After the labor, the life of the whole family changes. It is not an easy thing to guess what the newborn wants. Time passes.

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The child grows up and can point at the thing they want or already name it. The older the child is, the more they show what they will not do under any circumstances. Parents face this problem when they want to teach their child to go potty.

Actually, children are taught how to go potty when they attend kindergarten. Of course, modern parents want their children to be the best. They try to teach them everything possible by themselves before their little one starts going to kindergarten.

Sometimes parents compete between themselves and don’t even realize it. And the object of that competition is their child. Sometimes they really force their child to do something so that the kid is not behind others, but ahead.

In fact, it is a big deal. And sometimes, the problem is not in the child but in their parents.

Anyway, here we got a couple of great ideas on how to teach the child to go potty and save your nerve system.

Check our The Ultimate FAQs For Parents, Kids and Babies. Learn how to address the specific needs and concerns of your babies and kids!

Tip #1 – Wait for the appropriate time for potty training

If you try to force the child to go potty, it can cause either physical or psychological disorders or even both. So, it is better to wait for the high time for it. Believe bare words, and you will definitely feel when your kid is ready for it.

As a rule, the most appropriate age to teach the child to go potty is after the kid is 2. Experienced parents say that it is the time when the child can order their toys in a line, at least more or less. So, go ahead and give it a try.

If you consult your pediatrician, they will probably reject this idea, but there is such a tendency.

Another sign is the child’s interest. If you see that your little one is curious about what the potty is, how people use it, and what it is for. Just give the potty to the baby, play with it, read fairy tales about the potty.

It will awake the kid’s interest, and they will want to try to use it according to its intended purpose.

Also, think about teaching the child to go potty if the kid feels uncomfortable in diapers; when the child tells you that “the action is done” and asks to change baby clothing/diapers. You know that children imitate others a lot. They learn how to act in this way.

If you have a bit older children, your youngest one will imitate their brothers or sisters and will start going potty. It is also one of the easiest ways to show the kid how it works.

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Tip #2 – Set the deadline for diapers

It always works better if you have deadlines. It motivates and makes the situation more clear. The child should understand what is going on, why, and when.

A habit comes with understanding. So, once you decide to wean the child away from diapers, you should explain why the child has to learn how to go potty and when. For example, you are going to have a wonderful trip to the countryside.

You are planning to stay there for a couple of days. Before you start your trip, talk to the child about what is going to happen when you come back home. Once you are back, the child will start learning how to go potty.

Let the kid understand this and have it in mind during your “vacation.” Keep your words and start weaning the child away from diapers right after the trip. Let the potty training start!

Tip #3 – Older siblings’ example

If you have a bit older children, it is perfect and a great chance to show your little kid how to go potty. As we all know, children discover the world by touching objects, tasting, and watching. In this case, watching how others go potty will definitely help you to teach your child to act in the same way.

If you don’t have other children, but your child has cousins who are a bit older, it will work as well. They are all children, and they can play together and learn from each other. Organize their mutual leisure time.

Think about some activities that children can do together for a while. During a long period of time, the older child will definitely show what the potty is and how to use it. Your little kid will see and show the desire to try it in the same way.

A treat can be a good motivator for the older child to help you in potty teaching your younger child. After they go potty, give them a treat. It can be something that the child likes: a cookie, candy, fruit, whatever.

The younger child will get that going potty is something that they can be praised for. Your little one will try it also in order to get a treat.

Check our What and How to Play With Baby? Learn how to play different kinds of games that your newborn will be interested in.

Tip #4 – More emphasis on the day training

Potty training is still training, and we train our children mostly during the day. The emphasis on potty training should be during the daytime as well. Of course, the child can wet themselves while sleeping, but that’s OK.

They just cannot control this process when they are asleep. It will pass soon, do not worry much. So, teach the child how to go potty during the day, and when the night comes, put some clothing under the child.

Wait until your kid does not wet themselves during the night. Then you can put regular underwear as the child will wake up dry already. If your training lasts too long (more than six months), you should probably consult with your pediatrician, and they will give you some recommendations regarding this process.

Tip #5 – Be with your kid

Potty training is always a stress for the child. That is the period when they really need your presence and support. They need more of your care as there are some changes happening in their mind.

One more remark that you should take into account when you decide to start potty training is not to combine it with some other considerable changes in the baby’s life (for instance, a new baby in the family, starting to attend a kindergarten, teething, new long travels and so on).

New beginnings are always a stress for the baby. If you combine potty training with any other new experience for the child, it can cause a lot of stress for the whole family as the child can scream, cry, and just be scared.

So, your task is to be very supportive. Plan the appropriate time to start potty training: take a vacation, cancel any kind of celebration, and don’t leave the child with anyone else.

Your little one loves you the most and needs you the most at this period, at least the first several days. So, just pull yourself together, be patient, and devote all of your time to your kid.

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Tip #6 – Ask to go potty with 25-30 minute intervals

A timer is a good thing to start teaching the child to use a potty. When the child is aware of what it is and how to use a potty, you can ask them every 30 minutes if they want to pee or to do a poo. If the answer is “yes,” then give them a potty and tell the child: “Sit on the potty and make, dear!”

Be ready that during the first days, the kid won’t come to you and tell you that they want to sit on the potty. You have to ask them for yourself very often. Just offer them to go potty from time to time.

