Parents typically experience different emotional states including happiness, anger and sometimes frustration during their child’s potty training process. However, it is good to know that for the child, the feelings can be even stronger! If you learn to understand it, your road to successful potty training will be shorter.

For the child, this learning experience is a nightmare! Right at the moment they are having fun and enjoying themselves with their favorite toy, they have to deal with a process which is anything but enjoyable!

What Does The Child Believe?

It’s hard to say for sure exactly what they may thing, but a guess would be that: Life is not fair! Whenever they try to eliminate a lot of waste products, mom or dad takes it, throws it into the toilet and it is flushed away. The child does not have a clear image about hygiene and doesn’t have a clue as to what’s happening. Patience is very important at this stage.

The little one does not understand why this is necessary. It scares the child and makes him or her wonder why this is so important to mom or dad. Why does my bottom slide into the potty? Will it swallow me? What is this toilet? What is hiding in there? Is there a monster in there? That water sounds terrible! Where does my waste go? The key here is to try to make it as fun as possible and reward the child for successful attempts. For our son, seeing peers going to the bathroom helped tremendously. There is something to be said about positive peer pressure.

Then, after a youngster starts to succeed, they must face other sources of stress like washing hands and zipping pants. Sometimes, the child cannot synchronize these post-potty activities and their underpants get stained or wet. Frustration grows and right then, mom seems displeased with them. That is too much! Mom does not love them anymore…Why? Therefore, at this point your maturity as parents and your capacity to understand must surface. You’re faced with turning this ritual into something pleasant without losing your patience!

Potty Training – When To Begin?

It is hard to say when it’s the right time to start potty training. There is no specific age for this training. In general, children between 18 and 30 months are ready for potty training, but some of them take a bit longer. However, don’t let this scare you! If the child is ready, it will be easier for him or her to do it. If you push the child, you risk both failure and a frustrated, unhappy son or daughter. Thus, you should show your child all the steps, but the child must decide when to start it and how.

Potty Training Signs – When Do We Know That the Child is Ready?

There are some obvious signs like that moment when the little one is able to sit easily, when the child begins to imitate adults behavior in the bathroom and when the child starts to refuse the Pampers and wants ‘big boy’ underwear like Daddy has. When you think this time has arrived, offer the child this alternative to diapers.

Another sign is that moment when the youngster becomes concerned about being clean and neat. He or she puts things where they came from, picks up toys, etc. They show the first signs of becoming independent, such as wanting to climb down the stairs on their own, or simply starts to ask to use the potty.

You can start potty training when the potty becomes interesting to the child and when doing so becomes a fun game rather than an unpleasant experience. Another typical sign is when they are finally able to zip or unzip their pants without help and also when they finally seem to understand and appreciate the difference between being wet and being dry.

There are some children who need to be preoccupied with something else while using the potty like a book or a toy, to follow a certain ritual. Some of them may choose to use their potty when brings them to the potty and puts on a special child’s chair. Other kids need to talk with their mom or dad or have a need to be told a story. Anyway, with patience and creativity, even the most difficult child can be potty trained.

Taking it one step at a time

Potty training is something that your child can learn regardless of whether it takes a few days or a few months. Just remember that a child must be ready for it when they are, not when you are. After all, it is not your project, it is his or hers. You are only a wise and patient assistant! Good Luck!!

Potty training boys can be a challenge over girls, so it is important to be very patient with your young man and provide a great deal of encouragement. A child should never be pushed when it comes to potty training because it could easily backfire and take twice as long.
Life is a series of memories and milestones. Learning to “make doody” is one of the most significant milestones of a two-year old boy’s life. How do we, as new parents, help bring about this memorable event? Answer: Get informed! Being aware of specific needs will make all the difference in potty training a little boy.

Perhaps the most important key to potty training a little boy is to know when to start. Children generally show signs of readiness around age two. Signs of readiness will include an ability to stay dry for prolonged periods of time, a dislike of dirty diapers, and a vocalized desire to use the toilet. When potty training a little boy, keep in mind that boys usually take longer to potty train than girls. Be very patient. After all, they have to learn twice (sitting and standing)!
Simple Keys to Success

First of all, never pressure your son to begin potty training. It is a natural process and will most definitely occur on its own! The feeling of a messy diaper and the desire to be a “big boy” will inevitably do the job given the proper time. When potty training a little boy, be careful to encourage them when they show signs of readiness.

Secondly, being a “big boy” is often incentive enough to use the potty chair; however, it can’t hurt to make the bathroom a fun environment. I am not implying that you must substitute your shower curtain for one with an enormous purple dinosaur on it. Purchasing an inexpensive yet colorful potty chair is enough and can do wonders for a small child; particularly if it has the face of their favorite cartoon character on it.

Finally, when potty training a little boy, positive reinforcement can work wonders! A small piece of candy (or whatever treat your son likes) given directly after successfully using his potty chair will provide motivation you wouldn’t believe! Verbal encouragement is helpful and necessary but its effectiveness increases exponentially when candy is added to the mix!

The Single Most Important Factor in Potty Training a Little Boy

Every time he goes, make it a big deal. Tell them how big they are and that you are proud of them. This is a good opportunity to subconsciously reinforce the idea that they are important to you. Potty training occurs during a very important time in your son’s development. Use it as an opportunity to build up his sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Plant the seeds of self-esteem every chance you get! In our case this was the single most important factor in getting our son potty trained, along with ample rewards of gummy bears for a job well done. Another factor was peer pressure. A couple days a week he went to a preschool and see his peers going to the bathroom was a strong incentive.

Is you child potty trained but still wets the bed at night? Did you know that bedwetting is hereditary? So far we are lucky with our children since I had that problem as a child. So, okay, you are not the only one who does not know is possibly embarrassed by this truth. However, thankfully the bed wetting sleep disorder is curable and very rarely crosses the age of 10 years of age. In only about two percent of all the bed wetting sleep disorder cases, the patient continues this habit into adulthood. There is hope, so please don't be discouraged.

Finally, let your child help change the bedsheets, and do not behave like they have done something unforgivable. Tell your child that you understand they have a problem that many other children have, and that it is not their fault. Slowly and with patience, your child will move away from bedwetting and begin to enjoy life again.

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Editorial Comment: We have just finished potty training our son and are looking forward to the challenges of training our newborn in a few years. Parenting is not easy and knowing how difficult this task can be, so we will be devoting a few articles to potty training. Let us know if they are useful. For us, we used many of the techniques below. It is important not to get made or upset if the child has an accident. We also resorted to bribary along with encouragement. Either a gummy bear or a crabby patty gummy for a real good job! One thing that helped also was peer pressure. Our son really started making progress at the pre pre school he was going to. We built on that success at home by a lot of praise when he went as to what a big boy he was becomming. Julie

There comes a time in every family’s life when it is time to potty train. There are as many ways to go about this as there are families in the world. How you go about the process should be molded to fit the needs of your family and especially your toddler. In fact, it will probably seem as if everyone you know is trying to give you a potty training tip.

Pick and choose from every potty training tip that every well-meaning person tries to give you. Choose the ideas that will work well for your family and your child and in no time you will have a successfully potty-trained toddler on your hands!

Posting Search Tags: Parenting Children Potty Training