Want to know how to get your child to tell you when they need to use the potty? This guide is here to help.
As you know, many parents struggle with the ideal time to start training their young children. That's because each child has their own personality, which means that not everyone may be ready to learn at the same age.
Therefore, the best way to start potty training your baby is to first watch for signs of readiness. Signs like stopping an activity for a while and holding the diaper can be a clear indication that your child needs to be potty trained.
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Signs that your baby might be ready to be potty trained
For most parents, they start training their children depending on their age. While this may be appropriate to a degree, it's not the standard way to do it.
Remember that children develop differently, regardless of age. Thus, you may find a child who is mentally and physically far ahead of his age peers and vice versa.
This means that watching your child's cues is still the best way to tell if he's ready to start potty training. Below are some of the common signs to watch for and understand if your baby is ready to be potty trained.
- Change fewer wet diapers
This should be the first sign for any child that they are ready to start potty training. This is because children urinate frequently up to 20 months.
So if your little one is able to stay dry for longer hours than before, it could be an indication that he's ready to ditch the diaper. You might even notice it at bedtime if they wake up dry after a full night's sleep.
- predictable bowel movements
Just like your sleeping and eating patterns, your child's bowel movements can also be predicted. And when you can accurately understand your child's bowel movements, then that's a clear signal to start training him.
With that awareness, you'll know exactly when to set the potty up for them to use. As a result, the potty training process also becomes easier and more effective.
- Understand the language of the bathroom.
As with most things, your child will first choose the language of your family's bathroom. They can start to understand this language before you even think about training them.
If they show such a sign, you can take the opportunity and go with their flow. This can end up making the process easier and more straightforward because they are already interested in the topic.
- You can put down disposable diapers, underwear or training pants.
Once your son understands the simple steps to undressing, starting to train him may not be a bad idea. Please note that the presence of a potty will not help at all if they do not have this correct act.
And if they've already started with just undressing, potty training will certainly be a good start.
- despising dirty diapers
Let's face it, most kids put dirt away for a while before changing it out. Some children do not feel uncomfortable with the situation at all, which in some way can contribute to their being left alone.
However, not all toddlers like or can ignore the messy, brittle feeling of wearing a dirty diaper. With that, they end up demanding to be changed and this can happen even when they help each other.
So if your child starts displaying this behavior, understand that he is growing up and dismiss the idea of feeling dirty and heavy. Therefore, this becomes a clear indication that it is time to start training them.
If your child begins to show some or all of the signs explained above, it may be time to start potty training. For most children, these signs begin to appear between 18 and 24 months of age.
However, some may be ready later or even before this window, as explained above. and according toChildrenHealth, boys often show symptoms later and take longer to learn to use the potty than girls.
Keep in mind that your child also needs time off from potty training to avoid overwhelming him with the idea. For example, you can postpone the training process during the following scenarios:
- excursions
- Changing from cot to bed
- Disease
- When they have a newborn brother
How to start potty training if your child is ready
Once you have verified that your child shows the signs detailed above, potty training becomes the next step. Here, we'll look at some tips to help you get started potty training your child.
- Choose a suitable potty
Knowing the type of potty your child needs is an essential part of potty training. This is because you will be able to give them what they want, which will make the initial stages of the training process easier.
- Use dressings for ready-to-use documents
For optimal effectiveness of the potty training process, be sure to dress your baby in potty-ready clothing. This means that your baby should be wearing easily removable pants, and putting them back on should be an easy task as well.
- Use pull-ups
Switching to pull-ups is also another great way to ensure your child has a successful potty training process. Push-ups can be removed instead of being dragged to baby's feet, preventing inconvenience in case of accidents.
The only notable drawback to wearing pull-ups is that they wick away moisture, something that won't bother your child. When this happens, the potty training process can easily end up slowing down.
- use patience
It goes without saying that your baby needs all the patience you can give her throughout the potty training process. Therefore, she must be patient with them no matter how many times she removes her puddles from anywhere in the house.
