Information center: Potty Training
Signs of Readiness
Experts say there are a few signs that parents should look for that may show the child is ready to start potty training:
- Does the child know if he or she is wet or soiled? Does the child tell a parent before or after?
- Is the child interested in the toilet and sometimes walks to it or sits on it?
- Does the child have the ability and coordination to pull down pants or straddle a toilet?
- Can the child follow simple instructions?
When to try? A Timeline.
Kids’ bodies haven’t changed over the years, but society’s expectations about toilet training and children have:
1928: Dr. Watson, a psychologist, recommends parents hold a pot under infants weeks after birth. Serious potty training begins at 3 months. Between the 1920s and 1940s, parents on average initiate toilet training at 12 months.
1945: Dr. Benjamin Spock, the famous pediatrician, suggests that potty training start at 7 to 9 months, an age when babies usually can sit up by themselves. Parents report initiating training on average at 18 months.
1962: Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, the pediatrician considered the successor to Spock, says parents are training children too early, after researching kids rebelling against potty training. He advises parents to wait until children are 24 to 30 months old. From the 1960s to the 1980s, parents, on average, initiate training at 2 years.
1980-1990: Parents initiate training at 2.5 years.
1999: Worried that parents are pushing their children too early to get them into preschool or day care, Brazelton says children might not be ready for training until 3 or later. Children should be gradually introduced to the potty but receive little prompting.
Today: One-third of kids are still in diapers after their third birthday.
Sources: The Everything Potty Training Book, by Linda Sonna, 2003
Methods
Toilet training is simple, right? No. There are a variety of methods with a variety of ideas as to how children learn that support those methods. Here are a few of them.
- Elimination (also known as the baby track method) - Starting when the child is 6 months or younger, a parent tries to get the child on a potty every time he or she seems about to go. Eventually, the baby will start pointing to the potty when he or she has to use it.
- Potty practice method - Introduce the potty and gently encourage its use. Hold potty practice sessions daily.
- Potties without pressure - Make no effort to introduce the potty until the child seems irritated with wearing a diaper. With every step, such as picking a potty or deciding to sit on the potty, give the child choices.
- Potty training in one day (also known as the fast-track toddler method) - The parent and child spend an entire day indoors, with the child drinking and sitting on the potty. Be sure the toddler is ready. Demonstrate with a doll that wets. Reward with food and drink.
Source: "Everything Potty Training Book," by Linda Sonna
Roadblocks
Many parents begin potty training and hit roadblocks. Here are some suggestions if potty training is not working:
- Is the child afraid of the toilet? Make sure his feet can touch the floor or a stool.
- Examine your own attitude. Maybe it's time to back off for a few months and then try again. If you push on this, it becomes a battle of wills.
- Listen to what you are saying to the child. Don't shame the child with reprimands such as, "How could you do that? You're a big boy." Instead, say -- "Oh, you wet yourself. Let's clean it up."
Source: Larry Kutner, child psychologist and behaviorist from Harvard University
