My daughter is slowly, but surely, creeping up on age 2 and potty training seems to be just around the corner. With all of the horror stories that I have heard I must admit that it isn't exactly something that I am looking forward to. For instance, I have one friend whose 3 year old is still in diapers and, after he has a bowel movement, takes his diaper off and proceeds to "decorate the walls" with its contents. As you can imagine, my friend is about to lose her mind...and soon.
Experts in the potty-training field say that children should not begin potty training until after their second birthday. There are specific criteria that your child must meet before you begin toilet training which can be found at Babycenter.com : http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/4384.ht...
Once you determine that your child is ready it is up to you to make this transition as easy as possible. Children easily pick up on emotions and signals from Mommy and Daddy, so remember to keep it light. The more screaming and yelling (and I've even seen spankings over this) that is done the more pressure and fear there will be associated with your child's natural bodily functions. Your child will learn this skill at his or her own pace, whether it's at age 2 or age 4!
Before the process of potty training is started it is a good idea to introduce your child to it through books, videos and even role-play. Familiarizing your child with the process and its purpose will often help ease much of the anxiety associated with this huge change. For a listing of books to use for potty training go to http://www.babycenter.com/general/4791.h... Many of these are available in different versions for boys and girls.
So how do you make this thing FUN?? Basically the rule of thumb is "Do Whatever It Takes." If this includes letting your child run around naked and putting the potty chair in the middle of the living room floor where it is easily accessible then so be it!! One parent that I read about kept her child's potty chair in the backyard and let the kid play naked out there all day!! Use your imagination. Let your child paint or put stickers on the potty chair. Let them put their dolls on it. If you have a boy, put some water in the potty, float a Cheerio in there and let your little man take aim at it! If you're trying pull ups, let your child paint on them. The name of the game is to make your child think the potty is fun!
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