Potty Training Your Kid

Hello friends !!!

Potty training needs lots of patience and so does this blog!! 😜😜

If you are looking out for some pointers for potty training your kids, then you are at the right place. I can truly understand your mental state and fear regarding potty training your kid. I have been there too. It’s not easy, BUT, believe me its doable. If I can do, anyone can do. I have already done for one kid, and soon another one will be joining the league.

Normally, we can find numerous articles and blogs regarding potty-training. But, we all, yes we all, look out for someone near and known who has actually faced and solved it.It really feels good when we share our feelings and experience to someone who is there to understand our ongoing situation. We do need human touch sometimes which googled articles cannot provide.

Potty training, is one of the most important milestone for a child. And, I can say each and every mom is scared to start this chapter. Yes, I was scared too!! And, I also used to talk to my friends for some pointers. After going through all those phases, I felt to write my own experience and share with you all, if at all it can help you.

There are few things to keep in mind, way before thinking to potty train your kid. They are:

1. Right Age: As per my experience, 2 years and beyond is the right age to start potty training for your kid. If you are early or late, that really doesn’t matter. 2 Years I say, because this is the time your child starts showing signs of potty training readiness. They are:
   • Can communicate well.
   • Can stably walk and run.
   • Can understand the difference between pee and poop.
   • If not exact, at least a rough schedule for nature’s call gets established.

   • If you wish to potty train your kid early, you can. But, keep in mind always it might take longer and can add frustration to you and your kid, which might be painful in long run.

2. Right Time: Right time DOES matter. You should time to begin the potty trainig during long weekends, when your partner is available for support. And, when you plan to stay at home mostly.
3. Right Place: Never ever plan to start potty training when you are visiting your parents/relatives, or on vacation, or someone is visiting you. If you have a vacation planned, try to enjoy the vacation, relax and then begin the training. Firstly, your kid too will feel uncomfortable being scolded or frustrated in front of others. Such things lowers their confidence and self-esteem. Secondly, there should be a rhythm to be followed. If you train your kids and then take a break for a month or so, or change of place or time zone might confuse your child too.

Other signs of potty training readiness includes:

1. Your child’s diapers remains dry for more than 2 hours at a stretch.
2. Sleeps throughout night with almost dry diapers.
3. Feels uncomfortable in wet and soiled clothes.
4. Your kid wants privacy during nature’s calls.

Now, the most important question arises How? How to begin? First of all, I would like to tell all my friends, moms/ dads/ parents please wear the PATIENCE cap and tighten your belt. It will take some TIME and PATIENCE. The steps I followed goes like this:

1. Invest in some reasonably priced, washable rugs (in case your house is fully carpeted like mine). Lay the rugs in the area where your kid spends most of the time; like play area, toy room, TV area. I laid rugs in my kid’s play area and TV area.
2. Buy a portable potty chair. Keep it moving from one area to other where your kid spends time. For example, if your kid watches TV for half an hour, keep that portable potty chair in that area. Later, if he/she moves to play area and spends another 20-30 mins there, move potty chair there.
3. When you are at home, keep your child in training pants (easily available at Walmart / Target or any other store).
4. I personally also used plastic covers for training pants (available at Walmart) to avoid sudden leakage. So that, I can get sometime to move my kid to the restroom.

   

5. Try to show some potty training animations / videos to your kids. I did not so don’t have much knowledge about it.
6. Mom/dad/sibling can take the kid to the restroom along with them and show how you sit on the potty seat and make them watch while you use the toilet.
7. Once the earlier mentioned steps are achieved, you can take another baby step by training your kid to go to bed without diapers, starting from afternoon naps. Make them pee and go to bed. Once they wake up, take them to the restroom again.
8. Once you are through with the day naps without diapers (like a week successfully), you can gradually try to take your baby out to play area or park for 30 mins – 1 hour. Ensure, you ask your kid to empty the bladder before you step out and after we enter home, like we elders normally do. Also, don’t forget to carry extra pants and spare polythene/carry bags, in case accident happens. Even if accident happens first day, RELAX, (it’s just first day) and continue it everyday. Eventually, your kid will get to learn.
9. Later, after a week or so, you can try to stay out little longer, but ensure to keep asking your kid every 45 mins to an hour. Gradually, you and your kid both will get confident. Whenever, you are out and you go to restroom try to take your kid along with you. (When they are engrossed playing, they might refuse or say they don’t want to pee. Ensure them we are coming back and they can resume it soon).
10. Final step, is that you can try putting your kid to bed at night without diapers. (Don’t forget to take them to restroom before bed).  For your ease, you can use washable bed protector (I got mine from Amazon). And, if you see your kid twisting and turning frequently at night, in sleep, wake him up to go to restroom. Normally, this often used to happen with my kid. After restroom trip, he used to sleep peacefully rest half of night. Also, if your kids goes to bed earlier than you, then you can take him to the restroom once before you go to bed. Take to restroom, the first thing in morning.

Soon your kid will be potty trained!!! Congratulations!! you did it!!!

Once you are done with all these steps, you can try putting your kid on actual potty seat in the restroom. For safety, you always need to be with your kid. And, try to place a step-stool for their ease.

Remember:

• You will always read, or hear legends that someone’s baby was potty-trained in 3 days or a week. Please don’t listen to those legends and ignore. It is not 2-3 days process. It will never be.
• You don’t have to stop your life for potty – training (except for beginning). Actually, this will always be a parallel running process. (Only thing you have to keep in mind, wherever you go or hang out with friends, keep asking your kid every hour about restroom).
• Even if your kid is completely potty trained for 6 moths or so, still accidents do happen. This does not mean your kid is back to zero or your effort went in vain. THEY ARE JUST KIDS!!!! They are still learning everything. (Believe me my son was potty trained at his 2 1/2 years of age, he is now 3 years 9 months and still accidents DO happen). It normally happens due to excitement or being too engaged in some activity. I think its OK sometimes.
• Getting frustrated or angry might lead to anxiety for the kid, and eventually they tend to hold back pee/poop. This might later become dangerous for their health.

Precautions:

1. Keep the play room, TV area and rugs clean and disinfected always, for sake of your child’s hygiene. You can wash rugs every alternate day or whenever accidents happen.
2. Always keep the potty chair clean and disinfected.
3. NEVER EVER leave disinfectants in your child’s reach.

I hope this article helps you in some or other way, or at least give some pointers you are looking for. Thanks for staying all through along.

Will be glad to know your experiences/feedbacks. See You Soon!!!