Potty Training Tuesday # 4

How Do you Know Your Child Is Ready?

A mistake that many parents make when setting out on the potty training journey is starting before the child is ready.  And if the child isn't ready, the child isn't going to potty train and the parent is going to get frustrated!  Or the parent will be potty trained, not the child.

"The parent will be potty trained?" you ask.  "Aren't most parents already potty trained?"

What I mean by this is that the parent gets the child on a schedule of going to the washroom at certain times and takes the child automatically at these times.  Sure, the child may stay dry, but that doesn't mean that they have control or understanding over what is happening.  For a child to truly be potty trained, they need to understand what is going on and be able to control their own body functions.  

My advice is to wait until your child is showing signs that they are ready and then pounce!

Here are some signs to look for to know if your child is ready:

- staying dry for longer periods of time

- wanting to sit on the potty or toilet

- starting to indicate to you that they have just peed or pooped (even telling you after they've done the deed if a very good sign at this point)

- wanting to wear big boy or girl underwear

Once you start seeing these signs, it is time to step it up a notch.

Come on back next week for tips of how to begin potty training!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!