Hands-On Approaches for Toilet Training Children

The desire to start toilet training a child is strong for any parent who doesn’t want to deal with another diaper change. But, the complications of figuring out how to introduce your child to the potty can be very stressful. There’s no perfect method of toilet training, but one of these approaches could work for you.

Helping Hands

Putting all the pressure on yourself to toilet train your child is asking for trouble. If you work,a daycare provider or babysitter can be involved with the potty training. There could also be other toddlers who have recently completed potty training that you could present as examples when teaching the behaviors you’d like your child to emulate.

Rewards

It takes relatively little to motivate a toddler. To help them feel excited about toilet training, offer them occasional rewards for using the restroom as you want them to. These should be rewards that are healthy and that don’t let them get carried away with thinking that they only have to use the toilet on the grounds that they’re rewarded. With consistent toilet usage, they’ll find that it’s far more pleasant than having to deal with diapers.

Getting Crafty

Your child can be given some power in toilet training by using a doll that they guide. Training a doll is part of a potty training technique published in 1974 which is still used today. You can purchase a special potty training doll or make one with your child. Have them give instructions to the doll and show it love just as you do toward them through the potty training process.

Training Pants

Using training pants can help your child comfortably transition from diapers to the toilet. While these might look and feel like diapers, they can include special features, like wetness alerts, that help your child have more control over when they use the bathroom. These can also be useful for overnight wear when you don’t want to deal with the wet sheets that can come from inevitable nighttime accidents. Be sure to have your child tell you when they’re wet or otherwise need attention.

While toilet training takes time, you’ll find that most children get the hang of it pretty quickly. Don’t let yourself get stuck on one method if it doesn’t work out as you anticipated. However long it takes or what it involves, the day your child is fully ready to use the potty independently is a day to celebrate.

You might also like: 4 Common Causes of Low Childhood Confidence