Potty Training
When starting potty training, it is important to remember there is no right way to potty train your child or a right age for them to learn to use the potty. These are some tips that may work for your child!
Many children develop the physical ability to have control over their bowels around 18 months. A child’s emotional ability to learn how to use the potty can range. Some children are ready around 18 months, while others are not ready until they are 3 years old or older.
Signs of potty training readiness:
- Your child wants to use the potty—this is most important!
- Your child’s diaper stays dry for 2 hours at a time or after naps.
- Your child recognizes they are going to the bathroom. A few ways you might notice this are that your child goes to another room for a bowel movement or let’s you know their diaper is wet or dirty.
- Your child is developing skills for potty training—walking, pulling pants up and down, ability to get on and off the potty (with some help), following simple directions.
- Your child may copy caregivers toileting behaviors.
How to start potty training:
- First, begin to notice signs that your child is ready for potty training.
- Talk about it! This could be through reading a story about using the potty and showing your child how to sit on the potty, providing them with ‘tools’ for potty training, such as: underwear, a small potty or seat, step stool, etc.
- If or when your child is interested, start asking if they want to use the potty when changing their diaper—even if they are just sitting on the potty and not using it, that’s a start!
- When your child is showing the ability to use the potty (as well as other signs of readiness), this is usually the time to try switching from diapers to underwear during awake times of the day!
Potty training at Concordia Place
At Concordia Place, we usually begin noticing signs of potty training in our two year-old classrooms. We like to think of potty training as a partnership with families. If teachers start to notice signs of potty training readiness, they will let families know and want families to do the same! For example, if a teacher notices a child is waking up from nap time and their diaper is dry, they might ask the child if they want to sit on the potty during a diaper change. As the child continues to show signs of potty training readiness and is more successful using the potty both at home and at school, we can try out wearing underwear during the day! This usually starts at home over the weekend and if successful, we will try it out at school! Your child’s teacher is always a good resource for more potty training tips and to see about your child’s potty training readiness!
Books about Potty Training:
These are all available at the Chicago Public Library!
- Diapers are Not Forever by Elizabeth Verdick
- The New Potty By Gina and Mercer Mayer
- A Potty For Me! by Karen Katz
- Dinosaur vs. The Potty by Bob Shea
- Even Firefighters go to the Potty by Wendy Wax and Naomi Wax
