Don’t force your little one to use a potty when he clearly isn’t ready to ditch his diaper, says DR RICHARD C. WOOLFSON.
ILLUSTRATION CHENG PUAY KOON
Don’t force your little one to use a potty when he clearly isn’t ready to ditch his diaper, says DR RICHARD C. WOOLFSON.
Most parenting books recommend that you start potty-training when your toddler reaches his second birthday. Some authors even boast that if you follow their strategy, you will wean him off diapers in three days to a week.
The problem is, you can’t teach a young child in a rigid manner, according to a specific timeline.
Before you know it, you will be anxious and frustrated with your tot, and the training process will drag on for much longer than you anticipated.
Bear in mind that you can beg him to pee or poo in the potty, you can threaten him with punishment if he doesn’t, you can offer rewards if he does, but… you can’t make him gain bladder and bowel control according to a your deadline.
Potty-training has to fit your young child’s psychological and physical development.
Of course, you should read as much as you can about the process, and chat with other mums about their experiences.
Yet, much depends on every individual kid.
Some parents will even tell you that they got their children accustomed to the potty when they were only six months old. They will proudly explain how they sat their infants on the potty at that age, and that eventually their babies did a pee or poo exactly as the parents hoped.
But that’s not pottytraining – the child can’t walk at that age and so once he’s plonked on the potty, he has no choice but to stay there until his parents pick him up.
As soon as he learns to walk and is able to choose whether or not to sit on the potty, the training process has to begin all over again.
Instead of setting a timeline, look for signs that your tot might be ready to use the potty. For example, when he can indicate that his nappy is wet or dirty – either by telling you or by pointing.
Or, he may reach the stage where he is aware of emptying his bowel and bladder into the diaper.
Another sign that he may be ready is when you discover that his nappy is dry although he has been wearing it for several hours.
So if you think he is ready to transit from diaper to potty, here’s what you can do to help him:
Introduce the idea
Explain to your tot that he is a “big boy” now, and it’s time that he learns to pee and poop in a potty, much like how you and Daddy use the toilet.
Encourage him to try
Remove his diaper and ask him to sit on the potty at least three times every day, especially after meals. Make sure that he has easy access to the potty.
Don’t rush the job
Allow him to read a book attempting to poop, or sing a song if he wants to. Training should be fun.
Use pull-up diaper pants
A child who doesn’t wear a taped nappy often finds it easier and quicker to access the potty when he needs to go.
Use lots of praise
Your two-year-old would love your encouragement when he uses the potty properly and begins to experience success.
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