By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Potty Training
Solution
Get Ready
If your child is near or has passed his first birthday,
you can begin incorporating pre-potty training ideas into
his life. They are simple things that will lay the
groundwork for potty training and will make the process
much easier when you're ready to begin.
During diaper changes, narrate the process to teach your
toddler the words and meanings for bathroom-related
functions, such as pee-pee and poo-poo.
Include descriptive words that you'll use during the
process, such as wet, dry, wipe, and
wash.
If you're comfortable with it, bring your child with you
when you use the toilet. Explain what you're doing. Tell
him that when he gets bigger, he'll put his pee-pee and
poo-poo in the toilet instead of in his diaper. Let him
flush the toilet if he wants to.
Help your toddler identify what's happening when she wets
or fills her diaper. Tell her, "You're going poo-poo
in your diaper." Have her watch you dump and flush.
Start giving your child simple directions and help him to
follow them. For example, ask him to get a toy from
another room or to put the spoon in the dishwasher.
Encourage your child to do things on her own: put on her
socks, pull up her pants, carry a cup to the sink, or
fetch a book.
Have a daily sit-and-read time together.
Take the readiness quiz again every month or two to see
if you're ready to move on to active potty learning.
Get Set
Buy a potty chair, a dozen pairs of training pants, four
or more elastic-waist pants or shorts, and a supply of
pull-up diapers or disposables with a feel-the-wetness
sensation liner.
Put the potty in the bathroom, and tell your child what
it's for.
Read books about going potty to your child.
Let your child practice just sitting on the potty without
expecting a deposit.
Go
Begin dressing your child in training pants or pull-up
diapers.
Create a potty routine--have your child sit on the potty
when she first wakes up, after meals, before getting in
the car, and before bed.
If your child looks like she needs to go--tell, don't
ask! Say, "Let's go to the potty."
Boys and girls both can learn sitting down. Teach your
son to hold his penis down. He can learn to stand when
he's tall enough to reach.
Your child must relax to go: read a book, tell a story,
sing, or talk about the day.
Make hand washing a fun part of the routine. Keep a step
stool by the sink, and have colorful, child-friendly soap
available.
Praise her when she goes!
Expect accidents, and clean them up calmly.
Matter-of-factly use diapers or pull-ups for naps and
bedtime.
Either cover the car seat or use pull-ups or diapers for
car trips.
Visit new bathrooms frequently when away from home.
Be patient! It will take three to twelve months for your
child to be an independent toileter.
Stop
If your child has temper tantrums or sheds tears over
potty training, or if you find yourself getting angry,
then stop training. Review your training plan and then
try again, using a slightly different approach if
necessary, in a month or two.
This article is an excerpt from The No-Cry Potty
Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to
Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)
~*~*~*~*~
You are welcome to reprint this article on your website or in
your newspaper or newsletter, provided that you reprint the
entire article, including the complete byline with author's name
and book title. Please also send a link or copy to
elizabeth@pantley.com. Thank you.
More Articles for Parents!