Are you potty training a 3 year old? Are you experiencing resistance or even regression?

These are common problems when potty training preschoolers, however a simple checklist of common mistakes that are easy to solve may help you understand what you need to do to get your potty trainee back on track again.

1. Ignoring readiness signs.

While most 3 year olds are definitely showing potty training readiness cues, a few are not.

Just like a handful of toddlers are ready for toilet training quite early, a few are not equipped until much later on.

That’s okay. It’s also true that if your 3 year old is developmentally delayed, then potty training may need to wait a bit. Checking with your pediatrician can clear up any confusion and give you the confidence to train your child when she’s ready and not because you’re feeling guilty.

2. Training during stressful times.

Making a move, divorce, death, changing jobs, adding a family member; all are stressful events and all will impact your 3 year old.

Honestly, the bottom line here is if you are stressed then your child is subject to that stress, too.

A calm and stable household is a very helpful thing during potty training. You will need to be able to give your 3 year old your undivided attention, not a divided focus.

Sure, everyday stuff comes up, but if you are in the middle of challenging times, plan potty training for after you’ve worked through these issues, as much as you can.

3. Going back in diapers.

It’s easy to get frustrated while potty training a 3 year old and remember that in some ways, diapers were more convenient. After all, you didn’t have to wait on your child to go potty or wonder if there would be any accidents when you were on the go. You just changed the diaper; topic closed.

Or perhaps you have a 3 year old who has decided to regress into having daily accidents. You’ve tried everything – bribes, punishments, yelling, listening – everything you can think of.

No change.

So at your wit’s end, you’ve told your child he’ll just have to go back into diapers if he’s going to act like a baby.

Maybe you’ve actually done it and put him back into diapers. And that doesn’t seem to have helped, either. He’s still having accidents, whether he’s in underwear or in diapers.

You’re so frustrated. Maybe she’ll never train!

Relax.

First things first. Take a breather with your 3 year old. Stop the potty training for a few days or a couple of weeks. Get your head on straight and your heart calm again. And let your child catch her breath, too.

Then have a talk with her. Explain that she really is big and getting bigger. Diapers are done. They are no more (in the daytime, at least). You understand she’ll have an accident sometimes, but you are confident she can stay clean and dry anytime she chooses.

Then do it. Put her back in underwear and stick to it. No more diapers. It can be very confusing for a 3 year old to go back and forth from underwear to diapers.

It may be more convenient for you to have her in diapers. It may simply be an act of frustration on your part. All understandable.

But not helpful for your preschooler.

Once in undies, stay in undies. Try different types of underwear, if you like. And make sure that when your child experiences an accident, he feels it. The more uncomfortable the better.

Over time, he will get two ideas. One, that wet or soiled undies are uncomfortable. Two, that Mom or Dad mean what they say.

Both are ideas your preschooler needs to take to heart.

So remember, when potty training 3 year old children, avoid the mistakes of ignoring readiness signs, trying to train during stressful times and going back and forth between diapers and underwear.

Give your preschooler a big hug and tell her how excited you are she’s growing up and you are there to share the ride. That’s what she’ll remember.

And that’s what is important.

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 reward charts and creative ideas plus uncover more about potty training 3 year old children by visiting her website today.

Category: Parenting
Keywords: potty training 3 year old,potty training a 3 year old,potty training,toilet training