How to Potty Train Your Toddler Fast

No Pressure Potty Training
Potty trianing for a young child can be a confusing and sometimes scary task. Before you begin the potty training process there are a few simple warning signs that will show you when your toddler is ready.
The important thing to remember is not to make potty training a long drawn out task, if you think your child is ready then give it a try but if he resists don't pressure him, instead wait a week and try again! You want potty time to be a happy/proud event not an endless battle. If you keep a positive attitude about it your child will too!

The average age to begin potty training is 18 months - 2 years old. Not every child is ready to begin potty training at the same time, they are all wonderfully different in their own ways.

Some important warning signs that your child is ready to start potty training are:
- If your child can tell you when he/she has wet or soiled their diaper they may be ready to begin.
- If your child shows interest in mom, dad or siblings going potty he may be ready!
- If your child has reached his 2nd birthday he is ready to atleast give it a go.
- If your child's diaper is dry in the morning it's time to try!

What potty training equipment should I buy?
Your will need some underwear or thick training pants, they are similar to underwear but are made of extra thick cotton so they absorb much more liquid.
You will need to purchase a seat that sits on your toilet so your child can sit without falling through. You may also want to purchase a child's potty , some children are more at ease going to the bathroom on their own little potty.
Extra laundry detergent for those little accidents:)

Are pull-ups an effective way to potty train ?
In my experience pull-ups are too much like a diaper and I have found them to be ineffective with potty training my children.

Starting the potty training process
This is the method I have used to toilet train all of my children and it works fast!
Once your child has sat on the potty and actually "went" a few times your ready to begin the no more diapers method.

Remember everytime your child goes in the potty you should act like he just did the greatest thing in the world. Lots of clapping, smiles and tons of praise (big boy! or big girl! I'm so proud of you)! You want him to "want" to go back to the potty and get that great reaction from you again. Of course as your child gets older you won't be reacting this way but at the beginning it needs to be the biggest deal ever. Never scold your child for having an accident, potty training is hard!

As a parent it is your job to take your child to the potty very often ,if you get busy and miss a potty break you will soon be cleaning up the mess! In the morning immediately sit him on the potty, if he doesn't go or refuses wait 5 - 10 minutes then try again.
Try to sit your child on the potty atleast once an hour and frequently ask him if he needs to go, before long he will be telling you he needs to go :) If he doesn't go just say that's ok we can try again later and of course if he does go PRAISE! PRAISE! PRAISE!

Some important potty training tips to help you along the way

- Time your potty training start at a time when you can devote the entire day to your child. A Weekend start works well for working mothers.
- Never force your child to sit on the potty , you don't want potty training to be a bad experience for him.
- If your child still goes to the bathroom while he sleeps then keep the diaper on him at night and use underwear during the day. Sometimes a quick trip to the potty immediately before bed can solve night time wetting.
- If your child is well over 2 years old and still refuses to go to the potty it is time to pull out the rewards. If praise is not enough for your child you can try a sticker chart, they can be helpful for some children. For my youngest son I used the "big boy" bribe, he wants to be a big boy like his brothers and ride the school bus to school so a few weeks before I tried the potty training again I kept telling him that big boys who go in the potty get to ride the school bus to school . My husband and my older son's would bring him along with them into the bathroom and say "daddy's a big boy he goes pee in the potty"! This big boy theme really worked well for my son and it helps for toddlers to see mom, dad and siblings using the potty.
- You have to use your best judgement on if and when to use a diaper while potty training. My youngest son had the stomach flu 3 days into our potty training so of course I put a diaper on him until his stomach settled.

If you keep potty training a positive event your little one will be a pro in no time!
Good Luck!