Potty Training

Make sure that you and your baby are ready to start potty or toilet training before venturing into it. When you start to potty train your child, you should have enough time and energy for three months at least to encourage and motivate your child daily and still be patient, supportive and calm. Your child should be old enough to indicate that his or her diaper is wet or soiled or tell you when he or she would like to go to the toilet. Most children start telling about the need to go to potty, when they are 18 to 24 months old but some of them have to use diapers until three years old. Here are some tips to make potty training easier for your kid:
 

	Take your child to the bathroom with you and let him see how you use the toilet.
	Let the child feel comfortable in the toilet and play with the flush of the toilet.
	You can let the child feel comfortable on the potty chair first and then proceed on to teach him how to use the toilet.
	Let the child play, touch and observe the potty chair and use it like a regular chair while wearing all the clothes and sit on it or get up from it anytime he wants before teaching him how to use it.
	Once the child is comfortable with the potty chair, try t make him sit on the chair without wearing pants or a diaper.
	Make the child observe how to use the potty chair by letting him observe that you place stool from a dirty diaper into the potty chair and then transfer it to the toilet.
	Make the child see how stools and urine disappears when the child flushes the toilet.
	Once the child learns to use the potty chair and flush the toilet, clothe him loose and easily removable pants and place him in the potty chair every time he indicates that he needs to go to the bathroom. Other indicators that point out the child’s need to urinate or go potty are change of facial expressions, sudden stopping while playing or doing something.
	You should place the child on potty at regular intervals when they need to use it. Most children have a bowel movement once a day, usually within an hour after eating and need to urinate within an hour after having a large drink.
	You may also just put your child on the potty every 1-1/2 to 2 hours to make sure that he doesn’t have an accident. If he does, be patient and do not scold or punish the child.
	Children may feel more relaxed while sitting on the potty chair if you talk to them or read to them.
	Praises can go a long way but expressing disappointment may get marked in the child’s mind as an unpleasant experience with the potty and they may try to avoid the bowel movement.
	Once your child learns to use the potty chair, you can move on to over-the-toilet seat training with the help of a step-up stool.

If your child is still not trained after three months, you may need to consult your doctor or wait the child to grow up a little.