Been There! Done That! Toilet Training Tips 


By Lisa Julian (Mother of Three)  781-849-5880
Leejulian@lee-bee.com  Visit http:www.lee-bee.com


Toilet Training should be a fun and exciting experience for both you and your child. Remember, 
your child should feel in control of the process, not you.  Take a slow, casual, matter-of-fact 
approach, and make it fun!  Always encourage and praise your child.

Do not begin training until your child shows signs that he/she is ready.  Every child is 
different.  Most are ready for training between two and  two and a half years old (some as 
young as 18 months or as old as 3 years).  Start at a time when you can spend a lot of time 
together- when your child is eager to please you and there are no major distractions or 
traumatic events in his/her life (new sibling, divorce, moving, new caretaker, etc.).  Never 
pressure or punish your child for unsuccessful attempts at using the potty.  Most of all, be 
patient!  Your child will learn to use the potty when he or she is ready (and not before!).




15 Signs of toilet training readiness


Your child is ready to learn potty skills when he or she.

    

  1. Has bowel movements at about the same time every day

  2. Can stay dry for a few hours or wakes up dry from sleep

  3. Knows that he/she has to go to the bathroom 

  4. Understands the association between dry pants and using the potty

  5. Can pull her pants up and down

  6. Lets you know when he/she has soiled his/her diaper (likes to stay dry)

  7. Can follow simple directions like, "let's go to the potty"

  8. Understands potty terms (wet, dry, pee, poop, dirty and potty)

  9. Can tell you he/she has to go to the bathroom

  10. Imitates other family members

  11. Shows interest and asks question while watching you

  12. Wants to do things "by myself"

  13. Enjoys washing his/her hands (like to be clean)

  14. Gets upset if his/her belongings are not in their proper place

  15. Wants to please you!






Getting Ready


Start by reading toilet learning books to your child (15 months and up).  Once your child 
is ready for toilet training; you can go to the store and purchase training pants and a potty 
chair. Bring your child with you so that he/she will get excited about the whole process.  
When buying training pants, if you are choosing cotton, let your child pick out his/her 
favorite ones (Rugrats, Batman, Barbie etc.).  Cotton training pants will let your child feel 
the wetness and will train faster. The downside is that they are messier!  Disposable 
training pants are easy for cleanup and on the go but it may take longer to train if your 
child does not feel the discomfort of wetness.
 
If you buy cotton, buy more than one three pack. You will go through these quickly and you want 
to have plenty in the diaper bag and dresser.  

When purchasing a potty-chair, make sure you purchase a sturdy one.  You want your child to feel
secure when he/she tries it.  Your child's feet need to be on the floor (This will eliminate his
fear of falling in). You may also want to buy an extra one for outside or to keep in the car 
(it's better to go to your car and use your clean potty than go to a public restroom that hasn't 
been sanitized!)




It's Potty Time!


Introduce the potty in a casual way.  Put it in a room where your child plays most often.  The 
kitchen is a good place, so you can supervise.  It will also encourage your child to use it more 
often if it is in plain view. Let your child play with it so he/she will get accustomed to it. 
Then show your child how it works.  At this time you can also put your potty chart on the 
refrigerator.  Explain to your child that each time he/she successfully uses the potty, he/she 
will get a sticker for his/her chart (use praise too, of course).  This will be an incentive to 
get your child to start using the potty-chair. Once your child is used to the potty-chair, you 
can start to encourage use of it.  At the beginning of training, increase fluids to encourage 
practice.  Encouraging practice will help your child learn the basic potty skills.  

In addition, you will want to make sure your child eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.  
Prune and apple juice are always good staples to have around when BM training. You want to keep 
your child's stools soft to prevent withholding of stools. When you see any signs that your child 
is about to go (passing gas, wriggling, holding crotch or telling you), quickly tell your child 
it's time to use the potty.  All cooperation with attempts at using the potty should be praised 
with words like, "What a big boy!  Nicolas is using the potty just like daddy"!  Also, remember 
to praise your child and offer a sticker for his/her chart for every successful potty use. This 
will help build self-esteem.




If you encounter problems


If your child is reluctant or refuses to use the potty, try to encourage him/her by offering 
to read a story while sitting on the potty. If this still does not work, back off and do not 
push him/her.

You can try to leave your child's diaper off at the time he/she usually has a bowel movement 
(BM). Timing is an important factor in toilet training.  If you sense that he/she has to do 
a BM (gas for instance), take the diaper off right at the moment you see your child getting 
ready to do his/her BM.  If you do catch your child before the BM occurs, then quickly take 
him/her to the potty and tell him/her that this is where the poop goes. Hopefully if you catch 
your child at the precise moment, he/she will look for  relief and let you guide him/her to 
the potty.  If your child protests a bit, gently encourage and explain to your child "that 
he/she is a big girl/boy now and mommy and daddy expects you to use the potty".  Remember, 
encourage and guide, but do not force your child to sit.  If your child refuses to sit on the 
potty, then he/she is not ready.  If your child pees and poops constantly in his/her underwear, 
then he/she is not ready. No big deal, try again in a month or so.  This is normal!  Let your 
child take the lead.  Your child needs to be in control of the process.




Withholding of Stools


It only takes ONE painful BM to cause your child to be frightened of using the potty, so at all 
costs, make sure his/her diet has sufficient fresh fruits,vegetables and juice. If your child
has a painful BM only once while trying the potty, it could delay potty training for months. 
He/she will associate painful BMs with the potty and will refuse to use it.  If you suspect 
that your child is withholding his/her stools, it is best to stop training and increase the 
fluids. Always call your pediatrician if you think your child is withholding. It can be serious 
if an impaction occurs.  Tell your child at that moment, that he/she is not ready yet and that 
you will try again later.

Continue to play potty videos and read toilet learning books often to encourage regular use of 
the potty so your child will grasp the concept. Keep the potty-chair out and he/she will 
eventually shows signs of interest again.  Remember, the keys to toilet training are patience, 
praise, encouragement (and a sticker on his/her chart to build self esteem and make the learning 
process fun).

Toilet training can get messy so be prepared and expect that there will be many mistakes.  Your 
child is learning a very difficult skill. Clean up any accidents without anger or showing disgust. 
Do not make negative comments.  Explain to your child that pee and poop go in the toilet. You 
should also empty any accidents in underwear or training pants into the toilet and explain to 
your child that he/she is a big girl now and this is where the poop goes.  Try switching from 
diapers to training pants when your child does at least fifty percent of his/her urine or bowel 
movements in the potty.  At night, you can use diapers until your child wakes up dry for a couple 
of days in a row.  Remember, they are learning a very difficult skill.  No one has ever said, 
"Toilet training is easy".  Make the process fun and you will have happy memories to look back on.

Helpful Toilet Training Tips!  Make it fun!


Your child is trained when he/she goes to the potty without any assistance or reminders from you!

Good Luck!




Lisa Julian of Braintree, Massachussetts is the mother of four-year old Nicolas, three-year 
old Alexander and one-year-old Samantha.  She is the founder of Lee-Bee Products, 
distributors of motivational tools for children, including toilet training and chore charts.  
Her line is available in local Massachusetts stores at Rhyme 'N' Reason, Leanring Express 
and Storybook Cove.  For more information, call 1-781-849-5880 or toll free 1-888-668-6615.  
You can also visit their website at http://www.lee-bee.com.

Back to Top

Nedstat Counter