signs include:

• The ability to hold urine for long periods of time
• The ability to follow 1-2 directions at a time
• Knows when urination or bowels movements are about to start

When he shows these signs, it means you may start the training now. During this time -or better earlier- you need to set up a plan for the training process. Though there are some different opinions of how to potty train, it's important that you choose the best method most effective for you, your child, and the family.

Things to Know About Potty Training

Wait until your child is ready.

"A lot of parents think their child should be trained by such and such an age," says Peter Stavinoha, PhD, author of Stress-Free Potty Training. "But potty training is a process." Start slow, and to pique interest, let your child watch you use the bathroom, let her pick out underwear decorated with her favorite character, and cheer her on if she does use the potty.
Look for the signs.

When is it time to consider the Spider-Man underwear? Some good indicators are that he can stay dry for several hours; has regular, predictable bowel movements; asks that a dirty diaper be changed; and shows interest in the bathroom. Jennifer Macchiarola's 2-year-old Brian recently began to say "pee pee," so she started putting him on the toilet. "His two older sisters and I make a really big deal out of it and cheer for him," says the mom of three from Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

Every child is different.

"[Potty training] is a normal process of development," says Mark Wolraich, MD, a pediatrician in Oklahoma City and the author of the American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Toilet Training. "When it occurs varies from child to child." Push it and you might end up back at square one, he warns. Just ask Erika Riley, a mom of three from Minneapolis: "My biggest regret was listening to my mother instead of taking readiness cues from my own son," she says. Riley's mother bought Griffin, then 2, a potty seat, but his interest in it waxed and waned, until Riley let it go altogether. "My son wore a Pull-Up until he was two months shy of his fourth birthday," Riley says. "Then, over the course of a weekend, he decided he was ready to use the potty." Griffin is now 5 and has never had an accident, Riley says.

Potty Training Do's and Don'ts

Do Start Talking About the Potty Early

Get your child accustomed to the potty well before she's ready to train; it'll make it easier when she is ready because the potty won't seem odd to her. Let her sit on the toilet while you are showering or getting dressed. At around 18 months, start reading her books about potty training. Choose books with vocabulary you're comfortable with or that has a character your child knows and can relate to, like Dora or Elmo.

Don't Have Unrealistic Expectations

Experts agree that children will potty train when they are ready and no sooner. "Just because you want your child to potty train, that doesn't mean it's going to happen if it's not on your child's developmental or emotional agenda," explains Lisa Asta, M.D., a clinical professor of pediatrics at University of California, San Francisco, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "It's a natural process. You can't force it." So don't expect your 15-month-old to be trained, and don't rush your first child into saying goodbye to diapers just because you have a second child on the way. And don't fix a timeline for how long it should take your child to train -- some kids potty train in three days; others take a week. "Putting a child on the potty too early often just frustrates the child and the parents and makes what should be a quick and easy process much more difficult," says Scott J. Goldstein, M.D., a pediatrician at The Northwestern Children's Practice in Chicago. In fact, adding extra stress on you and your child by trying to fit potty training into a time frame may only prolong the process.

Potty Training Problems and Solutions

Fearful Start

Problem: Your child is ready to potty train but seems scared.
Solution: Your toddler can feel intimidated by the big task of learning how to use the bathroom. Make her excited to use the big-girl toilet by purchasing "special" underwear, establishing incentives or rewards for successful bathroom trips, and asking teachers or day-care providers for their support. By encouraging her independence, you reassure her that she is ready to leave diapers behind.

Can't Get Through the Night

Problem: Your child wets the bed at night.
Solution: If bed-wetting is a repeat occurrence, try waking up your toddler to use the bathroom one to two hours after going to sleep. Keep the potty-training toilet out and add night-lights in the bedroom and bathroom to make middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom easier for him.

Accident-Prone

Problem: Your child has accidents during the day.
Solution: As he adjusts to making bathroom trips, your child might have an accident or two. Stay calm when it happens and don't punish him. Instead, be prepared for accidents by keeping absorbent underwear and a change of clothing on hand. Try setting a routine schedule of bathroom trips, which will help in the potty-training process.