When Is My Child Ready for Potty Training?
The first step in potty training is deciding when your child is ready. Because every child develops differently, this can be anywhere from 18 months to 3 years. Girls are also known to potty train earlier than boys. Here are some tips to think about when beginning potty training.
The first step in potty training is deciding when your child is ready. Because every child develops differently, this can be anywhere from 18 months to 3 years. Girls are also known to potty train earlier than boys. Here are some tips to think about when beginning potty training.
Your child is:
- Having regular bowel movements
- He goes to a more private place when he feels the need to go
- He interacts and responds to questions
- Helping you dress them and can pull their pants up and down
- Following basic verbal instructions like, Come sit on the potty
- Acknowledging when she is wet or poopy
- Becoming more independent and doing things for herself
- Aware that they are peeing and pooping
- Waking up dry from a nap
- Warning you before she needs to go potty (this is a huge victory when toilet training!)
- Doing things to earn praise from you
- Imitating the behavior of others around her
I bought a few books for each of my kids just before I started potty training each of them. My son loved this Ernie one, Too Big For Diapers. I repeated parts of the story to him each time he went on the potty which helped him get excited about using it.
If you’re child is showing these signs, then it’s time to move on to the next stage of potty training.
