Tips for Potty Training your Toddler

The toddler years are truly the great learning years in a person’s life. Although it may become taxing for some parents, it may also give some sense of achievement. There are simply so many things parents can teach toddlers. Each and every parenting tip can focus on the different aspects of toddler life. You can have a parenting tip about feeding your toddler and another parenting tip about disciplining your child. Parents however are always after a parenting tip on potty training. Indeed potty training can be a very messy affair and parents will need a practical parenting tip once in a awhile.

Check on Overall Readiness

Every parenting tip about potty training would invariably involve something about checking readiness. Some parents may think that a child’s age is the way to measure potty readiness. Some may offer that parenting tip to potty train a child when he reaches 2 years old. Some potty train their kids even earlier. The fact is, not all kids can be potty trained at the same age. One should remember the parenting tip that each kid is unique. What one should look for therefore is readiness. A good parenting tip is to consider a child’s physical, mental, social and emotional readiness to use the potty. Your child for example will be ready of there are more than 30 minute dry diaper spells, knows that he has to go, imitates adult mannerisms in the toilet and is eager to use the toilet.

Introduce the Topic Casually

A parenting tip that matters greatly is to introduce the issue of the potty in a non-threatening manner. You can perhaps start by reading potty books to your toddler. You can also bring him for a visit to the toilet and demonstrate with dolls where the pooh goes or where everyone else in the family goes to pooh. It is also a vital parenting tip to bring the child along when you shop for a potty and some training pants. Let him make the choices. Another parenting tip is allow your child to play a bit with the potty at home in an area he is comfortable in.

Encourage and Praise

One crucial parenting tip in potty training is continual encouragement and praise. Keep on cheering for your child as he sits on his potty. Make sure to always praise him too when he has been successful. Clap your hands to make him see how happy you are that he is using his potty. You may also consider using a potty chart to let him see that he gets a star every time he uses his potty properly.

Don’t Punish

In line with the parenting tip on encouragement and praise is the parenting tip on not punishing. Even if your child is not successful do not be angry. Smile and say that you’ll try again someday. This parenting tip also means that you shouldn’t show any sign of anger or frustration when accidents happen and your kid ends up making a mess on the carpet. Clean up the mess and show him that the mess goes into the potty or toilet.

Help with Food

It can be very traumatic for your child when he experiences constipation. Help him excrete his waste smoothly by giving him lots of juice and water as well as fruits and vegetables.