Potty mastery is not an easy, but very important stage in the growing up of a baby. In order for the child to be able to quickly and correctly learn how to use the potty, parents, first of all, need to learn how to correctly correlate the child's capabilities with his age.
At what age is it recommended to potty train a child?
There is an opinion among parents that it is necessary to potty train a child as soon as he starts to sit, and this is about 6-8 months. This approach is fundamentally wrong, since at about 1 year and 3 months, the child only begins to realize and feel the fullness of the bladder. Therefore, all attempts to accustom the child earlier may be useless.
Some parents manage to teach their child earlier. This is due to the fact that children develop in different ways, and some toddlers may begin to consciously go to the potty earlier. But most often, with early accustoming, the child uses the pot unconsciously, and as he grows up, he may suddenly "forget" how and when to do it. The well-known doctor Komarovsky believes that before 18 months you should not even try to teach the child to use the pot in order to avoid the formation of unnecessary reflexes in the baby.
Stable skills in the formation of urination control are formed in a baby at 22-30 months. It is this period, according to Komarovsky, that is optimal for potty training.
Key signs that a child is potty ready
Before you start potty training, you need to make sure that his level of development allows you to do this. The main signs of readiness for learning include:
- The age of the child (he must be over 15-18 months);
- The child begins to control his bladder (during the daytime sleep and 2 hours after it, the baby's diaper or panties remain dry);
- The child begins to feel in advance that he wants to have a bowel movement (for example, he becomes quiet and looks focused);
- The kid is able to understand and follow simple instructions (for example, carry or bring something);
- The kid has the skills of elementary self-service (can put on and take off panties, pants) and is ready to perform these actions at the request of adults;
- The child can sit still for about 10 minutes;
- The child knows the name of the parts of the food and can show them.
If the baby does not have the above signs, then it is too early to potty train him.
Basic tips for potty training
Before starting the training, parents should understand that all children are individual, and what worked with one child does not work at all with another. But there are recommendations developed by psychologists and pediatricians, following which you can successfully potty train a child:
- Choose comfortable clothes that the child can take off on their own. These should be panties and pants without complex fasteners and buttons, so that the baby, if necessary, can pull them off himself.
- Nice but comfortable pot. The baby pot should be of interest to the baby, not fear and discomfort. You can go to the store with your child and choose a pot that he likes. It can depict your favorite characters or animals of the baby.
- Allow the child to choose a suitable place for toilet affairs. Do not force your baby to sit on the potty only in the bathroom or toilet. Such requirements can discourage the baby from using the pot. And you should not forbid him to play or leaf through books during "gatherings" on the pot.
- Provide timely and understandable instructions. During the period of potty training, it is necessary to remind the child more often why and how to use it. In this case, you can use toys for demonstration.
- Monitor signals closely. Each child, before going to the toilet, performs characteristic actions, for example, freezes or pushes. Having noticed these signals, it is important to put the baby on the potty as soon as possible.
- As often as possible, ask the child to report that he wants to use the toilet.
It's also important to keep motivation in mind. Do not scold your child for "wet pants". The child will be much more effective in potty training if he is constantly praised and admired for his success. And any threats and manipulations can not only spoil the parent-child relationship, but also cause the development of many psychological problems in the child.
