by Nikki McHug

Created on: February 10, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

Go into this with patience, an open mind and use good parent to child communication. This is a big step for your child and must be treated with care or it will take much longer then it needs to. I started when my children were 2 to 2 1/2 years old and I was a working mother. It wasn't easy but we did prevail. A word to the wise though-if your expecting a newborn please allow room for regression. It's a natural and normal thing for them to regress due to the lack of attention and potty training can take at least 6 months to a year realistically.

First - Get the child adjusted to the bathroom. Let the child come in with you and experience the "art" of using the bathroom. Wash their hands in the sink, brushing teeth, using the toilet and of course bath time. Do not let them linger alone for trouble can find them fast. Let them explore and experience. Tell them that your doing number one or number two while your doing it and show them. It's not gross - it's basic human necessity.

Now purchase a training potty. Preferably one the child can sit on themselves or soon be able to. Using a step to the toilet can be a little intimidating to them and frustrating to you which may hinder training. Let the child sit on it even with a diaper and clothes on, let it become familiar to them. Leave it in the bathroom or even out in the playroom.

During warmer months after acquainting them with the bathroom and training potty, Leave the child in just a diaper or pull up training diaper and every once in awhile , especially after feeding them or giving them any liquids, tell them in a friendly fun voice "let's go potty" and walk them over remove diaper or training pants and let them sit, telling them they can go 1 or 2 and hang out with them. Keep them a bit entertained so they will actually stay seated long enough for their body to relax, give them a book or tell them a story. If they don't make still give them praise for sitting. If they do, obviously give them praise and show them what they did. You can also show them how you put it in the potty and flush. In time develop a schedule to when they use the potty and remember to keep it fun for them. You can give them a star sticker or something whenever they do number one or two.

Any sort of diaper pull ups are great until they have successfully spent a week waking up dry in the morning and then you may safely move onto training undies as long as you monitor the time of the last liquid consumption of the day and keep a bed pad under the fitted sheet. I used traing undies during the day and pull ups for sleeping until they stayed dry. A full bladder will not last the night. I suggest you normally have them potty before they get in bed and as soon as they wake up. While out of the house be prepared, use good discretion and your parental instincts and you may not have any problems.

In the end, again, please be patient. There will be accidents and frustration but the less you make it a negative issue, the easier it will be for the child.

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