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The Ups and Downs of Potty Training

One of the most satisfying accomplishments as a parent is to potty train their child. For some, it will happen easily. For others, it will be a long and tedious time. Regardless, patience and consistency are the keys to success.

Don't be fooled by books and stories from other parents who say this is the way to do it; just follow these instructions and you can throw away the diapers. Every child is different. Every child will choose the time they are ready. Some may need prompting, but if resistance is met, wait a little longer.

As a mother of three potty-trained children, I have seen both ends of the spectrum. My daughter, eagerly sat on the potty and on the child-seat on the toilet. Each morning, as soon as she woke, I placed her on the potty. Sometimes she peed and sometimes she just sat there, but the routine remained the same each day.

In the evening, the last thing she did before she went to bed, was sit on the potty. Again, this was a routine that was strictly followed. The training began when she was 24 months old and two months later, she was day trained. She was mature about the whole process and was rightly proud of her accomplishments. Particularly at the beginning, we made a big fuss over the fact that she sat on the potty. Double that if something actually was deposited in it.

If a mistake was made and she soiled her underwear, I brushed it off and said, "oh well, things like this happen sometimes. Even to adults. Remember when Nanny laughed so hard she . . . " - well, you get the picture. Children shouldn't feel threatened if a mistake is made. They're just learning and mistakes should be expected.

Just after her third birthday, my daughter told me she didn't want to wear a diaper to bed; she liked her underwear. With the security of a mattress protector beneath her doubled-bottom sheets, I agreed.

In the morning, she woke dry and diapers were history. Wow, that was easy,' I thought.

My second child, a boy, 14 months younger than my daughter didn't want to use the potty so eagerly. He was almost three before he did and wasn't night trained until he was almost four. Still, it was relatively easy.

And then disaster struck. Or at least I thought it did. My third child was terrified of the potty and the toilet. Regardless of what we tried, he fought to keep his diaper on and ran and hid when the potty was presented.

There was no logical explanation for his behaviour. As an adult, I tried to analyse the problem, but it didn't

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