Huron Regional Medical Center

Dry Nights and Diaper-Free Days

IN TODDLERS' HEALTH

If your child is between two and three years of age, give potty training a try. Here are some tried-and-true tips from Parents (www.parents.com) magazine to find out whether or not your child is ready, how to avoid common pitfalls, and what your library has to do with helping your child succeed. Every child's development is unique. While not all children will be ready to begin toilet training at the same age, many show signs of readiness like pausing during an activity to clutch their diapers between 18 and 24 months of age.

If your child displays two or more of the following signs, consider starting your toilet training course:

  • His peeing and pooping schedule is beginning to get predictable.

  • She regularly lets you know when she needs to potty.

  • He's curious when you use the toilet and wants to help you flush.

  • She expresses discomfort with dirty diapers.

  • He often awakens dry in the mornings and after naps.
If you're unsure about when to begin the potty training process, let your child be the guide. Even when your child is ready to use the toilet, the training process may take between three and six months.

Avoid Potty Training Pitfalls
During tumultuous times, stress may slow potty practice. Here are four times not to teach:

  1. Your family is in the process of moving.

  2. A new sibling has arrived or is on the way.

  3. He's weaning from breastfeeding, the bottle, or a pacifier habit.

  4. She's starting or returning to day care.

Bathroom Classics

What does a great media mix have to do with potty training? Fun books and DVDs keep children engaged and may be just the teaching tools you need. These tips can help make bathroom basics a breeze:

  • Bear in the Big Blue House: Potty Time with Bear DVD. One of Disney's leading men (okay, bears) and the Playhouse puppets rock out to tunes about the toilet.

  • Time to Pee! by Mo Willems. With its silly, sign-holding mice and a success chart with stickers, it's easy to see how this book won the National Parenting Publication Award Gold Medal.

  • Potty Power DVD. What could be more fun for your child than watching an animated toilet paper roll sing "No More Diapers for Me?" Perhaps the motivational reel of real kids sitting on the potty?

  • Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel. Fairytale meets bathroom humor in this timeless treasure. The book even has "his" and "hers" versions to help children learn how to use the toilet.

Sources: www.parents.com, www.kidshealth.org © 2013. True North Custom Media. All Rights Reserved.

Comment on this article

Name
Email

Comment

0 Comment