6 Effective Potty Training Tips

If it's time to start potty training your child, we'll show you some effective tips in this article. Little by little your child will learn to let you know when he needs to go to the bathroom. With time and patience, you can help him use the big kid potty.

Children ditch their diapers when they reach a certain degree of psychological and physiological maturity. However, getting children to this point can be difficult for parents. So here are some helpful potty training tips that will come in handy.

Before trying to get your child to move past using diapers, it’s important to keep in mind that potty training requires a lot of patience. When trying out this advice, it’s a good idea to try and stay positive.

When are children ready for potty training?

As we mentioned, it really depends on each individual child. On average, children might start showing signs when they’re ready at a year and a half old.

Here are some signs that will let you know your children are ready for potty training:

1. Walking on their own.
2. Telling you they have a dirty diaper.
3. Not dirtying their diaper for three hours.
4. Peeing or pooping at the same time every day.
5. Crossing their legs before peeing, touching their diaper, or bending down.
6. Can take off their pants, overalls, and underwear by themselves.

If your child shows these signs, you can start to apply the following potty training tips.

Potty Training Tips

1. Don’t wait for your child to ask to go to the bathroom

Don’t wait until your child tells you he needs to go to the bathroom. This is rare and usually happens about a year after you start potty training. It’s better to have him sit on the potty seat or the toilet adapter and gradually create the habit.

2. Prepare the toilet

The first step for your children to ditch their diapers is to put the potty adapter on the toilet. You can also buy them a potty seat. If you already know when your children pee or poop, you can sit them on the potty at those times. You can accompany them and distract them with songs.

Also, congratulate them after they use the toilet. This will make them feel happy and proud.

3. Let them come into the bathroom with you

It’s important for your children to be allowed in the bathroom with you. This way, they’ll see it as a familiar and frequent place. Since children learn through imitation, if they see their parents go to the bathroom, they’ll be encouraged to do it too.

4. Let your kids choose their underwear

Children feel encouraged when they can wear new clothes, especially ones they like. When you let them choose their underwear and tell them it’s important to keep it clean, they’ll associate it with using the potty.  Then, they’ll start to tell you when they want to go to the bathroom.

5. You shouldn’t punish or scold them to use the toilet

If your child has already started using the potty, or has accidents in their underwear, you shouldn’t scold him. The right attitude is to change him quickly so he doesn’t feel embarrassed. Then, encourage him to keep trying.

6. Boys should learn to pee while sitting

For the first tries with a boy, it’s better to teach him to pee while sitting. It’ll be more comfortable for him. You can also take the opportunity to help him poop.

Once your son has learned to use the toilet while sitting, you can then teach him to pee while standing.

Ultimately, potty training your child requires a lot of perseverance. But once you start, there’s no turning back.

If you already stopped using diapers with them, don’t go back and forth. Don’t put them on one day and not the next. Sitting on the potty multiple times a day is a task you shouldn’t give up on. Now, go practice! Good luck!