Prepare Yourself and Your Child for the Potty Training Challenge

Once you have determined that your child is ready for potty training, you need to make sure that you are ready as well, because this is going to take a lot out of you. You are going to feel tired, annoyed, depressed and even angry at times. This is totally natural and if you need extra support, there are some good parenting forums you can visit.

Ideally, a baby's nappy should be changed as soon as it gets wet or dirty. As well as keeping your baby clean and comfortable, it gets the child used to the sensation of being dry, and if you do this, you child will be more likely to let you know when he/she is dirty or wet; this can speed up the toilet training process considerably.

But this is real life and we all know this is not practical, this would mean changing a newborn every 10 minutes! Instead of doing this, a few months before the big day, try to check your child's nappy every hour (or anytime you notice your toddler might be dirty): if it is dry, praise the child, say what a good boy/girl he or she is for staying clean. If it is wet or dirty, put a clean nappy on him/her and show him/her the dirty one. Say: "look at all that wee-wee! We will change your nappy so you will be nice and dry again!" or "did you do all that poo? Come and see mammy put it in the toilet". Let them flush the toilet if they are not afraid of the noise. At the same time as getting the child used to being dry, it also shows him/her where human waste is supposed to go.

A few weeks before you start potty training, get your toddler involved whenever you go to the toilet. Other family members can also help. When you go to the bathroom, just say something like: "oh, I need to do a wee-wee/poo, I'd better go to the toilet, do you want to come with me?" Explain what you are doing, make a funny face when something comes out, whatever catches his/her attention. Again, let him/her flush the toilet when you are done if he/she is not too scared and let him/her wash hands at the same time as you. Children love splashing water! Try to make this fun.

At that stage, you can also go out to buy a potty, bring them along and let them choose: you don't need to get an expensive one (if you get a plain potty, your child will be less likely to get attached to it, this will avoid problems when moving on to the big toilet) but their favourite colour or character (if available) will help. Most children will at first just play with the potty (I bet they'll love it as a helmet!) so try and keep it in the bathroom, gently explain what it is for. Some children will not use the potty, they go straight on to the big toilet, so it is a good idea to have a step (I made one with old phone books and heavy-duty sello-tape).

You will also need a serious stock of underpants. Don't spend a fortune on them, they might get ruined very quickly (a lot have ended up in my bathroom bin, I won't give you too much detail). You can buy cheap ones in chain stores. Bring your child along and ask them to choose between two packs. It is very useful to keep any older siblings used underwear: you can put them on your child after he/she has had an "accident", so he/she will realise that he/she will keep the new clothes on for longer if he/she goes to the toilet. Try also to have as many clean trousers handy (it is a good idea to keep old pyjama/tracksuit bottoms for this, it does not matter if they are a bit too short, once the child does not wear a nappy, you will find that they will fit again).

If you work outside your home, take as much time off as you can. If your child is being cared for at home, it would be a good idea to have the child carer present at least for the first few days, not only as a source of support, but also to make sure that he/she keeps up with your potty-training method or else you will have a very confused child!

Before you start potty training your little one, make sure your grocery shopping is done (or ask your partner or a neighbour to help with this task), because you are going to be stuck in the house for a while. If you have to go out with your child, try to make your outings as brief as possible, choose shops that have bathrooms if you can and always bring spare clothes, just in case. If you take your child in a car, line his/her seat with a bin liner and put a towel on top. You can do the same with the buggy and any chair that your child uses at home.

Now that you are ready, brace yourself for the potty training challenge. You will find a detailed step-by-step guide on how to successfully potty-train you child in the following article "How to Successfully Potty Train Your Child".