gotta go?
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | April 7, 2010
What parent looks forward to potty training? Yet we’ve all got to do it. We asked cloth diapering (and all things potty) expert, Karen Randall of the New & Green Baby Co., for ideas on making the process easier for you and your little one. And she was flush with ideas…
How do you know when your little one’s ready to start potty training?
There are many ideas and philosophies around helping your child’s transition from diapers to potty, and like most of your parenting, potty learning will be a combination of the child’s personality and the family’s goals.
Some things to watch out for in your little one:
- Having an awareness of being wet or having a dirty diaper and being able to communicate this to you with gestures, signs or words.
- Having an interest in sitting on the potty for a few minutes.
- More regularity in elimination routine and/or increasing “dry time” between pees.
How do you know when you’re ready? What do you need to have in place before you jump in and get started?
Do some reading on helping your child’s transition to using the potty or toilet. There are different approaches and one may feel like a better fit for your child and you as parents. Embrace the fact that this will be a skill that takes time to master and be prepared to support your child through it. You’ll need to build extra time into your daily routine for potty time and gather up necessary supplies including a potty or toilet reducer ring, stool, training pants and easy to manage clothing.
How do you recommend starting and introducing the concepts?
Begin to talk about using the potty and, if you are comfortable, let your child see what it looks like to use the potty (yes, this means you are demonstrating). Talk them through the whole routine from pulling down pants, to pulling off toilet paper and scrunching or folding, wiping, flushing and washing hands. It’s another routine that your child needs to become familiar with, just like dressing or brushing teeth.
Head to the library and get out some books about potty training. It gives you the opportunity to chat about it more and relate to the children and families in the books.
Get a potty and keep it handy. Have your child sit on it fully clothed to start and then without clothing on. A good time to do this is just before a bath.
What are your top tips?
Keep positive. This is one area where you don’t want to force your child. If you do you’re setting yourself up for a battle of wills which neither of you will win.
Know that this is a process that can take months from start to finish before your child will achieve complete independence. Just like beginning self feeding, your child needs time to learn and practice in a supportive environment with the right tools designed to help them succeed.
Learn your child’s patterns. You might want to start keeping track of their wet/dirty diapers to get a sense of their body’s needs. Many children will need to pee soon after waking in the morning or after a nap, or before a bath and may tend to poop after a meal (or during to keep us on our toes!). Figuring out their patterns as well as likely times when they need to go will allow you to offer them a potty time with a higher chance of success.
There may be setbacks. This is not unusual and, like many toddler phases, will also pass.
Need more ideas? For her thoughts on offering rewards, handling setbacks and stocking your diaper bag to get you through, we’ve got the full transcript of our interview with Karen in our yoyo diaries blog.
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