10 steps to potty training: Start potty training
Many parents can hardly wait: the end of the constant diaper changing. It is often forgotten that every child has their own rhythm and it can sometimes take longer than expected before the offspring goes to the potty on their own. We have therefore put together ten simple steps to potty training so that you can get an initial overview and your child can start a diaper-free life without stress.
1. Is your child potty ready?
Before you start potty training, you should check that your child is ready to use the potty. Wait for your child to show interest on their own, and avoid forcing them to use the potty or toilet. In the worst case, they associate something negative with the potty and will even more resist the training. The following checklist is intended to help you determine the right time when your child is ready for the potty.
Your child is ready for the potty when
- it can walk and put its pants on and off on its own.
- draws attention to the fact that something is in the pants by making certain noises or movements.
- it gives the small or big business its own name.
- being able to follow simple instructions.
- it can tell when its body is telling it to use the potty.
- it stays dry for up to two hours. This indicates that his sphincter is sufficiently exercised and the urine can remain in the bladder for a period of time.
- has a loose stool and finds walking around in a full diaper uncomfortable.
- can sit on a potty alone and remain still for a few minutes.
- it shows that it wants to be independent, that it wants to do certain things on its own.
- not reluctant to use the potty.
Most toddlers have developed the necessary physical and cognitive skills to begin potty training between the ages of 18 and 24 months. Therefore, many parents start when their child is about two years old. However, some children do not have the necessary skills until they are four years old and this development is of course also completely fine. Therefore, there is no “right” time for introducing the potty.
2. The right equipment: Which potty to start with?
The right equipment is helpful when potty training. Of course, this includes first and foremost the potty itself. It helps to overcome the fear of the “big adult toilet” and can even be fun if it is colorful or has a funny shape. If you have found out in advance which potty is suitable for your child, it is best to buy it together with him and let him decide which potty he wants.
It is important that the potty is stable so that your child cannot accidentally knock it over when sitting down. Likewise, it should not be too high so that your child can quickly access it when he realizes that he has to go to the potty. If you use an adapter for the adult toilet, make sure that your child can sit on it safely and stably. There should always be a small stool in front of the toilet, which gives your child easy and quick access.
You can find out more information about which equipment makes sense in our article ” Accessories for drying out “.
3. Potty and toilet books
Accompanying the training on the potty itself, picture books or videos that playfully depict going to the potty and thus make it understandable are also a good investment. In this way, you can remind your child of potty training when reading to them in the evening and ensure that it becomes a permanent and natural part of their everyday life. Some great book tips on potty training are:
- Moritz Moppelpo no longer needs a diaper (arsEdition)
- The Little Toilet King (Ravensburger Verlag)
- Paul is already going to the toilet (arsEdition)
- Jakob and the wet trousers (Carlsen Verlag)
4. Establish a potty routine
To teach your child that using the potty is part of their everyday routine, simply put them on their potty several times a day with their clothes on. You can do this, for example, after breakfast or at another time when you have some time and peace. If it doesn’t want to sit still and resists, that’s perfectly fine. You should never force your child to sit on the potty unless they feel like it. Dramatizing the potty issue won’t help you or your child, it only creates stress and anxiety. So if your child doesn’t want to get involved in the potty, it makes sense to put it away and try again another time.
If your child likes to sit on the potty, you should not overwhelm them at first by explaining why they are sitting there. It should just get used to it at first and understand that it will have to deal with it more often in the future. It is best to keep the potty in a friendly place at all times. In the summer, for example, you can take it into the garden so that your child can play with it. Playful use of the potty helps your child to enjoy it and integrate it into their everyday routine.
You can also explain to your child that potty training is also part of your and your partner’s daily routine and that it’s normal to pull your pants down before using the potty.
5. Show how the toilet or potty works
Children learn most easily by imitating adults. So when your little one sees what you use the toilet for, it will be easier for them to understand what to do with the potty and why. You can also help your child understand the connection between their waste and the potty by taking the full diaper, taking your child to the potty and emptying it there.
