Do you have a toddler approaching toilet training age? Are you wondering how to start potty training?

Relax. I have trained four children of my own and here are the steps you need to know to begin to potty train your child.

– Is she ready?

You never want to begin working towards this important milestone without assessing the readiness signs in your toddler. In other words, you potty train when your child is ready, not when it’s convenient for you.

I know, I know. That’s frustrating.

But what you need to know is that much more frustration will occur if you attempt to potty train your child before she’s ready. If she’s not physically or emotionally ready to train she will be confused and resistant; two qualities that lead to the opposite result you want!

Readiness signs you are looking for include a general spirit of cooperation, waking up dry after naps, asking to be changed when wet or soiled and imitating older siblings going potty or wanting to sit on the potty chair. These are vital indicators that must occur at least in part before potty training can begin.

– Are you ready?

Your child will need you to be confident, calm and focused on him for the scheduled potty training session. Decide when you want to do the initial training and clear your calendar for a few days during that time.

Make sure there are no overly stressful events going on in your child’s life during potty training time. If your family life is currently difficult or chaotic, put off potty training until things calm down, if you can.

– Gather your supplies.

This includes items such as a potty chair or potty seat, easy on/off clothing for your toddler and more wipes than you can count. It can also include motivational items such as potty training videos and books, potty dolls or stuffed animals and small potty training rewards. A potty training reward chart is also a helpful tool; you can get one at my website for free (see author’s resource box).

Supplies also include any educational materials that would help you be more comfortable with the potty training process. There are many excellent potty training ebooks and dvds available that will help you know what to expect during the toilet training process and also what to do when you encounter resistance, which is normal.

Taking the time to get as comfortable as possible with the potty training process will keep you calm and patient and help you keep your child’s interest high in toilet training until the process becomes second nature.

– Put it all together.

Your toddler is ready, you are ready, your supplies are ready, your calendar is clear.

It’s time to potty train!

There are several different methods of potty training, but here is an overview of the basics.

– Prepare your child. Talk to her about what you’ll be teaching her.
– Let your child watch you use the bathroom. Modeling is important!
– Give your child plenty of fluids throughout the potty training day.
– Take him to the potty chair regularly, every one to two hours. Eventually something will happen in the potty chair!
– Make a big deal out of his successes. Be matter-of-fact about everything else.
– Repeat this process until your child is potty trained.
– Realize the initial training may take only a few days, but making the process a habit will take months.

As I said, there are too many variations on this process to go over in one article so I strongly recommend you keep reading potty training articles and discover the methods that make the most sense for you and your child.

Wondering how to start potty training is just the beginning. Research what you need to do to go from start to finish and your child will be out of diapers in no time.

Author Bio: Colleen Langenfeld has potty trained four kids and helps other moms get more out of their mothering at http://www.paintedgold.com . Toilet train faster using her potty charts and creative ideas plus uncover more about how to start potty training by visiting her website today.

Category: Parenting
Keywords: how to start potty training ,start potty training ,potty training