I am definitely no expert in potty training but here’s a few tips that I learnt along the way which you may find helpful.
First of all, it’s a good idea to consider if your toddler is even ready to embark on the potty training journey. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine signs of readiness:
Does your toddler let you know when they’ve soiled their nappy?
Is your toddler curious about what’s going on every time you use the toilet?
Do they try and remove their own soiled nappies?
If you answered yes to any of those questions it might well be time to start thinking about potty training. So, let’s get into it.
Buy a Potty / toilet training seat
Ok, so this is an obvious one but buying a potty, even well in advance before your toddler is ready, can help familiarize your little one with this new object. Just letting them see the potty around the house, sitting on it or playing with it is a nice gentle introduction into the next chapter of toddlerhood.
Try modelling how teddy uses the potty or if you think the potty isn’t working out, why not try a toilet training seat with or without attached steps. If nothing is working, don’t fret, it may just mean that you need to put the learning on hold for now and come back to the drawing board in a few weeks.
Potty related books
Next up, buying your toddler a book about potty training can help your child relate to characters in the story and learn about how to go about mastering the technique.
There are lots of options out there but if you’re looking for something simple yet interactive and educational I would highly recommend: ‘No more Nappies: A Potty Training Book’ by Campbell books . It’s part of a series of highly rated ‘Big Steps’ books which introduces the concept of sitting on the potty or toilet in a fun and considerate way with flaps to open and enjoy!
Modelling going to the potty
As well as using toys to model going to the potty, don’t overlook how much of an impression you, as their parent, can make on your child when you go to the toilet yourself.
A lot of times, children learn by observing what we do rather than by following instructions. I’ve seen first hand how my daughter loves to be included in adult activities such as drinking tea or doing the laundry so its only natural that going to the toilet was next on the list.
I always managed to get a few laughs when I sat down on the potty and mimicked some toilet related sounds. So even if it starts off as a bit of a joke at first, at least you’ll get them interested.
Let them run wild and free
Ok, so I know that this tip isn’t possible to follow in all weather climates but, in case you do live somewhere warm or if by chance summer has rolled around, this is the perfect opportunity to give your little one the freedom to walk around without a nappy and go to the potty when nature calls.
Though some people recommend that toddlers at least wear some underwear to start with, I noticed that every time my toddler wore her big girl pants it gave her a nappy-like sensation and false sense of safety.
So, we’ve started off with little one walking around butt naked while at home and wearing nappies at night or during naps. We’re working our way towards tackling the underwear stage a little later.
Positive encouragement
As with all learning curves, it’s natural that there are going to be some bumps in the road so going into this expecting to see puddles of pee on the floor will set you up realistically.
And that’s normal. When adults learn anything new, it takes quite a lot of trial and error until we finally get the hang of things so don’t worry it’s all part of the process.
If you’re feeling relaxed and unfazed, your little one is going to sense that and feel more relaxed about using the potty. When the accidents inevitably occur, try not to make your child think that there’s anything wrong as this might put them off any toilet related activities in the future.
How to handle accidents:
You can say something like: ‘That’s Okay, don’t worry, accidents happen, let’s get this cleared up’.
Or: ‘That’s okay, next time let’s just try to use the potty okay?’
Sometimes, it might just be the case that your little one is so engrossed in an activity that they just don’t want the inconvenience of going to the potty so try to keep one somewhere reachable and in clear sight for convenience.
When your child does successfully use the potty you can also try to show excitement and praise their efforts by saying:
‘Good job! You peed / pooed in the potty!’
Repetition
Be sure not to underestimate the power of repetitively yet gently reminding your toddler that they can use the potty whenever they need to pee or poo throughout the day.
I found it effective to remind my daughter every morning after her night nappy was removed saying something like: ‘If you want to pee or poo please use the potty ok?‘.
If you sense that your little one might need to use the potty from their facial expression or at certain times of day (like after waking up or after a meal) just remind them again and point out the potty or toilet if relevant.
Take the pressure off
These days, word has spread that it’s possible to teach your toddler how to use the potty in as little as three days. *Gasp*
Though this time frame might work for toddlers who are extremely ready for the potty stage, there is nor rule of thumb about what age a child should be ready or how long they should take to get the hang of it all.
As Simone Davies says in her wonderfully laid out and clear book ‘The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being’:
‘The most important thing is to follow our child. It is not a competition.’
It can be stressful trying to adhere to a set of imposed timeframes and then not being able to meet them when it comes to any sort of milestone.
Take the pressure off and focus less on how long it all takes and more on how ready your child is.
YES, the process might just take three days if your little one is super super ready.
Sometimes though, even when ready, you might experience a bit of back and forth or potty strikes. Just remember that every bit of exposure helps and if you need to take a break for now and try again in a couple of weeks that’s OK too!