Then you can let the contents disappear together in the toilet. Let them actively participate in this process, for example by allowing your child to flush when you have emptied the potty. Here, too, it is important not to force it to do this. If they don’t enjoy it and don’t want to know where everything is going, just wait until next time and try again. Teach him from the start to put his panties back on himself and to wash his hands after going to the potty. Again, the best way to show your child how to do it is to let them watch you. If there are friends of the same age or older siblings who are already going to the potty or the toilet, your child can also watch them and learn how to do it.
6. Skip the diapers
If possible and temperatures permitting, your child should play without pants or a diaper so that they have quick and easy access to the potty. Tell her that she now has the opportunity to go to the potty whenever she needs to, and occasionally remind her if she needs to by asking if she needs to. It won’t always work out right away and it’s bound to go haywire, but that’s perfectly fine.
The more he plays without his diaper, the faster he will learn to use the potty. Once it understands the meaning, it will call for you more and more often so that you can go to the potty together.
7. Practice makes perfect and praise, praise, praise
Encourage your child to visit the potty on their own if they have to. However, it often helps if your child tells you every time and you then go to the bathroom together. Sometimes it’s not so easy for toddlers to stay relaxed on the potty long enough for something to come. So make sure that your child stays on the potty for at least a minute by talking to him or by looking at a book together. This will make it easier for him to relax and not get impatient so easily.
If he’s good at going to the potty and doing his job there, give him praise every time. So he associates it with a positive event and wants to do it just as well next time. Every potty event is a success, show your child that too. However, don’t pressure it by making a big deal out of it every time and waiting for it to work. Your child will notice this and feel uncomfortable about it.
8. Try training diapers
An alternative to normal diapers are fitted diapers. With their simple waistband, they ensure that your child can easily take off their panties themselves. Some children are immediately enthusiastic about the “new diaper”, which is used like underpants, and enjoy using it. It can help to reach the goal faster, since the child would like to put the new ability to dress and undress to the test.
But it can also be that he doesn’t like the new diaper and rejects this special experience. If you decide to use the training diapers, let your child get used to them first. They should only wear them for a few hours during the day, but normal diapers at night. When you find him going to the potty every time he needs to, it’s time for regular underwear.
9. Setbacks are part of training
Potty training can be difficult for both the family and the child. Little mishaps happen to almost every child during the cleaning phase. This is completely normal and part of the training. Until your child stays dry and clean both day and night, things will often go wrong. The important thing is not to put pressure on him to get angry or scold him.
You should always keep in mind that your child’s bladder and sphincter muscles have only recently fully formed and may not always be strong enough to seal the bladder and rectum tightly. The process of getting clean takes patience and time, and you and your partner should remain calm when things go wrong. In the event of a mishap, react politely and wipe it away without comment. Under no circumstances should you punish your child for this and put him under even more pressure. In the worst case, it will take a huge step backwards.
Getting clean doesn’t happen to any child all at once. Prepare for the fact that you and your partner may have to remove minor accidents without comment for months until it all goes smoothly.
10. Training continues at night
Even after your child has learned to use the potty or toilet during the day, it may still take them months to become dry at night. Sometimes it’s too small to wake up alone at night if you have to. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. It is not uncommon for children to become dry at night only when they start primary school. So it makes sense to save the leftover diapers for the night.
You can help your child stay dry at night by not offering to drink so much just before bed and by reminding them to use the potty or the toilet before bed. You should also make it clear to him that he can always call you at night when he wakes up so that you can go to the toilet together. Alternatively, you can simply place the potty next to the cot to shorten your child’s way to the toilet. A plastic sheet under the regular cotton sheet will help protect the mattress from any mishaps during nappy-free trials. Over time, your child will then learn all by itself that it has to go out at night when it needs something.
Even later, it is advisable not to blame your child if something goes wrong. Even then, keep calm and clean the bed without comment or even calm your child down if they are restless because of the little mishap.