How To Start Potty Training

How To Start Potty Training

There are no hard set rules for how to start potty training, but there are some basic guidelines that can make the process simpler and easier to bare!

When starting to potty train your toddler, don't rush her. Wait until she is truly ready and the process will be much easier. If your child isn't ready and doesn't know when she needs to go to the toilet, the chances are that potty training will become frustrating for both of you. To find out if your toddler is ready to potty train, have a look at these tell-tale signs.

Do you need special potty training tools?

In a nutshell - No, but you will of course need a potty, maybe some trainer nappies (huggies pull-ups) they look similar to nappy but are made like pants so your child can learn the art of pulling them up and down. You may want to invest in a potty training book, where methods are explained in much more detail. Two good books for starting to potty train would be: Potty training in 1 to 3 days and How to potty train your child in hours! Oh... and one of the best potty training tools - Patience!

How to start potty training - the basics

Let your child watch you using the toilet. This can often make them want to be grown up like Mummy!
Leave a potty lying around, this will get your toddler used to it.
Try and pick a time when you won't be going out on long trips or holiday. Potty training is much easier in your own home.
When you are at home let her run around with no nappy on. Remember to keep asking if she needs to use the potty, as sometimes the need to go will spring up on her quite fast.
Encourage your child to sit on the potty often, and if she does do something, give her heaps of praise.
Let her try using the big toilet if she wants to. Buy a childs toilet seat and a step for her to get up.
Expect accidents - They are going to happen. Don't shout or get angry when accidents do happen, just clean it up and say something like "This would be better in the potty next time"
Don't expect her to be able to wipe her own bottom, this is a skill that takes time to learn!
If you feel that she just isn't getting the hang of potty training, go back to nappies for a while, it's not a big deal, she probably isn't quite ready yet.

Knowing how to start potty training can seem very daunting, especially if this is your first child. You and your toddler can learn together, keep it fun and stress free. Maybe use a sticker chart when she manages to do a poo or wee on the toilet or in the potty, find some really nice stickers or let her pick her own. It's amazing what results you will get from a Disney princess sticker, or a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker!

Out of all of the potty training facts, you will find a few that stick. Potty training is unlikely to happen overnight! There will be accidents, and every child is different. So chill out, relax and ditch that diaper!

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