How to Start Potty Training a Toddler

As the old saying goes - "Well begun is half done"; when the time comes to begin your child's potty training program you need to put your best foot forward confidently. Remember, you have done your homework on this. You have read articles offline and online; spoken to elders and young parents; and also had your doubts cleared from your baby's pediatrician.

All you have to do now is to put the ideas into practice. If you notice that your child is exercising bladder and sphincter control, especially at night then you can conclude that the time is right to initiate the baby's toilet training program. If you're lucky then your child is already following some kind of a routine and clears its bowels at more or less a fixed time. In such a case, it becomes easier for you to instill a basic potty use discipline in the child. If not then you have to try and establish a routine in a gentle manner - in a short span of time you will find out what time works best for potty training your child - immediately after waking up in the morning, after a nap, or after food anytime during the day. Getting the child to understand that it must always use the potty is a major step forward.

Once you see that the child is moving towards using the potty with a degree of success, has achieved a measure of bowel control and invariably lets you know when it has to go to the toilet then you can get the child off diapers. These should be replaced by some easy-to-remove pants or pajamas. An important thing that you have to bear in mind is that your success rate of getting your child to the toilet and using the potty will improve dramatically if you are sensitive to its signals. Children do tell - it is for us to be able to make out what the meaning of their messages they are conveying through their silence, gestures, and tugs at their pants. Some kids may actually to the toilet and wait for you to take them in and help them with removing their pants.

If you catch the child in the act somewhere in the house, escort it to the potty and coax him to finish the job there. These are small things that will reinforce a potty-using habit in the child. Do not lose patience with the child if you find that it has soiled its diaper or pants once in a while during the program. Expect the toilet training program to progress at its own pace.

Commend the child for each and every successful use of the potty. Build the kid's confidence and move it gradually toward independent use of the potty. Include fiber in the child's diet, it will help in the easy passage of stool and the young one will not have to strain too hard. The key to starting the child's potty training on the right note and completing it successfully is to know that the experiences of you and your child are going to be uniquely your own, so be prepared for it.

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