When should you start toilet training for your child?
- 18-24 months is the ideal age to start toilet training
- 18 months introduce training
- 24 months re-inforce training
- 36 months achieve training
How can you assess the readiness of your child for toilet training?
- When child signals that diaper is soiled
- Child seems interested in potty chair/toilet
- Child says that he/she would like to go to potty
- Child stays dry for periods of 2 hours or longer during day
- Child can pull his pants down and then pull up again
- Child can walk and ready to sit
How should you prepare your child for toilet training?
- Get a potty chair
- Allow the child to be familiar with the potty chair
- Initially place the potty chair at a convenient place
- Do not pressurise the child to sit on the potty chair if the child is afraid
- Let the child sit on the potty chair first fully clothed once a day routinely and later with the clothes off
- Place the stool from the diaper to the potty chair so that the child can see where it should go
- Praise or reward your child whenever he/she goes to washroom in potty chair
What if your child has an accident?
- Stay calm.
- Do not punish and continue to encourage the child to use the potty chair
- Do not express disappointment if the child does not urinate/defecate in the potty chair
How long will it take to do toilet training?
Every child is different. It may take as long as three to six months for daytime training and much longer for night time training.
What will you do if still your child is not trained?
If after a few months, your child is still hesitant, the most likely reason is he/she is not yet ready.
Re attempt later
When should you not attempt toilet training?
- When the child is ill
- When the child is experiencing any change (new day care, sibling arrival, moving to a new place)
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