Perhaps, before all, without exception, parents at one time the question arises of when to start potty training, because many dream of getting rid of diapers and diapers, so this issue is one of the most relevant among mothers, especially first-borns.
The baby grows and with each new month all mothers begin to think and wonder when to start introducing their child to the potty, and how to correctly and quickly teach and teach the baby to go to a new “toilet” for him. Some parents begin to potty train their children even before the age of one, while others are in no hurry to do so.
If you decide to start potty training, first evaluate his psychological development. For a successful result, the child must understand why he is put on an unfamiliar object, why his pants are taken off and what is required of him. Therefore, the process can drag on for several weeks or even months, and patience and calmness are required from the parents.
Experts recommend teaching a child to use a potty at the age of about two years, when the baby is physiologically and psychologically ready for this.
At the beginning of their education, children do not understand why they are trying to put them on the potty: some begin to be afraid of it and begin to cry only at the sight of a new "toilet".
Parents should never raise their voice or scold the baby. In the positive case, if the child managed to go to the potty, he must be praised.
Parents at this time need to carefully monitor the behavior of the child: some babies begin to show signs that they wanted to use the toilet. Some children freeze, others begin to push - as soon as they notice these signs, you need to put the baby on the potty. Several times you will have time to catch the moment, the child will begin to gradually understand what this object is for.
When to introduce your child to the potty
The optimal age is 18 - 24 months!And here's why: up to 18 months, the baby simply does not control the filling of the bladder and intestines. If a neighbor's crumb is sitting on a pot at the age of up to a year, this does not mean that he deliberately asks for his needs. We can say that the child is guided by reflexes, put on a potty - do your "business", did not have time to "catch", get dirty pants. Everything changes when the baby is 2 years old. At this point, there are already certain skills, thanks to which you can start potty training:
- Can bend over, squat down and stand up;
- Lift small items from the floor, put them in place;
- He understands the speech of an adult well, you can negotiate with the baby, explain;
- He speaks some words himself, can communicate his needs;
- Remains dry after daytime sleep, may not dry for about 2 hours while awake;
- Feels uncomfortable in wet or stained laundry.
The development of children is individual, so the age from which you can potty training is also different. If a child begins to relieve his need for a pot at 7-8 months, this is due to the attachment of the reflex, but in no way with the child's meaningful decision. And you need to teach your child to go to the potty consciously! The child must consciously understand what he is doing! All these “writing-writing”, “ah-ah-ah-ah…” are just reflexes.
The reflex can become a problem when reaching an older age (2-3-4 years): the child will already begin to understand the internal processes associated with filling or emptying the bladder, and parental urges to "pee-pee" can cause misunderstanding on his part.
Which pot to buy
In children's stores there are many models of pots for babies of different ages. They differ in material, shape and color: you should not think that buying a pink pot for a girl, and a blue one for a boy, you will make a good choice.
For small female representatives, it is preferable to purchase round pots, and for future peasants - oval, this is due to the anatomical features of the body structure. Also, when buying a "toilet" for a boy, you can pay attention to the pots with a ledge in front.
There are general recommendations on how to choose a pot for a child and the choice depends on several factors:
- It doesn't have to be cold. The kid will not like it, and learning will fail at the very beginning. Agree, it is unpleasant to touch the body to something cold, and even more so to the baby's bottom, which touched the diaper, diaper, mother's hands, everything warm and soft, and then you decided to put it on an iron or ceramic pot! Therefore, give preference to plastic models;
- Convenience is equally important in this delicate matter. Fortunately, now the market provides a huge selection, and you can choose an option that is convenient for yourself and your baby, both by anatomical and financial reasons;
- It is important that the pot is stable. Otherwise, at the slightest awkward movement, the child may flop along with the pot, and this is fraught with refusal to sit down on a “dangerous” object for many months;
- Models with a removable cover are convenient for travel;
- You should not buy a pot with musical, light effects, kids will perceive it as a toy;
- The presence of a backrest will help the child to be comfortable in the pot.