It turns out to be helpful if you set a timer on your phone for every 25-30 minutes and ask the child if they want to pee or to do a poo. If the child wants, they will tell you, but only if you ask. After some time, the kid will get used to telling you when it is high time to sit on the potty.

So, they will come to you by themselves and ask you to give them a potty, and you won’t have to ask them every 30 minutes anymore.

Tip #7 – Change diapers for special training pants

There are special training pants that will make the process of potty training easier. They have special thick fabric, and they prevent the leakage. They are comfortable to wear and don’t leave prints on the child’s skin.

They have the same function as diapers, but the child actually understands and feels when they get themselves wet. They will feel uncomfortable and will ask to change them. The child will want to avoid those unpleasant feelings in the future and will ask for a potty later.

The only minus is that such pants are not convenient to use when the child is sleeping. So, you can still use diapers when your little one has a nap or a night’s sleep.

Tip #8 – A reward for going potty

The best and the biggest motivator to do something is to give a reward. In fact, it works almost always, and not just with children but with adults as well. Promise your little one that they will get a treat if they go potty.

Promise them to go to the zoo or to the playground if they tell you when it is high time to sit on the potty. Think about what your child likes the most and award them each time they go potty. It can be a piece of a cookie or candy.

It can be a small toy. If they have their favorite game and they like to play it with you, then promise to play it with the child if they sit on the potty.

Treats are so variable. So, choose the most appropriate, particularly for your child, and give it to them every time when potty training has success.

Tip #9 – Give the child a lot to drink

Probably, every child likes to drink something sweet. The juice is the best way to make the child go potty more often than usual. The matter is that the child should drink a lot, and you will not be able to force the child to drink water.

So, the alternative is a sweet drink – juice. Children adore it. The more your kid drinks, the more they want to pee.

Consequently, the more tries you have in order to teach the child to go potty. Everyone will be satisfied: you, as your child learns how to go potty; and the child, as they get sweet treats.

Tip #10 – Teaching through playing games

It is proven that children learn the best through play. Take the child’s favorite toys and role play. Imagine that you are in a restaurant.

Let some toys be waiters and waitresses; and other toys – visitors. Imagine that all of them are having fun while drinking tea. The tea is so tasty that they would like to have more.

Consequently, they have to go to the toilet as they have drunk a lot of liquid. Then show the child how toys are sitting on the potty. The child will see the example and will follow it when they want to pee.

Besides, you can also show what happens if a doll or a teddy bear doesn’t manage to go to the potty on time, and an accident happens. Explain to them that it is normal and everything is OK.

Do not think that the child will do the same accidents on purpose. They will see that it doesn’t look nice, but will not start crying if it happens with them (as they already understand that it may happen but it is better not to).

Tip #11 – How to use the public toilet

Sometimes it happens that you are somewhere, having a walk, a meeting, or a visit. Of course, it is not convenient to take the potty with you. There is a way out.

You can simply show your child how to use the adult’s toilet. The principle is the same. Let the child sit backward on the flush toilet.

Just hold the child a little bit. Later on, when your child grows up, it will be much easier for them to switch from their small potty and start to go to the regular toilet.

Tip #12 – General conditions

When you decide to start potty training, make sure that the child is absolutely healthy. And everyone in the family is healthy. It will reduce stress for the child and for each family member.

Also, there must be no arguments and quarrels between parents. Everyone should be in a good mood, and the whole atmosphere in the family should be pleasant and relaxed.

It would be great and much more convenient if you decide to start potty training when it is a warm-season outside as it will be easier to put off pants when the child needs to pee, especially when you are in the park or in a public place.

The moment when you ask the child to go potty is also very important. The child’s bladder must be full.

Only then you should ask the child to sit on the potty. Then the kid realizes why they are asked to sit there.

Here is one more piece of advice, mostly for mothers: if there are light carpets of some soft furniture, it is better to cover it or just take it away for the period of potty training. It is a bit hard to clean if an “accident” happens.

Before you decide to quit diapers at all, even during a walk outside, make sure that the child’s habit of going potty is ramped up to automatism. Then you will be sure that the child will tell you that they want to pee and no accident will happen. And it won’t be a problem if you forgot to take changeable baby clothing.

You should also know that it is hard for the child to control themselves when they are sleeping at night or during the day. They will not be able to control it until the child is three years old.

Also, keep the potty somewhere in a visible place. The child should see it and get used to it.

So, potty training is a hard job for parents. It can be unsuccessful at the beginning. But you shouldn’t get upset.

Get ready for the fact that this process can take a lot of time and effort. It is hard, both physically and morally. Also, be ready that you will have to explain how to go potty and show it again and again.

Everything will turn out right in time. Just be attentive to your little one, and they will show which of the given methods is the best for your child.

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Liliana

Liliana is a Licensed Montessori teacher known for her passion and dedication to education. She's been a teacher in the United States for many years, and she truly believes that education is the key to making the world a better place because today's students are tomorrow's leaders. Her experience with Toddlers, Beginners, VPK with Montessori methodology approach; Kindergarten, and first grade made her an authority and trusted resource. Liliana's family taught her important qualities like love, a positive attitude, strong motivation, and leadership. These values have guided her on her journey to becoming a professional and expert teacher. Her mission is to help children grow and contribute to a brighter future for the country.