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Potty Training Advice
Is Your Baby Ready For Potty Training
Author: Sarah Veda
You’re getting tired of changing those
diapers, aren’t you? It’s so great to be able to get your child out of
diapers. But, when it comes to potty training, timing is everything. If
you start when your child isn’t ready, it will just take longer.
However, if you miss the right opportunity, your child may resist the
process more when you try later on. So, just how do you know when to
begin?
First of all – forget what your mom told you about having you potty
trained by the time you were eighteen months old. She probably just had
herself trained to sit you on the toilet at regular intervals, which is
not the same as being fully potty trained. It’s really best not to even
think about potty training until your child is two. But, for most
children, the right time will hit sometime between the ages of two and
three.
When your child is ready to begin potty training, he will show an
interest. He will begin to want to observe your toilet habits and will
ask questions. Explain that big people go to the potty instead of using
a diaper. Even if it makes you uncomfortable, let your child go to the
bathroom with you and watch. If you have a son, make sure Daddy is
taking him to the bathroom with him, too. Daddy will probably resist
this, though I’m not really sure why, since public restrooms make public
urination a regular occurrence for the average male! There are
several good story books on the market about potty training that you can
start reading to him your child at this stage, to help encourage an
interest in going potty. There are books geared specifically to boys and
those geared to girls, which is helpful.
Another good sign that your child is ready for potty training is his
ability to pull his pants up and down by himself. If your child has
mastered this step of dressing, potty training will go much more
smoothly.
Another important physical sign of potty training readiness is the
frequency with which your child urinates. If he is still wetting his
diaper every half and hour or so, he is not ready. But, if he’s going
one to two hours between wet diapers, then he is able to hold his urine,
which is critical to being truly potty trained, at any age.
If you think your child is ready for potty training, check out my
article in “Mommy to Mommy – the Truth About Taking Care Of Baby”, where
I outline some potty training strategies designed to make this
developmental hurdle as painless as possible, for you and the little
one. You can pick up this book at http://www.educatedmother.com.
About The Author: Sarah is a 41 year
old wife and mother of two boys and one girl. She spent many years as a
manager in the corporate world, and gave it up to be a stay at home mom.
Go to http://www.infantresources.com now and get her incredible baby
minicourse – absolutely free.