Read in detail - how to choose a pot
Video consultation: choosing a pot
Ways, rules, guidelines and techniques for potty training
When teaching a child to potty, try to be patient, because it won't work instantly, and then no one is immune from "accidents". Some simple tips will help make this process easier, sometimes even speed it up a little:
- When you first meet your little one with a pot, do not be persistent, this will only scare the baby away from a new, strange and incomprehensible thing... Position the pot as a toy, explain why this item is needed, why it is good (for example, that the baby's bottom remains dry and clean), first put a doll or bear on it. It is very good when there are older children in the family who are a good example;
- The little man needs to get to know his body. Having learned what the priest or genitals are for, it will be easier for the baby to explain that walking wet or dirty is unpleasant, and to avoid unpleasant sensations, you need to do your "business" in the pot, or maybe your prodigy will think of it himself!
- If everything "worked out", encourage the baby, it will cause pleasant emotions, and the baby will definitely want to repeat it. If not, do not despair, do not swear, but only gently remind you of the existence of a miracle pot that will allow you to stay dry and clean;
- Try to keep the pot within reach of the little user. If he himself can reach him and cope, there will be no limit to joy, and mom will get the expected pleasant result. Put the pot in the nursery, the baby must first be interested in a new object, then get used to it. After that, the child can be gradually put on the pot for a couple of minutes;
- Be sure to explain to the baby why a pot is needed: "Baby, let's pee in a pot?" etc. Also suggest going to the potty after sleeping or eating;
- Plant the child on the pot when he needs to pee or poop in time. This will eliminate various embarrassments that may happen at the wrong time.
Use some little tricks:
- Allow to flush the toilet after the contents of the pot have been sent there;
- You can buy a colorful, bright book or toys that you can play or read only when you visit the pot, but you should not plant a puppet theater or library, for a little person the act of going to the toilet should not be a game. These "toilet articles" will help the baby to relax and escape from his fears, add positive emotions, which can play into your hands when mastering the pot.
You should not insist too much on planting the child in a potty. This can cause disgust and protest in the kid, he will do his "business" anywhere, just not on the pot, and if he can be seated, he will do his best to restrain the urge, and this can not lead to anything good. Therefore, if you find yourself in such a situation, it is better to completely forget about the existence of the pot for a while. The alternative might be something else. Boys can be offered to go to the toilet "like an adult", like dad, standing up. A girl can let "streams" into the bathroom or basin, of course with the help of her parents. If the experiment is successful, you can return the pot after a while, but don't be so persistent.
Don't forget that your child is an individual. Therefore, you do not need to be equal to the neighboring kids who already go to the potty, everything will definitely work out over time.
How quickly the child understands what is required of him depends on the attentiveness of the parents. If you notice that strange actions in the behavior of the baby (the child froze, tensed, pushing), plant it on the pot immediately. After several positive results, the baby will start asking for the toilet.
So, to get a successful result, there are the following recommendations:
- you can quickly potty training when the child reaches a certain psychological age;
- put your child on the potty after every sleep. If you see that his panties are dry, then it is more likely that he urinates in the pot;
- do not start training if the child is not healthy (teething, abdominal pain);
- do not give up diapers;
- do not scold the baby if he has relieved the need for pants;
- do not stimulate the child's urination with the sounds of pouring water, such a reflex can be badly reflected in a later age.
Method: we teach in seven days
Most moms want to potty train their child as soon as possible. And this is reasonable, because a rather significant expense item leaves - no need to buy diapers, and the number of washings has also decreased. There is a method of potty training in 7 days, it has been approved by a large number of mothers.
If your child is not potty trained when he reaches the age of one and a half, there is a special training system for seven days. The Voluntary Baby Method was developed by Gina Ford and is intended for children who can perform simple actions (take off their clothes, understand the words of their parents).
