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Potty Training
Whether your child cracked the potty game at 18 months or at 3 years of age, approaching school, you are stressing that your child won't be DRY...! Don't worry, we have some tips (not drips) for you.
Potty training is another much discussed topic amongst parents. Everyone who has gone through the process of teaching a toddler to recognise the feeling of needing to go to the toilet and gaining control of their urine and bowel movements will have an opinion or at least a few stories to share.
Successfully completing the process will enable your toddler to move out of nappies, and become “dry” - certainly during the day.
Children develop at different rates and you should only begin potty training when your child is ready, not when someone else tells you that you should.
As with all development stages if you are in tune with your child the process will be simpler and easier for you both. As the time approaches to begin potty training your toddler should be able to:
- Recognise the signals that mean he needs to go to the toilet and can tell you before it happens.
- Hold on for a short time until he gets to the potty or the toilet.
- Pull his pants and trousers up or down, though children may need help with difficult clothes for some time.
Most – but not all - toddlers are not ready to potty train until after the age of two, particularly if they do not have an older sibling to copy. Even after they are trained it's not at all unusual for a four year old to have occasional, or more frequent accidents. If you try training your child before they are two it may mean you have to keep reminding them to use the toilet at intervals during the day. If you leave training a little later until your child is ready the process will be easier and quicker.
Once your child is potty trained it is normally advisable to use nappies during naptime(if they still have one) and at night. Most professionals recommend that you keep a nappy on at night time until the child is at least 3 years of age. If on waking their nappies are dry or slightly damp for several weeks then you could try going without a night time nappy. If you find that your child then starts to wake up in the night needing the potty or toilet then they should be capable of getting out of bed and using the potty themselves. Obviously, you would need to ensure that there is sufficient light in the room for them to be able to undertake this task.
More information on this subject:
Your Health Visitor will be able to offer you guidance and tips on potty training as will other parents who have been through the process themselves. For further detailed information ERIC is a UK based Charity that offers great practical advice on this matter.
LUKIS HOUSE
Tel: 725241
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ERIC – Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence
They also offer useful advice for incontinence in older children
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