If you have a child, the last thing that you want to be thinking about is when they will be potty-trained. The good news is that there are many ways to make it easier on your family and help your child feel more comfortable with this life-changing event. In this blog post, we provide 5 easy ways for making your kid potty-trained in no time.
Be Patient
When it comes to potty training, especially in the earlier age groups, parents get worried that they are moving too fast or not fast enough. At any given time, there will be at least 50% of children fully potty-trained while the other half is still in diapers.
There is no race against the clock because your child will be using the bathroom in time for when he/she needs to. If worst comes to worst and you have a stubborn toddler, just remember that you always have pull-ups until he/she gets used to going without them.
Start Early
Many people believe that if they start sooner than others then their kid will be ahead of everyone else or even that they are ‘advanced’. This couldn’t be any further from the truth because your kid will still have to learn how to use a potty, wipe themselves and tell you they have to go.
If anything, starting early will help you avoid having an even harder time once school starts back up again. This way, they can already be used to the schedule and feel safe whenever they need to go.
Make It Exciting
With all of these new changes, your child will get curious. That’s why when you are doing things like setting up their potty or cleaning the bathroom, make sure that they are around so that you can let them know what is going on. The more excited they are about it, the more likely they are to want to do it again in the future.
Also, try putting some fun stickers in a special book or letting them pick out some toys for their new room (just clean beforehand). If you make everything look fresh and inviting instead of intimidating then you will find your kid wanting to be trained. It is important to make the whole process fun because the more your kid enjoys it, the more likely they are to keep up with it.
Don't Wait for Them to Ask
When you are buying underwear, make sure that they are the right size and get close to being able to fit in them. Once they are ready, let your kid try them on in the store if possible, this way you know they’ll be comfortable with wearing them when it comes time to start training.
If you end up having to go back to another size within a few months, don’t worry about it because all kids develop at different rates – there is no rush. Some parents find that waiting for their kid’s initiative makes the process much easier since they will never have any accidents or reluctance towards going in their new undergarments. However, if you can tell that your kid is ready to be potty-trained, then there is no reason why you should wait.
Use a Reward System
If your child is having anxiety or problems during training then it may be necessary to go back to diapers for a while. Nevertheless, once they are feeling better about everything, try implementing a systematic approach where you give them stickers for their potty chart every time that they go. Once they get enough stickers within a week (or month depending on how long you want this to take) then they can get something like an ice cream cone or toy that’s been sitting in the back of their closet forever.
This helps motivate them and makes them feel like they aren’t losing out on anything if they choose not to go. Also, if they end up having to leave the bathroom for whatever reason before they are done then encourage them to come back and try again later on. Whatever you do, just make sure that they know it’s not a game of “who can hold it in?” but rather who is too busy playing with their toys instead.
Stay Calm
If you are having a bad day or feeling particularly anxious because of something else, make sure that your child can’t tell. If you freak out about every little accident then they will start to think it’s okay to be scared too and thus will believe that training is something to be afraid of. Furthermore, if you are putting them in their diapers because you are too nervous to train them, then this is only going to make the process take longer. If you’re not ready for your kid to be potty-trained yet, do everyone a favor and don’t force it.
Bottom Line
Potty training doesn’t have to be that difficult, just remember that all children develop at different rates so there is no reason why you should feel pressured to get anything over with ASAP. Even though it might seem like time goes by slowly when your kid is still in diapers, all of this will be behind you sooner than you think. Just keep trying your best during every step of the process and once everything is over, you’ll be able to look back at everything and laugh.