- Start the first day by taking off the diaper immediately after sleep, motivate that you are already big (big), and adults walk in panties, and put the child on the potty. You can try to work with a visual aid, take your baby with you and show you why you need to go to the toilet. If the baby is unable to “go out of necessity”, repeat this procedure every 15 minutes. Your goal is for the child to spend 10 minutes on the potty, this time should be enough for all the "wet and dirty" things. You can sit down next to and entertain the baby so that he does not jump out of the pot. If you did not catch "this moment" and everything happened in your pants, do not despair and do not swear, please be patient.
- On the second day, you consolidate the acquired skills, while monitoring the baby's behavior so that he does not play too much and does not relieve the need for pants.
- On the third day, stick to the chosen line of behavior. If you decide to get used to the potty, you should not wear diapers even for a walk, otherwise you risk simply confusing the baby. He just won't understand going to a potty or a diaper. Offer to visit the "plastic friend" before you leave. On a walk, it is better to ask more often if the baby wants to write (poop) in order to avoid surprises. If you don't want to run into the "bushes", take a pot for a walk. Soon the baby will get used to delay urination and you will not have to carry this "element" with you for every walk.
- Starting from the fourth day, you and the baby roughly know how long it will take to visit the pot, if the baby has played too much and forgot about going to the toilet, you need to remind him of this. After a "successful" visit to the pot, be sure to praise the child, rewards and mother's joy can be the starting point in successfully mastering this skill.
Quick learning method in 3 days
As already mentioned, consistency and gradualism are important in the matter of potty training. This process can take several months if the child is not rushed. However, there are situations when you need to "make friends" with the pot as soon as possible. For example, if the child needs to be taken to kindergarten soon, or before going on vacation. In this case, the methods of quick potty training come to the aid of moms and dads.
Quick accustoming does not mean that after a week of active actions on the part of the parents, the child will never "misfire", but such techniques help to quickly convey to the baby the need to go to the potty. During "quick accustomization", the child forms the basis for mastering "toilet" skills.
We determine readiness and create conditions
In order for a quick potty training to be successful, you need to understand how the child is ready for this procedure and "prepare the ground." When assessing the feasibility of quick accustoming, one should focus on the following factors:
- It is better to use "fast" methods before the age of 2 years, the deadline is 2 years 1 month.
- The child may not write for 1-2 hours.
- The baby begins to resist putting on the diaper himself.
- A bowel movement mode is developed and the child begins to poop every day at about the same time.
If, by all indications, the child is ready for training, it is worth focusing on "preparing the ground", that is, on preparing the child's consciousness for the fact that some changes are coming in his life. You can start preparation 2 weeks before the transition to action.
- Buy a pot and every day, as if between times, tell the child what kind of object it is, why it is needed, how to use it;
- Say that all the children go to the potty, and then to the toilet, this is natural and correct;
- About a week before training, start telling your child that soon he will not wear diapers, but will walk in panties and write in a pot. Under these conversations, it will be useful to purchase new underwear for the baby. And so that he was interested in changing a diaper to panties, choose underwear, for example, with the image of your favorite characters;
- Choose a moment when you can fully devote a few days to your child. It will be more convenient if during the potty training period there are helpers nearby: a grandmother or a spouse.
After the time has been chosen and the preparation has been carried out, you can proceed to the active stage of training. This process takes three days.
Day 1
On the first day, the child gets used to being without a diaper, so you need to remove the diaper immediately after waking up. It should be said right away that quick potty training assumes that the child will not pee in his pants while awake. To completely abandon diapers, even during sleep, requires much more time and effort, because the baby still does not know how to control his excretory processes.
So, the child is left without a diaper all day. You can put your baby on panties, or you can allow him to run naked all day (if the temperature in the apartment and the season allow this). Adults should put aside all their affairs and watch the child, literally walk on his heels with a pot in his hands. As soon as you notice that the child begins to write or poop - he needs to be seated on the pot.Of course, "catching" everything to the drop will not work, but the child must see a clear connection between his actions and sitting on the potty. That is why it is better that there are two adults and they take turns watching the child: if sitting on the potty is not stable for every attempt to pee, this connection will not be fixed in consciousness.
