Think your tiny tot ready to make the transition from pampers to potty? If so, then it might be time to begin prepping for, the often dreaded, potty training. Two-words that elicit anxiety in even the coolest of parents.
Fortunately, the Gateway Christian Preschool director, Missy Howerton, has compiled a cheat sheet for parents to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Training a child that’s not ready will only cause added frustration for you and your child, Missy suggests looking for these signs that your child is ready for the potty:
- When they tell you they are wet or bring you a diaper
- When they are able to pull up and down their own pants
- If they wake up dry (this is a great sign!)
- When they are curious about the potty
Once you’ve established your tot is ready, Missy suggests prepping them for potty training with these tips:
- Make your child feel included in potty training (They want to be involved!)
- Have your child pick out their potty
- Let your child pick out their own big boy/girl underwear
- Many children fear toilets, they want to know it will not “suck them down”
so to speak. Watching their parents sit on a potty and flush reassures
the child it is safe.
- Children are fascinated by the potty
- They may try to flush other household items when they are potty training
so it is important to emphasize the toilet is only for pee and poop.
The prep work is done, now it’s time to train!
- Once you have committed to potty training only place your child in underwear.
No more diapers.
- Going back and forth from diapers to underwear can be confusing for
your child.
- It may be a lot of laundry at first, but it will be worth it in the long run.
- Know the key time to take them to sit on the potty
- 15 to 20 minutes after drinking or eating
- After waking up from naps
- As soon as they wake up in the morning
- Don't worry, you will learn your child’s normal cycle
When they are playing they will not want to go to the potty. Try teaching them to “pause” on play time, take a potty break then return to play.
Just remember, every child is different, some may catch on more quickly than others, just be consistent and know that they will eventually “get it”. I mean, how many 16-year-olds do you see still running around in diapers?
Want to keep up with more tips on navigating your little ones through their formative years, then plug into the Gateway Christian Pre-School Facebook page!
The Gateway Christian PreSchool offers classes for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, you can learn more about the preschool program here.