The most significant challenge is knowing when to potty train. Generally, weaning a child from diapers is not straightforward and represents a rite of passage from the baby stage to the toddler stage.
Learning to use the bathroom and clean themselves is very important for a child, and many people think that it is something that is natural and not taught. So, before you start encouraging the potty training process, how about getting some tips?
In this article, we’ll tell you what potty training is , how to understand your child’s signals, and the best time and way to do it. You’ll find everything you need to know to start this process more easily. Find out more!
When should potty training be carried out?
To understand when potty training happens , you first need to know that there is no exact time. This means that your child can switch from diapers to potty training when they are one or even four years old. Therefore, it all depends on the child’s age.
There has always been a great implication both physiologically and psychologically attached to potty training. Most of the times, it will also be your child who brings in the change. And thus, it is much important to teach your little one to ask to get taken to the bathroom immediately he or she feels some urge so that he doesn’t depend on diapers only.
Although it can be a lot of work, if you start potty training carefully and attentively, you will hardly have to worry about changing wet sheets. This is because your child is no longer a baby who doesn’t understand anything about his body at this stage. From the age of two, he can control some urges, such as going to the bathroom.
Indications your child is prepared for potty training
Do you know when your child no longer wants to wear a diaper and he starts pulling it off? Well, this is one of the signs that the child is ready to go to the bathroom alone. He knows that it is really bothering him. Other signs that you can buy a potty are when the child:
- being bothered by a dirty diaper ;
- stay a long time without soiling your diaper;
- ask to go to the bathroom;
- start naming pee and poop.
Daytime or nighttime potty training, which one to start with?
Know, too, the best timing for starting the process. There are two terms the experts often use: nighttime and daytime potty training. There are tips for potty training for both times of the day, but it is still recommended to start in the morning.
Doctors and psychologists advise that training should begin in the daytime since, during this time, children have better bladder control. After they get used to the potty in the daytime, they can be gradually removed at night. Don’t rush though! Everybody has their own time.
Remember that your child might feel uncomfortable and ask to take off his diaper at night, but do not forget that there are times when he cannot hold his pee, so you have to be patient during potty training . Age is also a factor because the younger the child, the more difficult it is to understand.
The school/daycare center is also part of the process
It is not uncommon for children to start going to school or daycare from a young age, from the second year of life, for example. Therefore, sometimes potty training at 1 year or older needs to be monitored and encouraged outside the home as well.
What is the teacher’s role in this? In addition to being able to implement fun activities that encourage the child to understand that peeing and pooping should be done in the bathroom, the school can encourage this by offering several trips to the potty. The fact that there are other children around the same age and going through the same process helps a lot.
Don’t forget that dialogue can help
Another important tip for understanding how to start potty training is through conversation. Teaching your child that he is growing up and that diapers are meant for younger children is one of the topics you can discuss with him. It is also a good idea to congratulate him when he asks to go to the bathroom and not use a diaper — verbal rewards make all the difference.
These types of speeches show the child that he or she has matured and grown, which can have a big impact. Now, if you are still having problems with bedwetting, know that you can resort to potty training underwear or panties, or even ask for help from a pediatrician.
Late potty training can happen and is usually associated with some psychological problem in the child. This is normal, as each child sees life and has different experiences, so a child psychologist, with the recommendation of a pediatrician, can be very useful.