Happily we’re approaching the summer months, long evenings and better weather… what else are you thinking about when you have a 2 something year old in the home? What else but learning to toilet train and lose those nappies you are now fed up looking at and changing!!
Toilet learning is about learning to use the toilet independently. It is also known as toilet training or potty training.
This can be a fun experience depending on your mind set. And one thing to remember – don’t compare your child to other children of similar age or what your other child done at this age. Or to other wonderful parents you might be meeting out at the play groups or following on Facebook. It’s about you and your child, and it won’t last forever. You will get through it! Just be patient.
Anyways this relates quite well to what I will be doing in my home in the coming months with my youngest little girl. It was pretty easy with the other two but this little one could be different. Firstly you need to think are you mentally prepared, can you stay at home for one week (sorry I forgot…#StayHome!) to keep your child in a potty training routine? And the other question to ask is your child ready? Are they showing signs of wanting to use the toilet or can they tell you when they are about to go?
A few points to consider when preparing for toilet learning for both you and your child:
- Calmness and patience from parents / carers.
- Rewarding and praising your child if they show a slight movement into the toilet.
- Do you notice your child complaining when nappy is wet or soiled? Do they want to be dry and cleaned?
- Remember to focus only on day training when your child is 2 something. Night time training may not happen until later on in the child’s development.
In toilet learning the concept of readiness is important. If toilet learning is tried too early it can cause pressure for the toddler and frustration from the parent. There are some important skills necessary before starting toilet learning.
- Muscle Control
- Communication
- Readiness
I dreaded potty training my first little girl, and it actually happened much easier than expected. She was showing signs of wanting to use our toilet at home or the potty. I purchase a relatively cheap potty from the local chemist (you can get fancier ones with flusher and Disney characters on them) but I decided to let my daughter design the plain pink potty herself. It made it more fun and personable.
When she started training I decided to get rid of nappies altogether (except at night time). I put pants on her so she could feel if she was wet or not and she soon realised when she had to go to the toilet. Overall this took about 1.5 weeks (with a few accidents here or there) and if I went out and about I always found out where the toilets where. This made me more confident and relaxed when I knew I could take her somewhere.
Just remember this is another milestone and a great one to reach. Stay calm and wait until the better weather comes in when your child is wearing lighter clothes and they are outside more. Less cleaning this way and more air at their bodies.
I hope this has helped you to start on your toilet training journey and has given you the confidence to go for it. We also have a booklet in regards to toilet learning. A good idea for training is a reward chart. We have an example of one at the back of our Toilet Training Booklet. We are offering 10 free copies of booklet to the first ten people who like, share and comment @lifestartfoundationemma
Please remember we have a help line during these strange times and if you email your details through to emmah@lifestartfoundation.org I can get one of our Family visitors to contact you during working hours. We are here to help and support you. Keep an eye on our SOOC page for our weekly activity!
