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Ah, potty training. The milestone that most parents look forward to for their child. Freedom from expensive diapers, wipes, and other supplies can seem like a dream. But, do you know if your child is truely ready to begin this tedious process?
Some children seem like they were born knowing what to do, while others take a bit longer getting to know the routine. Either way, there are many signs and signals that your child may be expressing that it is truly time to begin.
Around 18 months of age is about the time that most parents want to introduce the potty chair to thier child. At this age, children tend to be eager to try new things. He or she may not take an intrest right away, but you can begin by letting them get comfortable with the presence of the potty chair.
You may have heard stories from your grandparents or even your mom and dad that they had their children trained by the time they were a year old. Yes, there are some advantages to training early, however, earlier training may not be necessarily better.
Advantages would include the obvious, not having to deal with diapers saves time and money. Not to mention, if your child happens to get frequent diaper rash. However, there are downsides to training early. These examples seem to be more detrimental to the child as well as the parents. A child that is trained too early may not be ready mentally or physically. Trying to force the issue may lead to a battle of wills and end with everyone feeling frustrated. If the child does not meet the parents expectations durring the training process, the child may come away feeling like a failure. This could affect his or her self-esteem and inhibit future potty training sessions.
There are many signals that you should be on the lookout for that may show that he or she is ready to begin the potty training process. First and foremost, is your child showing intrest in wanting to learn more about the potty and what it's purpose is? Can he or she use simple language to express words that are associated with using the potty? These words may include, "potty", "pee-pee" or "wee-wee", "poo-poo" and "wet", or "dry"? Does your child stay dry for reasonable periods of time or is aware of the need to "go"? Your child may be anxious to please you and ask specificlly to use the potty chair. Examples like these should not go unnoticed.
All of the above are excellent and encouraging signs that your child is ready to begin his or her journey into becoming a "big kid". Pay attention to the signals that your child is giving out, it will make the road to being potty trained that much easier.
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