by Tinoy Mama

Created on: June 01, 2008

"Pee-pee in the pot-ty, pee-pee in the pot-ty! Pee-pee on theFLOOR?" Ahh, the fun and joy of potty training. All parents have either gone through it or will be going through it in due time. Generally the parents are divided into two groups when it comes to potty training: The group that is eager to get it over with, and the group that is terrified of the idea and would like to postpone it as much as possible. I fell into the former category.

When my son was three years old, I decided it was time for him to start using the potty. He was a smart little boy, and I just knew he would master it in no time, just like my friend's aunt's niece's coworker son, of course. Well, to my utter dismay, my brilliant little boy had other ideas. He would sit on the potty for a long time, then stand up and relieve himself on the floor (or in his pull-up.) He would take off said pull-up and run around naked, marking his territory in every room of the house. Then came the time when he just refused to have anything to do with the potty (or a regular toilet) whatsoever. I read every book about potty training, spoke to every friend and relative, and had just about given up, when I came to a realization: Maybe my son was just not ready yet.

There are several ways to tell if your child is ready to use the potty. First off, children need to be physically ready for toilet training. If your child is still wetting her diaper every couple of hours, it might be a sign that her bladder muscles are not quite strong enough yet. Most children will be ready somewhere between the two and three year mark.

One sign that your child is ready is his ability to tell you that he has wet or dirtied his diaper. If children are aware enough to come to you right after they poop and ask you to change them, then they are mature enough for the potty.

It is important to note that if a child is not bothered by being wet or dirty, then he/she is probably not quite ready for potty training. For a long time, my son could not have cared less if he was sitting in diaper full of poop. If they don't care, then they have no motivation to stop what they are doing and go use the potty.

Another sign of readiness to look for is the desire to learn to use the toilet. No-matter how much control you think you might have over your child, if they are resistant to the idea of using the toilet, they will not use it! Showing an interest in a potty or toilet is another sign that your child may be ready to ditch the diapers. This is why when you think it's time to start potty training, you should have potties for your child all over the house. Kids might start by just sitting on the potty fully clothed, but that will show you that they are at least curious about the funny contraption sitting on the floor.

My son was finally potty trained at around age four. I truly thought I would never see the day! But I learned that regardless of how frustrating and despairing potty training may seem at times, one needs to keep in mind that eventually kids will get the hang of it. It might take a lot of encouragement and positive reinforcement (and definitely a lot of laundry detergent) but it will happen. In the meantime, keep smiling and singing that song.Pee-pee in the pot-ty, pee-pee in the pot-ty

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