This free excerpt from " The No-Cry Potty Training Solution ", contains quick facts about potty training which could help parents understand more and make the process a simple and easy one.
Potty training boys and potty training girls can not be too dissimilar. It can be natural, easy, and peaceful. The first step is to know the facts.
The perfect age to begin potty training is different for every child. Your child's best starting age could be anywhere from eighteen to thirty-two months. Pre-potty training preparation can begin when a child is as young as ten months.
You can begin training at any age, but your child's biology, skills, and readiness will determine when he can take over his own toileting.
Teaching your child how to use the toilet can, and should, be as natural as teaching him to build a block tower or use a spoon.
No matter the age that toilet training begins, most children become physically capable of independent toileting between ages two and a half and four.
It takes three to twelve months from the start of training to daytime toilet independence. The more readiness skills that a child possesses, the quicker the process will be.
The age that a child masters toileting has absolutely no correlation to future abilities or intelligence.
There isn’t only one right way to potty train – any approach you use can work - if you are pleasant, positive and patient.
Nighttime dryness is achieved only when a child's physiology supports this--you can't rush it.
A parent's readiness to train is just as important as a child's readiness to learn.
Potty training need not be expensive. A potty chair, a dozen pairs of training pants and a relaxed and pleasant attitude are all that you really need. Anything else is truly optional.
Most toddlers urinate four to eight times each day, usually about every two hours or so.
Most toddlers have one or two bowel movements each day, some have three, and others skip a day or two in between movements. In general, each child has a regular pattern.
More than 80 percent of children experience setbacks in toilet training. This means that what we call “setbacks” are really just the usual path to mastery of toileting.
Ninety-eight percent of children are completely daytime independent by age four.
That’s my last baby when she had just turned two. She turns three this week. It’s amazing how quickly the time has passed. About six month ago, she kissed diapers goodbye, and I entered a new phase of parenting. Oh my.
Potty training can seem daunting, particularly when you’re in the midst of it. There were days with each child when I thought he or she would never get it.
Yet, lo and behold, after 14 years of diapering, all six of my kids know how to take care of business. Hallelujah!
Ten Days or Less?
I’m not really going to sell you a get-rich quick scheme, the Brooklyn Bridge, or a fail-proof strategy for potty training. But, I am thankful for the moms who went before me and shared their experiences. So, now I’m passing mine on to you.
With our guinea pig first born child, I took the slow road, buying a potty seat when he was just two, and slowly over the following twelve months worked with him until it clicked. It took a year, and he was fine. So was I. But, it was a hard year with lots of “one step forward, two steps back” kind of progress.
When our second child was two, we had just welcomed our third baby and wanted him to be able to adjust to that change first. He was always a sensitive kid, and while he was advanced in some areas, we didn’t want to rush the emotional stuff. As he approached his third birthday, we moved cross-country. And again, we didn’t want to put him through multiple transitions at once. Plus, I was pregnant with baby #4!
A couple months after our move, a friend mentioned that they had potty trained that weekend.
That weekend?
My ears perked up. She explained that they did potty training in a day. Say what? She shared the book that helped them get their kids potty independent in a short amount of time. I promptly read the book. While I can’t recommend the book based on some of the parenting techniques described, I will say that the idea of intensive potty training has worked.
Our subsequent five kids have all potty trained in ten days or less. One was dry 24/7 by the end of the 2nd day. Another took a full ten days to get the hang of it. The others fell somewhere in between. Just when I was ready to throw up my hands, the child got it.
Is there a magic formula? Is there a trick? Will it work for all kinds? I dunno.
I’m just a mom. I have no degree in child psychology. And I am sure that there will be plenty of people to disagree with my methods. But, I know that this worked for us. As always, your mileage may vary.
Here are the basics that we’ve used to successfully potty train our children:
1. Know your child.
This is probably the most important part of parenting in general, but it specifically applies to potty training and making this step, one of many, from babyhood to big kid. You are the one to know your child and his temperaments. Does he take well to new adventures? Or does he need to be coaxed? Does she have an independent spirit? Or is she willing to go with the flow?
Go with your child’s strengths. Talk up the adventure in such a way that he or she is intrigued and excited. Books help do this. Dora’s Potty Book was a big hit last year. It comes complete with a flushing sound. Oh yes, yes, it does.
2. Make sure he or she is ready.
The internet is rife with potty training readiness quizzes that seem quite complicated. I looked for three basic things: overnight dryness, ability to dress one self, and an awareness of when the diaper was getting filled. Remember, I’m no expert. But, these were the things that I looked for. I think they will vary from kid to kid. Waking up wet does not mean that a kid isn’t ready to be trained. But, in our experience it was a good sign to wait a little longer.
Personally, I didn’t even consider it with my younger boys until they were very close to three, or past it. The girls seemed ready at about 2 1/2. But, age is a misleading factor. Many people have a strict age guideline. I say go to steps 1 and 2 again.
3. Make sure YOU are ready.
You need to be able to move this new experience to priority level which means being willing to adjust your schedule — and maybe your attitude — to be prepared for more frequent potty breaks, accidents, and repeated instruction.
Once you decide to go for it, go for it. Rip off the band-aid. Cut the cord. Don’t hem and haw. Once you know that your child is ready, then proceed. If you’re not sure he’s ready, then wait. Why frustrate both of you with half-hearted efforts? You don’t want to confuse, you want to teach.
