Parents, Why the Big Rush to Potty Train?

You can save yourself and your toddler a lot of frustration if you exercise patience where potty training is concerned. Admit it. You do dream of the day you can finally walk down the baby supply aisle of your local supermarket without having to load in several huge packages of expensive -- very expensive -- diapers for your child. Most of us have been there and understand what you are going through.

However, in spite of the articles you run across detailing a couple's amazing feat of potty training their infant before he or she was 3 months old, the chances of you duplicating that feat are next to nothing.

The truth is, the average toddler will end up potty trained when he or she is ready to be potty trained, and not before. Therefore, all the effort you make before that time is just going to cause both you and your child to become tense and upset, and may, in some cases, delay the process much longer than necessary. It is kind of like trying to teach a 5-year-old to ride a two wheeler. It can be done, but if you wait until he is 6 or even 7, it can be done in a fraction of the time minus many of the spills the child would suffer if pushed into learning to ride before he or she is ready.

Several things will show you that your toddler is ready for this new step in life. Once you observe most of them on a fairly consistant basis, you will know it is probably time to make some beginning attempts at potty training.

1. Is your child staying dry for at least two hours at a time? If not, you may end up having to put him on the potty so often that he will come to resent it and not be co-operative. (You probably already know how un-coperative a two or three-year-old can be.)

2. Does he give any indication that he dislikes, or is uncomfortable in soiled diapers? Some children would happily remain in soiled diapers for the rest of the day, but others may remove them or come and tell you they want to be changed. This is a good sign of readiness for potty-training.

3. Are the child's bowel movements pretty predictable? For example, do they come at the same time each day, or does he make certain sounds or facial expressions that indicate a bowel movement is going to take place shortly? If so, this is a great time to start potty-training as there is a greater likelihood of success most of the time.

4. Has your child indicated that he would like to wear underpants like his siblings or other children do?
There is nothing like having his or her very own fancy panties to stir interest in this new event in his life.

5. If you have provided new underpants, can your child manage to pull them up and down without yelp? You might make a little game of seeing how quickly he can do this.

6. Does your child understand why it is desirable to use a potty chair? If he sees no good reason to use it, why should he bother? Most toddlers want to be "big" so rely heavily on the "big boy, big girl" themes. "Big boys don't wear diapers. Big boys can use the potty chair." "My, you look just like a big girl in your new Cinderella panties." etc.

If your toddler meets all six of the readiness signs above, congratulations; it is time to give potty training a try. The patience that I mentioned earlier will still come in handy. Your child may decide, after a few attempts, that potty training is not for him after all. That's okay. Let him wait a few days and then try again, but keep a positive attitude and try to show him that this is something he wants to do because he wants to be like big kids, not something that you want him to do because it means less trouble and expense for you.

On the days you feel like giving up, just remember that almost everyone person in the world has eventually succeeded in being potty-trained. Your child will, too. And, if you wait until he or she is ready, you will be amazed at how quickly it will happen and you will be singing, "Diaper Free At Last."