How To Potty Train a Toddler. Top 5 ways of knowing if your child is ready for that big step. One of the most frightening things about being a new parent is figuring out when a child is ready for the "next stage in life". When are they ready to stop drinking from a bottle, or when should they attempt to feed themselves or when should a parent start potty training? These changes were quite frightening for me because as I read many expert opinions about the subject and the consequences associated with doing something wrong, you have no choice but to be scared of messing up so bad that your child will have to deal with the consequences forever.
I'm here to tell you to relax. The wonderful thing about most of these stages, they are part of nature and most of the time nature will prevail despite our short falls. The best advice for new parents is to follow the signs that nature provide.
The top 5 signs that signal you that your child maybe ready for potty training are as follows:
1) Your child stay dry for longer period of time
2) Your child wakes up dry often in the morning
3) Your child starts dressing herself/himself
4) Your child let you know they need changing or if they are wet
5) Your child show interest in wearing big kids underpants
These signs tell you that this is a great time to make an attempt at potty training. Now it is important to remember in all the different stages in your child's life, the most important ways to influence change is through consistency and serving as the role model.
When beginning to potty train my daughter, I first took her to the store to select the "Big Girl" underpants to serve as her motivation. I selected to begin this process at a time when I was home on leave from work with her and when we would have very little distractions from our schedule.
The next day, I introduced her to the potty. We started our day on the potty. During that day, every time I went, my daughter sat on the potty. The second day, I put on the Big girl underpants on her for an hour and I move the potty to the family room where we spend most of our day. Every 30 minutes I would have her sit on the potty. This would go on for several days, until she finally goes on her own. I celebrated with her, but not excessively. I wanted her to know that this was a great thing but also a normal part of life.
Like I mentioned before, relax if your child resist at first. Eventually, your child will come around. You will not have an 18 year old in diapers. It will happen in due time. Be patient, relax, stay consistent and motivated.
Michela Victor is a mother of 2, an entrepreneur and a health consultant.
http://www.squidoo.com/Potty-Training-
