EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Kid's Health
|
||||
|
Whether you call it potty training, toilet training or toilet teaching, it can be a frustrating task for parents. Getting toddlers out of diapers and into underpants requires lots of preparation and plenty of patience. To determine if your child is ready, look for the following: • Your child stays dry at least two hours at a time during the day or is dry after naps. • Bowel movements are regular and predictable. • Your child can follow simple instructions, can walk to and from the bathroom, and undress herself. • Your child tells you when her diaper is wet and soiled. • Your child asks to use the toilet or potty chair. • Your child asks to wear underwear. Once the signs are there, you are ready to begin potty training. Start when you have plenty of time with your child and when there are no major distractions in the household. Ease your child into the transition from diaper to potty by allowing her to be present when you use the bathroom. Allow her to flush the toilet. Change her diaper in the bathroom – not on a changing table. Place a potty chair in your child’s normal living and play space so she will become familiar with it. Let your child sit on the potty – even fully clothed. After she becomes comfortable with the potty chair, try having her sit on it without her diaper - just like mommy and daddy does when they use the toilet. The next step is showing your child how the potty chair is used. Begin putting contents from her dirty diaper into the potty so she can see what happens. Allow her to run around the house bare-bottomed so she can try to use the potty if she wants. Let her practice lowering and raising her training pants. Place her on the potty chair whenever she signals the need to go to the bathroom. Her facial expressions may change when she feels the urge to urinate or have a bowel movement, or she may abruptly stop an activity, at which point you can suggest she use the potty. In addition to watching for these signals, place your child on the potty at regular intervals. This may be as often as every one and a half to two hours, and keep her seated for only a few minutes at a time. Whether your child goes in the potty or not, praise her for trying. When success does occur, encourage your child with hugs and praise. When accidents happen – and they will – do not express disappointment. Punishment and scolding will often make children feel badly and may prolong the training. Be positive throughout the process – congratulate your child for staying dry. Some parents offer rewards or incentives, but be careful not to create unrealistic expectations, and keep in mind that rewards don’t always work. If you do decide to implement an incentive system, gradually phase out the rewards as bathroom visits become routine for your child. Once your child gets accustomed to using the potty during the day, you’re ready to conquer the next phase - teaching your child to stay dry throughout the night. Nighttime training is more difficult because it depends on your child’s ability to hold her urine for an extended period of time and it depends on how deeply she sleeps. Start by keeping your child’s bedtime calm. Encourage her to use the potty one last time. Consider letting her sleep in underwear, though be alert for unexpected visits when accidents occur. Potty training may take up to three months. Be patient and supportive. Once your child is successfully potty trained, it’s another milestone for the baby book. Dr. Maria Tupas is the medical director of Primary Care Services at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). To find a CHOC physician, or to learn more about CHOC, visit choc.org. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This ArticleSEARCH THE SITE
