The essential potty training guide for parents by childhood continence charity ERIC
Potty training is big developmental milestone for your child. They have a lot to learn in order to become independently clean and dry so they need to be physically and emotionally ready to start potty training. The first step is learning to recognise the different sensations of a full bowel and a full bladder, and then they need to learn to hold on long enough to get to the potty, pull their pants down and sit on the potty before releasing their bladder or bowel.
Control of the bowel and bladder are part of a child’s normal development and if you start very early the whole potty training process will invariably last longer. There are lots of stories of children who were potty trained at a very young age, but research shows that the age at which a child is independently dry and clean doesn’t differ substantially in those who started potty training at a very young age and those who started when they showed signs of readiness.
There’s no ‘right age’ to start potty training although between the ages of 18 months to 3 years most children will start showing an interest in toileting and some will simply let you know they are ready by refusing to let you put a nappy on.
Try to avoid feeling pressurised by others to start potty training before your child is showing signs of readiness. If your child can stay dry for more than one and a half hours between wet nappies, has regular or predictable bowel movements, lets you know they are wet or shows discomfort when their nappy is soiled and is able to understand and react to simple instruction such as ‘where’s your potty?’ or ‘do you need a poo?’ these are good signs that it is time to start potty training.
For some parents the pressure to start potty training occurs when a child is due to start nursery and the nursery has a ‘no nappies’ policy. If your child is not ready to potty train and you begin before they are ready, the likelihood of ongoing accidents is very high. Always speak to the nursery to see if they can work with you and your child’s needs, perhaps by supporting your potty training routine. If the nursery is not amenable to considering your child’s individual needs, you may wish to re-evaluate the suitability of the nursery for your child.
The first step towards potty training is to prepare your child. Talking about weeing and pooing, deciding what words you are going to use for wee and poo and reading story books about potty training are good ways to start and can help your child begin to understand what is going to happen.
Take a trip with your child to choose their potty and pants and leave the potty in an easily accessible area so your child can get used to seeing it around and give praise whenever they sit on it.
It will help if you can arrange your routine to ensure that you’re not out and about too much in the first couple of weeks of potty training – a good routine helps things run smoothly. Let everyone involved in your child’s care know that you’ve started potty training and try to encourage a consistent approach.
When you are ready to start potty training, encourage your child to sit on the potty for a few minutes every couple of hours; if you sit them on the potty too often or for too long they may lose interest and become uncooperative. A good time to sit on the potty is a short while after having a drink. Try to make potty time fun and praise your child every time they sit on the potty and if your child asks for the potty in between then that’s great. If your child has a regular pattern for pooing, try to sit them on the potty to coincide with their natural rhythm. With a consistent approach and a good routine it shouldn’t be too long before your child has their first wee or poo in the potty.
There will be accidents, but be patient – go at your child’s own pace. Potty training can happen quickly and smoothly, but for many children it can take a while – often many weeks. If your child finds potty training too much, it may simply be that they are not yet ready, just put the potty away and try again a couple of weeks later.
If your child has regular daytime weeing or pooing accidents during the day which occur after you have been potty training for several weeks seek an appointment with your GP or health visitor for an assessment. Common causes of day time wetting include a urinary tract infection (UTI), constipation or an overactive bladder and common causes of soiling include constipation.
When you child is consistently dry during the day and there are regular dry nappies in the morning you may wish to consider removing the nappy at night. All children are different and some children will be dry at night quite quickly after mastering potty training, but others will have a few accidents and take a little longer. Some children continue to wet at night (there are approximately half a million children who continue wet at night over the age of 5) and will need intervention to help them to become dry at night.
Call the ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence) Helpline for support and information on potty training. ERIC also provides information and support on childhood bedwetting, daytime wetting, soiling and constipation. The ERIC Helpline is available weekdays from 10am until 4pm on 0845 370 8008.
Visit the ERIC Website (www.eric.org.uk) for hints and tips on potty training and download a copy of ERIC’s potty training leaflet – ‘Home and Dry’
You can find a range of potty training books, training pants, absorbent mats and even a musical potty insert at the ERIC web shop. www.ericshop.org.uk