For each "hitting the pot" the child needs to be praised, and not just "well done", but to say what you are praising for. But it is better to skip misfires without focusing attention on them, and in no case do not scold the child: with the pot, he will have mainly negative memories and the process of habituation may be delayed.
Before daytime and nighttime sleep, you can invite the child to sit on the potty, but if he refuses - do not insist, but just put on a diaper.
Day 2
The second day is almost no different from the first, but if on the first day the child is at home, then on the second day you can go outside without a diaper. It is better to plan your walk so that you can quickly get home at any time. It is better to go for a walk right after the child has gone to the toilet, but just in case, you can take a change of clothes with you. If you have a camping inflatable pot, you can take it with you.
Do not forget to praise the child for every successful job!
Day 3
On the third day, we add another walk so that the child not only gets used to going to the potty at home, but also to keep his urge to go to the toilet in a situation when the potty is not at hand. Before each walk and sleep, you need to unschedule the baby on the potty, the same should be done after waking up and upon returning from the street.
After three days of such active immersion in the "toilet" theme, children begin to calmly perceive the pot, and some even try to ask or sit down themselves. During active training, it is better if the child is at home in clothes that can be easily removed: without buttons, straps, tight elastic bands, so that if necessary he can take off his pants or panties. Even under this condition, children do not immediately get used to taking off their linen and sometimes sit on the pot and do their business right in it. This is not scary and should not be scolded for such behavior: as they get older, the kids master the whole sequence of actions, you just need to wait a little. And over time, you can give up the diaper at night.
Re-habituation
Often there are situations when a child regularly visited the potty and suddenly began to refuse to go to it. This can be not only at the age of 1.5-2 years, but also at 3-4. The reasons for this can be quite different.
- Moving or changing environment. Even the simplest changes in the way of life of a little person (entering a kindergarten, moving, the appearance of a second child in the family) can lead to protest in many things that the little one did regularly and with pleasure. This also applies to the pot;
- By the age of three, the child begins an age crisis. During this period, the baby strives to do everything in reverse. This is a temporary phenomenon and you just need to endure it;
- Family problems can lead to pot abandonment. When parents scandal in front of a child, this will in any case negatively affect the psyche and behavior of the baby. The kid can begin to rebel against everything, or, on the contrary, withdraw into himself;
- Sometimes, in case of painful conditions and during teething, the baby may stop asking for the pot because all his forces and thoughts are directed in a completely different direction.
In any case, it is worth finding out the reason for refusing the pot, and then focusing your efforts on solving it. Do not force or pressure the baby, be patient and everything will return to its original place.
How to give up diapers
It is much easier to give up diapers during the day than at night. During the day we can "catch" the baby, remind him if he played too much, but what about the night's sleep?
Once your baby has developed a steady pot-potting habit, you may notice that the night diaper stays dry every night, which means you're in luck and it's time to put it to bed in your pajamas.
But not all babies are the same, many babies simply do not control the act of urination in their sleep, here a waterproof diaper or oilcloth and spare sheets will help you... Over time, the child will get used to getting up to use the toilet even at night. Do not pick up the crumb at night especially for going to the toilet, otherwise, whenever you forget or do not have time to wake him up, you will get a puddle as a result. The kid must learn to recognize his urge to go to the potty by himself.
You can recommend limiting fluid intake before going to bed, as well as putting the baby in a pot.
