There is no miraculous age signal that prompts parents to start with their babies potty training, but kids do develop some necessary physical and cognitive skills to help their parents in measuring their readiness for potty training. In fact, age of starting potty training is an exaggerated question, since parents can start with it only when their kids are ready for it. Nevertheless, as parents, the most important part is to acknowledge age-by-age guide for potty training, to schedule an easy and suitable training for the toddler.
0-12 months
This period is dedicated to infant potty training. It has some pros and cons. The pros include ditching diapers quite early and understanding body signals, while cons include the amount of toil that parents take to anticipate their babies body signals to void them. Besides, there are some nations where children are early potty trained within the tenure of 0-12 months, so that their babies need not continue wearing diapers for prolonged years and could keep themselves dry.
Although basic potty training comprises of a lot of things, including walking on own to bathroom, using flush and wiping, which is not possible for an infant to learn. However, staying dry and cleaning up in early potty training would be much easier as compared to older potty training age.
Quick tips for potty training 0-12 months
1. Keep a close watch on your babies body signals and take him/her to the nearest bathroom where he/she can void.
2. Talk to the baby in a specific way or sound after he/she is void, so that your baby learns to associate your sound with emptying.
3. Keep your baby dry so that he/she could correlate hygiene and voiding with staying dry.
12-18 months
Many parents find the tenure quite appropriate to potty train their kids. This time when children are older infants and young toddlers, they tend to explore every nook and corner of the place and do not find it at all exciting to sit on a potty seat. Nonetheless, it too has its own share of advantages and disadvantages. Breaking the diaper habit is quite difficult in older toddlers. With little efforts and patience, it could be broken down well on time. Moreover, at this age kids are influenced quite soon, hence potty training them by setting up examples would help them to be trained using potty. Depending upon a child’s personality and behavior, it is up to the parents to decide when they find their child ready to begin with the potty training.
Quick tips for potty training 12-18 months
1. Try potty-chair method for your baby, if you want to potty train him/her in this phase.
2. If feasible, buy a training potty chair for every bathroom to make it convenient for your kid.
3. Let your child meet his/her cousins or friends who are of similar age group and learn from them.
18-24 months
Generally, at this age it is important to know that if a toddler is still not showing any readiness to commence potty training, it could be some somber situation. Although, this readiness need not be advanced in terms of following all the steps of potty training on own, it may include some signs of readiness towards using toilet. At this time, toddlers are able to balance well and they are more still when they sit. In addition, they have honed up their skills of understanding verbal explanations to a rather large extent. Their desire to please parents and get praises is increased by this time and they try to do things as their parents ask them to do.
Ideally, parents wait to check for the sign of ‘readiness in using toilet’ in their toddlers at this phase. However, they should acknowledge that adult supervision is important until 36 months even after your coddler is completely trained on using toilet.
Quick tips for potty training 18-24 months
1. Look for basic signs of readiness in using toilet in your toddler instead of waiting for plain indications.
2. Do not push or pressurize your baby for starting potty training.
3. Keep your child off diapers as frequently as possible.
24-36 months
Even though many parents believe that potty training should be started after 24 months, there are few others who believe that early potty training is more healthy option as it prevents kids developing bladder troubles later in their lives. The latter set of people might get it through from few medical researches indicating that early training indeed protects children from bladder problems.
The most common reason for parents to believe this period of 24-36 months to be apt for their toddlers is due to the physiological skills and emotional readiness in their child. Generally, kids at this age are able to well imitate their parents and try to learn from copying. Hence, parents find it quite an easy task to potty train their child at such an age, where the child is ready to change his/her routine.
Quick tips for potty training 24-36 months
1. Offer rewards to your toddler to encourage him/her to use toilet more often.
2. Do not over react if your child feels scared about sitting on the standard toilet seat instead let him/her opt for more comfortable pose for him/her.
3. Make your child wear comfortable clothes that would not create any hassle when he/she has to use potty.
3 years+
Mostly parents are uncertain about the right time that they should start potty training their kids, since not all kids are same in behavior and their ‘toilet readiness’ differs. It is important to keep a vigil about the signs of readiness in your kid. Furthermore, older toddlers or preschoolers generally require less adult supervision.
As parents, you have to take care of the milestones that your kid achieves. Encouraging him/her throughout the journey would be a great help to your toddler. It is equivalent to an ordeal for a toddler to change routine, as it is for his/her parents.
Quick tips for potty training 3 years+
1. Talk to your child if he/she has any apprehensions about starting his/her potty training.
2. Establish a routine for your kid to sit on toilet seat for few minutes.
3. Let your kid be, as at times children learn things on their own. Just be patient with your little one.
