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Potty Training - Help and Advice
Help & Advice...
Our help and advice section will give you practical advice on pregnancy and parenting. Our pages cover everything from what to put in your overnight hospital bag to the big issues of feeding your baby and helping them to sleep soundly.
Julie - Partner
potty training
When it comes to potty training, or toilet training, no two children are the same. Some children take just days to get used to the idea of using a potty, others may take months. And what works for one child will not necessarily work for the next child. The most important thing to bear in mind is not to get too stressed about potty training. Try not to worry if it doesn’t seem to be going to plan. Your child will get there in the end. After all, very, very few children are still in nappies by the time they start school.
Helping your child to progress from nappies to potties, and then eventually to the toilet, is a key stage in a child’s development. The following guide will help you and your toddler gets to grips with potty time. It includes information about the different potties and toilet training products available, and gives you some top potty training tips.
When to Start Potty Training
There are no hard and fast rules on when to start potty training. It depends entirely on the child. Girls are often ready to start toilet training earlier than boys. If a child has an older sibling that they can imitate, they may also be ready to start earlier. As a general guide, some children are ready to start using a training potty at about18 months old. Others are not nearly ready by that stage, and you may find they are not interested in trying to sit on a potty for at least another year. With some children it becomes obvious when they are ready. They may try sitting on the potty without you asking, or they may start telling you before they want to go to the toilet. It is important to remember that you are helping them to learn to recognize the sensations in their body which are telling them they need the toilet, as much as helping them to understand about sitting on a potty. Some parents start the process of potty training and find their child is just not responding, keeps on having accidents and gets upset when you try to introduce the potty. In these cases, it is often better to put the potty away and wait a couple of months. Your child may just not yet be ready to potty train.
Potty Training Products
There are many different toilet training products and potty training aids available on the market. The most important thing you will need is obviously a potty. This should be attractive, bright and colourful so that your child likes it, and sturdy and stable so that it does not tip over when they are sitting on it. Some of the best selling potties at Olivers Babycare are from Baby Bjorn – these are practical and well designed. Whatever potty you choose it should be unbreakable, and easy to wash. Potties with all sorts of designs are now available, including those made from eco-friendly materials, from companies such as Becothings and fun designs from Jane Winner. A note of caution though, if you are choosing for example a potty which looks like a car or motor bike, make sure your child is happy to use it as a potty rather than just wanting to play with it. Some companies sell a design of potty specially for boys – the boys' potty has a slightly higher front which can help prevent spillages. Potties vary in size, so if your child is around 18 months old when you start potty training, you may need a smaller or baby potty. The older toddler may need a larger potty. The modern potty is lightweight and easily portable, so that you can take it with you when you go out. There are also a range of travel potties on the market which can be useful when you go away. The travel potty can be folded up and tucked into a small bag.
Also helpful is a toilet trainer seat, which aids the transition from potty to toilet. A child's toilet training seat fits on top of the existing toilet seat and allows your child to sit securely on the toilet, without fear of falling. Some companies such as Rymax also offer a combination toilet seat which can be used by toddlers and adults alike. This is a toilet seat that is fixed onto the toilet, and looks like a normal toilet seat, but has a child's trainer seat built in. Many people find a small step stool is also useful in the bathroom when toilet training. These safe step stools have non slip feet and allow your child to climb up to sit on the toilet safely, and also to reach the sink for tooth brushing. Some parents find that toilet training pants can be very useful, although they are by no means essential. These training pants are a half way house between nappies and proper pants. From the outside they look like cotton pants, but they have a highly absorbent lining and can contain an accident long enough to get the potty ready. Training pants are usually pull up designs and are machine washable.
Tips on Potty Training
Toilet training does not need to be stressful. The following tips for potty training may be helpful:
- Get your child to help choose the potty, that way they will be more inclined to use it.
- Always give plenty of praise and encouragement when your child uses the potty successfully.
- Don't make your child feel ashamed of the process of going to the toilet.
- Don't get cross or lose your temper, or scold a child when they have an accident.
- When you are clearing up an accident try not to show that you find it unpleasant.
- Once you have decided not to use nappies in the day time, stick to it! If you keep putting your child in and out of nappies during the day they will get confused. So if this means a trip to the supermarket without a nappy on, you need to do it. Just ensure your child has been to the toilet before you go out.
- Let your child see that their friends are using the potty – peer pressure is often more effective than parental nagging!
- Let them try the toilet occasionally, some children prefer it to the potty and it is sometimes possible to skip the potty phase entirely.
- If possible try to do potty training in warmer weather – if you are able to do it in the summer, you will end up with much less dirty washing, as your child can just wear a few light clothes which can easily be washed.
- Dress your child in clothes which can be easily and quickly removed. Dungarees may look gorgeous but they are fiddly to take off in a hurry.
- Have more than one potty so that you can lay your hands on one quickly wherever you are in the house.
- Teach boys to use the potty sitting down at first. They can stand up later.
- Remember that boys tend to be slower when they're learning to use the potty.
- Expect your child to take longer to become dry at nights. They may need to use a nappy at night for some time.
- If your child really doesn't seem to be making progress, put the potty away for a couple of months, and then try again.
- Try not to compare your child with another child – each one achieves potty training when they are ready for it.
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