Attention! There are special diapers-panties that help wean from diapers and teach to potty - https://razvitie-krohi.ru/eto-polezno-znat/trusiki-dlya-priucheniya-k-gorshku.html
For what reasons the child may be afraid of the pot and what to do in such cases
There are some reasons why the baby is afraid to go to the potty:
- Sometimes parents scold the baby too much for dirty pants or even spank him. These negative emotions affect the unwillingness to communicate with the pot;
- If the first acquaintance was not entirely successful. It so happens that the pot just didn't like the baby at first sight, or it could be cold or unpleasant to the touch. Take it away for a while. And then repeat the “first meeting”. But already with something new and interesting. A bright cape or an even more practical thing that you can do yourself: sew a soft case made of warm material (you may need more than one, as it can get dirty or wet during use). This will surely attract the baby and help to successfully continue to use the pot;
- Often the child begins to be capricious due to the fact that he was put on a cold pot while sleepy. These unpleasant sensations are remembered for a long time;
- Perhaps the baby was frightened by some harsh sounds, or he fell from the pot in the process and bumped painfully;
- A crumb can be afraid of a pot even with constipation. As a result, even a potty-accustomed child may associate a bowel movement with torture. It is difficult for him to explain that the pot is not to blame, so the child can avoid contact with him.
IMPORTANT!
- 10 mistakes in potty training
- If the child is afraid of the pot - what to do
Komarovsky: Is it harmful for a child to sit on a potty for a long time?
... The child sits on the potty for a long time, the grandmother said that it will definitely end with rectal prolapse ...
In conclusion, I would like to say: give the children more warmth and your love, and all problems with the pot must be solved!
Poll: When to start potty training?
Next, watch the video consultation and read the opinions and advice of moms from the forums
Marina Romanenko - potty training
Video consultation: 9 tips for parents from a psychologist, the creator of the First Children's Academy and the School of professional parents, a business coach and a mother of four (for two with her husband) children, Marina Romanenko on how to quickly potty train a child and what mistakes are most often made parents:
"Easy Potty Training Formula"
Does this sound familiar to you? -Your child screams, arches his back and categorically refuses to sit on the potty ... You are tired of constantly wiping the puddles on the floor! You don't know how to help your child learn to “toilet business”? Tired of wasting tons of money on tons of diapers !!
We look
"Easy Potty Training Formula"Here's what moms write on the forums:
Snowflake:Don't be in a hurry! Our son, just at the age of 7-9 months, went to the potty several times a day - he was planted after eating. And then - IN ANYWHERE. As a result, my husband taught me when I was already 1 year and 9 months old.
A guest:Children by about 2 years old ask for a potty, so don't torment your little one.
miki: First, let him learn to play with him, let him be not an unknown thing for him. When it will be calmer to treat him - just sit him on it. Start substituting when peeing. And also if you want to get used to the pot at a normal age, which is 1-1.5 years. Then you will have to give up diapers. The child should physically feel what wet pants are.
A guest: I also did not sit on the pot. I just turned on the water so that there was a sound of water and held the pot in front of him (I have a boy). I started from about 9 months. A week later, the water was not turned on, but he already began to understand what was required of him. Now a year and four I began to ask for a pot
Maryana: I don’t want to brag, but we, for example, began to teach our own from 3.5 months. used diapers very rarely and kept him over the pot to do his thing. so by the 5th month he began to beg - groaning, nervous, etc. immediately remove the pants and hold them over the pot. now he is already 7.5 months old, and we are gradually giving up the night diaper. He sleeps quietly from 2 am to 6 am without a diaper, then gets up, does his business and sleep on until 9. here the main thing is to start on time and not be lazy herself.
Valeria: And we did not wait until 2 years in the hope that the child would understand everything and learn how to use the toilet, Marina helped us with her method -... Recommended with my daughter 1.4 🙂
Julia Mamulia: You were given the only correct advice - to remove the diaper AT ALL. And give the child the opportunity to pee in his pants without dropping out every 10 minutes. Maybe he is afraid to write when the pussy is naked, not protected by anything? :)
In general, all "potty" problems are in the head of mothers. I've never bothered with questions of "habituation", I just cleaned the diapers when I was a year old, and by the age of 1.5 the children were already consistently asking for a potty. And they learned to poop even earlier
Book: Potty Training in 1 Day (Nathan Ezrin, Richard Fox)
The authors of this book have come up with an incredible technique with which every child can be potty trained even in 4 hours. And he will immediately be able to go to the toilet himself without any help or reminders. For a wide range of readers.
You can download the book from our Yandex Disk –
