Swati_Sarath
- Jul 26, 2020

How To Potty Train Your Baby or Toddler In The Right Way - Best Methods of Potty Training

Once your baby is 1-year-old you need to now get ready to prepare yourself and your kid to achieve another big milestone - Potty Training. Most parents are unsure about when to start potty training their babies. Making your baby practice to pee or poop in a potty can be the best and most important skill to develop independence and cleanliness further in their life.

Potty training is a complex process, and it can be tricky to know what the best approach is because every child learns differently. The secret of success for this task is patience and timing. To help you in your little one's potty training adventure, I’ve compiled a list of tips to help him/her get the hang of potty training.

When to start?

This completely depends on your child. Mostly kids can be trained between 18 and 24 months of age. However, starting it early is no harm. Also, there would be some cases in which your baby may not be ready until he/she is 3 years old. Don’t rush or worry it’s totally fine.

So, here are a few things that will help you in knowing when to start with the training -

Make sure your baby is ready?

Before jumping into this milestone, you should identify if he/she is ready for it.

This includes -

if she is interested in using a potty chair or toilet.
Whether she can communicate with you about when she needs to go.
She or he is showing some signs of using a toilet.
keep a diaper dry for 2 hours or more
Are they able to understand your instructions?

If most of the above criteria are yes in your baby’s case then go ahead! Start it without any hesitation. And if it’s a NO then wait until you switch to YES.

Choose the right potty chair or placement -

Now once you and your kid are ready, pick the right potty equipment for the process. There is a huge variety of products available in the market. Don’t just randomly choose on the basis of color and cuteness. Look for the ones that your baby would be comfortable with.

Two most basic types are -

A standalone, potty chair with a removable bowl that can be emptied into the toilet.
A comfortable potty seat that can be placed on top of a toilet seat. If you are choosing this, get a stepping stool so your child can reach the seat comfortably and feel supported and secure while having a bowel movement.

Try to make boys learn to use the toilet sitting down before he learns to pee standing up. If he is scared to pee by standing on a stole then first go for potty chairs which would be more comfortable initially. Also make sure to take potty chairs while traveling to ensure both safety, cleanliness, and easy process.

How to potty train your kid?

It’s not necessary that your baby would be well versed about giving the right communication about the urge to go to pee or poop. Hence prepare yourself first so as to support and motivate your child in achieving it.

Here are the steps and tips that will help you through the process.

1) Watch and learn the signs -

It can be anything - facial expressions, restless behavior, squirm or wriggle, trumping or farting, etc. Start paying careful attention to these slowly you will be able to know he or she may wet or soil the diaper.

2) Go naked -

Yes, this is a great tip that can make your baby understand and know their urinary or bowel movements. This will initiate them to start using the toilet or potty chair. Give them lots of fluids so that they have the tendency to use the toilet sessions more.

This will help them to understand where to go when they need to pee. Similarly, try to make them poop early morning and before going to bed.

Note- Always bring the habit of washing their hands after using toilets or potty chairs.

3) Communicate and Demonstrate -

Use words to express the act of using the toilet ("pee," "poop," and "potty").
Ask your child to let you know when a diaper is wet or soiled. Keep on asking them every 20-30 mins so that they become familiar with your questions or words and start replying back.
In case your baby hesitates to use the potty chair or toilet seat, demonstrate to them how to use it so that they get motivated by you.

4) Make the potty session interesting and engaging -

No one likes boring sessions especially kids. If you are planning to make your baby use potty chair for more than 10 mins without any interesting stuff then trust me they are never gonna love it. Play some videos, give them some books, toys, or make them sit on a balcony or backyard to engage them in the beauty of the surrounding environment.

This will make them enjoy practicing it daily without any disinterest.

5) Say goodbye to diapers -

Once you decide to fully train your child then slowly say goodbye to diapers. Make them wear training pants or underwear so that they get used to those at an early stage itself. Never use tight underpants that prevent airflow. It should always be a bit loose and comfy so as to avoid itching, irritation, or rashes at the sides of the genital areas.

You would need to buy a lot of them as there are chances to keep changing them many times during a day.

6) Explain about hygiene -

It’s a very important step while you train your baby. Whatever you teach would be something they will follow throughout their life.

Hence, always explain to them about cleaning their genitals after the process and also about washing their hands before and after using the toilets.

7) Believe in the process -

Patience is a virtue. Without patience, you won’t be able to achieve this milestone. It is very easy to get discouraged on day 2 or 3 when your child is showing no interest, results or having accidents, but once you make it a few more days, your child will definitely show you that he or she understands what it means to be potty trained and will act accordingly.

8) Schedule a routine and repeat -

Once he/she starts to use the potty seat quite regularly, note down the patterns and timing of their potty sessions and try to bring out a routine from it. This will simplify the process and will also be easier for you to monitor and arrange things accordingly.

Building a routine and making them practice it daily can be the best lesson you can give them.And never forget to praise them each time they try or succeed in doing it. Motivation can be the key to better and faster results in this training process.

Tip : After your baby wakes up in the morning , make sure you give them tolerable warm water in empty stomach. This can really help in triggering motion.

How Long will it take?

There is no certain time frame for this process. Some kids adapt to it easily while others might take more time. Keep faith in yourself and your child. Things will definitely go smoothly when it's the right time.

In case of any concerns always speak to your pediatrician so that they can help you out it the process.

Things to keep in mind -

Don’t get frustrated if things are taking a long time. Potty training can take roughly a lot of time for some kids. Keep practicing until he/she gets there.
Timing is everything. Each child is different and so never compare them with other kids. Once they are ready they will gradually start showing interest.
Never scold or force your baby for performing the process as this can make them more disinterested in it.
Take help from your partner whenever required. Some Babies like to listen to their dads in such tricky tasks. Offer small bribes. Though I wouldn't recommend it fully if your baby listens to you when he/she is offered with some reward then you can go for it. But try not to bring that as a habit else you would be the one who would suffer in the future.
Give time and pace for your baby to get adapted to the new routine. Some may have fear, some might feel awkward. Talk to them, make them feel comfortable, and then help them in the process.
If your child seems ready for potty training but is having difficulties, talk to your child's doctor. He or she can give you guidance and check to see if there's an underlying problem.