Every parent I know looks forward to the day when their child no longer “produces” sticky, sticky diapers. Most children will be ready to move on to “big pants” between 18 and 24 months. Of course, the process is not without its pitfalls. Find out the best way to potty train your child, as easily as possible.
Is your child ready? Here are some non-exhaustive signs that it may be time to potty train. If she/he:
- Can say the words for urine, stool, bathroom.
- Hates being dirty or wet
- Seems fascinated by the potty (likes to sit on it or is curious/fascinated by toilets)
Ultimately, knowing if your child is ready comes down to guesswork. If it turns out not to be, you can simply try again after a few weeks or months. Do not force the preparation on a child, as it can cause anxiety.
One question you should ask yourself is: Are you ready?
Potty training takes time, energy, and a lot of patience. You will be doing a lot of laundry and going to the bathroom A LOT. Puddles will form on the floor at the worst possible times and you have to remember that you are training your child and you can’t get mad. Again, are you ready? Is there something going on in your home that could make this an insurmountable task? If so, you can wait for a better time.
There is no “one way” to potty train. Here are some we tried:
We went online and let our son select some big boy pants from Amazon. We told him that he was no longer going to wear a diaper and that when the pants came, that would be what he would wear. That way we had 2 days to keep talking about it until the pants arrived in the mail. Then when the postman came we asked him to pick up the pants himself (with our help of course) and we made a big fuss and he put them on. He enjoyed it as long as he had no accidents. When he did, there was a meltdown and we had to deal with it. Also, make sure you’re not too anxious, as he might find out. There isn’t just one way to do this, but there are a few that I highly recommend. Here is a course that we used with our last born son and it kept us sane and my son seemed happy with the trip!