When you are patient with your child, be sure to periodically remind him to use the potty during the day. It shouldn't be a forced effort, but rather let them know politely and make the whole process feel as natural as possible.
- Let it hit bottom
Allowing your child to be naked is also another effective way of potty training. When you do this, it can learn your body's signals and give you a signal that it wants to pee.
- do not force
One problem that many parents end up doing is trying to force their children to be potty trained. If you notice that your child isn't ready to be potty trained, even if he shows all the signs, don't force him to do it.
Instead, you can re-address the problem after a while while continuing to wear diapers.
- give them drinks
One potty training mistake most parents make is denying their children drinks to avoid messing things up. On the other hand, drinks are actually very beneficial during this process.
This is because the more fluids your child drinks, the greater the need to urinate. When that happens, you can seize the opportunity and periodically show them how and where to let it go.
- appreciate your efforts
Because they are learning something new, parents should praise their young children every time they see successful progress. This will not only make them happy, but they will want to do it more often to see you proud of them.
So you need to get in on the action and start showing them that it's fun to use the potty whenever they want.
How long does potty training take?
For most children, it takes 3-6 months to make a successful transition from diapers to potty. However, the amount of time may still be longer or shorter than this period depending on various factors.
This is in line withChildrenHealth, and even suggest that if you rush into potty training your child, the process tends to take much longer.what to expectit also suggests that you should prepare for night training.
This is because most children begin to dry out completely at night between the ages of 5 and 7. So you should prepare yourself with disposable duvets and nighttime training pants just to be on the safe side.
Different types of potties for your child's learning process
Basically, there are two main types of potties that you can use to potty train your child. Below is a brief summary of them:
- Freestanding, Child-Sized Potty – This is the most common and has a chair and a removable bowl that can be emptied after use.
- Toddler Sized Seat – This is basically an extension potty seat that can be placed on top of the toilet seat. It allows your child to feel safe on the toilet and go about their business naturally.
One thing you will need when using the child seat is a step stool to help your child safely and comfortably reach the seat. Potties are very convenient for many occasions, and it would be better to take them with you even when you are traveling.
potty training pants
Potty training your child is a process that usually takes place throughout the day and most often at home. So what happens overnight or while traveling?
Are you wearing diapers again? Fortunately, you don't have to, because such an action would only prolong and disturb the potty training process.
This is where training pants come in to address these issues and ensure a smooth potty training process. Training pants are very helpful during the transition from diaper to underwear during this learning period.
Keep in mind that your child's bowel and bladder control is not as effective at night as it is during the day. Therefore, training pants are the best alternatives for nighttime potty training.
In addition, training pants are also very useful when you are out and about with your child and not near a potty. If your child manages to stay completely dry while wearing the training pants, it won't be difficult to change into underwear.
potty training tips
After potty training your child, the next step is potty training. However, he does not rush into this idea until he is sure that he has fully mastered potty training.
Here are some tips to help your baby learn to use the toilet. Keep in mind that the tips may be similar to potty training, but can help you get good results.
- Use toilet-related words like 'pee,' 'poop,' or potty
- Ask them to tell you if the diaper is dirty.
- Look at them to see if you can indicate an urge to poop.
- Get a potty for your child to sit on when on the toilet
- Create a routine schedule for potty training
- As with potty training, be sure not to force this idea on them. Instead, let it happen naturally by using verbal cues and communicating with them.
- You should also avoid clothing that is difficult to remove, such as in potty training.
- Finally, give your child a hand every time you see him improve.
Conclusion
There you have it, how to get your child to tell you when they need to go potty. As you have seen, it is not an easy process, but it is not impossible either.
Remember that your child is also going through important changes at this age. So being patient with them helps them gain significant momentum.
Be sure not to force them to use the potty, as this only makes the process more difficult and longer. Every child is different and understanding your toddler should be the first step in the potty training process.
To make it more effective and fun, your child should see it as a natural process. This will not only attract them, but also speed up the training process.