4. Demonstrate.
The “potty training in a day” crowd suggests to demonstrate with a doll that wets. We have simply made sure that our toddlers got a chance to see siblings or the parent of the same sex demonstrate how it all works. Once the kid knows the routine, it’s a matter of practice. Often.
5. Offer intense practice over several days time.
Spend the day focused on potty practice. Offer lots of snacks and drinks. Lots. And every twenty minutes check for dryness.
This was the epiphany for me: dryness is the goal. Going in the toilet is a complimentary facet, but dryness is the goal. Reward, praise, and cheer for dryness. Check for dryness often. And then offer more treats.
Help your child make the connection between going in the potty and staying dry.
The more your child can practice, the better he or she will be at listening to body cues and getting to the toilet.
(On a practical level, we preferred to use toilet inserts rather than separate potty chairs. This is less for you to clean and makes a later transition to the toilet unnecessary.)
6. Praise often.
Make a really big deal about it. Talk it up with friends, neighbors, and relatives. Buy the Dora chones. Make this an occasion to celebrate. It’s perfectly fine to offer small treats, stickers, or toys as encouragement for a job well done.
Just be prepared for your kid to ask for a “poo poo treat” in front of company.
7. Be patient.
Accidents will happen. Your child will try to wipe himself before he’s ready — and use a whole roll of toilet paper. There will be messes.
Be ready to be patient. Be willing to clean things up with a good attitude. Your child is at a tender age and going through a big transition. Make this moment be one of learning and be okay with mistakes.
Bringing up a child from birth to adulthood is both a stressful as well as rewarding experience and one that includes many milestones. One sign that your baby is quickly growing up is when he/she starts to show regular bowel movements. However, you will need to know what the signs are, how to interpret them and lastly just how to go about the whole process.
Probably the biggest question on your mind will be what the normal potty training age is and just when to start the process. Although you can get plenty of potty training tips from reading potty training books you need to remember that each child is different and what works for one may not for another.
In fact, you may have already experienced toilet training with one or more children and found the experiences to be totally different. It can be said that a child will generally gain control of her bowel and bladder movements at around the age of twenty four months, but anything between eighteen months and three years is considered to be completely normal.
Of course, night time dryness will be achieved some time later on. Some people swear that potty training girls is easier than boys, and that they achieve dryness much sooner. However, once again this is not a rule and you may have a boy who achieves dryness both day and night by his third birthday.
There are other guidelines that may suggest that your child is ready to come out of diapers and these include watching your child as he/she plays. If your child stands still to pass a bowel moment or even hides away then this is a sure sign that he/she is ready to use the big toilet just like mummy and daddy.
Before you start the process make sure your child can see an adult of the same sex using the toilet, therefore giving them something to copy that will make them feel grown up. Many parents like to take their child with them to buy their first pants, marking the occasion with a celebration.
How to Potty Train a girl start
Choosing a stress free time to start potty training is a great help. Do not attempt it at a time of stress for you or your family such as a move or a new pre school or even a new baby in the house. Make sure that you have everything you need at hand including some big girls or boys' pants, plenty of changes of clothes, a suitable potty and lastly a lot of patience :) Accidents will happen anyway.
When you want to know how to potty train a girls you should start by simply lifting your child on to the potty in the morning and after naps. Praise success and ignore mistakes and do not give up if the first few days seem useless. Some parents prefer to leave the child completely free of underwear for the first few days. Therefore, suggesting that the best time for training is summer rather than winter.
Indeed, the best time to start this process will be when you have a few days at home that you can dedicate to your child. Always praise your child's efforts and you may like to give small treats as incentives for using the potty properly. As much as you may think that your child is too young to listen to adult talk, sitting with them and explaining the whole process before you start can give a great reassurance.
Potty Training Problems
Of course, the whole process will not have only successful moments. Accidents and occasional problems may and will occur. When you are learning how to potty train, especially for the first time, it is a learning curve both for you and your child. No matter how many potty training tips for girls and boys you read up on, you will not get it right the first time.
There is no exact answer to the question how to potty train a girl or a boy. Fortunately, there are some great proven and time tested methods to successfully potty train your child quickly. Here is one of them. The method is called "Start Potty Training" developed by Carol Cline, mother of four, day care owner and professional children educator.
" The Start Potty Training guide now helps nearly 100% of families who use it! Now notice the words "who use it" because I have specifically done that for one very big reason…
This method only brings quick and easy results for those who follow it exactly word for word, every minute of every day.
Skip one step or miss even a single accident during the day and you can expect potty training to become a longer process. I want you to understand this now because when day three rolls by and your child still needs more time, it is not that this method is not working…
It means that more time, dedication and consistency is needed! So please don't toss in the towel at the end of the three days, keep going. If you stick with the method exactly as outlined, I promise you one day things will simply "click" with your child. "
Hi I margareth. cases of toilet training children is very stressful and makes me angry. My daughter is 3 years old and acting very naughty, pee on the couch, at the dinner table, in the living room, in the bedroom. This makes me really angry.
I came to google to solve my problem. I found the potty training program for 3 days faster than dr, Lois Kleint. The first I do not care!
but after week I am keen to follow the method suggested. I try step by step for 3 days or less I managed to beat my child behavior.
Thanks dr.Lois. whoever you follow him and assured method will be successful toilet training your child for 3 days or less. Potty Train in Three Days
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