Read the following twelve potty training methods to ensure that you are on your way to potty training success.

These are the major potty training DO’s!

Potty Training Method #1
Read up. Learning from the experience of others will help you prepare your own toddler.

It may feel like you’re the first one to ever go through the trials of toilet training, but the endless anecdotes of others will tell you that you’re not alone.

Potty Training Method #2
Demonstrate. Use every opportunity to model your most desired behavior.  Every time a parent must use the restroom is another teachable moment. This is especially true when it comes to the same sex parent. Teaching begins with our words, but seeing is always more effective than simply hearing. Use appropriate and easy to understand language such as,We’re going to use the restroom now whenever it is time to transition.

Potty Training Method #3
Create autonomy. Empower your toddler by letting them teach a favorite action figure or doll the same life skill that they themselves are expected to learn. This will give them ownership and fuel their natural desire for performance and parental validation.

Potty Training Method #4
Choose your vocabulary. Choose your words with care. It is unfair if you do not explain your purpose before piling it high with expectation. Not only does your child deserve to have things explained, they are far more likely to succeed when you do. However, the language you use will be the language they use. If you would like for your child to tell his or her dolly that it is time to go #2 rather than caca, you must be the one to set that example.

Potty Training Method #5
Make the restroom a routine.   Consistency is important.   Most of us have learned to ignore the tick and tock of our own internal timepiece, but children are still exceedingly aware. Design potty breaks during regular transition times while staying consistent with the timer and you will find your child falling into a natural pattern sooner rather than later.

Potty Training Method #6
Listen to their body. Like thirst or hunger, elimination is a physical need. You must monitor your child’s liquids and account for minutes lapsed. Have your child attempt elimination every twenty to thirty minutes until they find their own natural rhythm.

Potty Training Method #7
Switch from diapers to training pants. Empower your child, they are no longer a baby.   Send them a clear message that it is time to graduate, and include them in the process as much as possible. It will be far easier to get your child excited about getting into underwear and ditching their diaper when the move is decisive. All training pants and clothing should be easy to slip up and down by the wearer without assistance, placing greater control in the toddler’s hands, and improving the odds of getting to the restroom on time. Remember, empowerment and independence are the ultimate aim.   After all, isn’t that what a temper tantrum is all about, control and theI can do it by myself feeling that every toddler invariably feels?

Potty Training Method #8
Motivate. Discuss the habits of older friends and relatives and help your child to make the connections between their new skills and the daily actions of others around them. Accentuate the many positive gains of losing the diaper. Wearing underwear is a road leading to bigger and better adventures. Once your child truly understand this, it will be far easy to move forward fast.

Potty Training Method #9
Reward your child with praise and encouragement. Celebrate every effort, but reward your child without fail whenever successful elimination occurs. You can sing their favorite song, give them a sticker for their chart, or get them on the phone with their favorite larger than life character. Our daughter phoned Barney while our son preferred Santa, but both were able to feel the immediate results of their effort.

Potty Training Method #10
Teach hygiene. Wiping from front to back, flushing, and being responsible for your own waste are all learned behaviors. It is up to us to teach these things to our child, and there is no better time than right in the beginning.

Potty Training Method #11
Explain your approach to your caretaker. If your child cannot be with you during all daylight hours, then it is in your best interests to articulate your plan and associated needs to whoever is watching. Caretakers should reinforce your effort rather than dilute your progress.

Potty Training Method #12
Exhibit patience. Relapses will happen, and you cannot always expect a command performance from your child. Keep your eyes and ears open for signals, constantly search for patterns, and understand that potty training is a process, not an event.

Next time we’ll cover a few  potty training don’ts.

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!