When to Begin the Task of Potty Training

When is the best time frame to begin potty teaching? Ask that query anyplace parents are together and you will obtain a different answer from every couple and most likely a heated discussion will begin!

There certainly is no right answer to this issue. The most critical factor in considering when to get started potty training is to trust your parental intuition. Each and every kid is completely different and develops in different ways. Only you, as dad or mom, can recognize the signs and be able to intuitively recognize when the moment is right to begin toilet training.

There are actually a number of signals that you should watch for however and some conditions that will make it simpler to potty train. Your young child should be able to communicate using a few simple words; 'toilet', 'urine' 'poop' etc.. They should also have the ability to fully understand the difference between wet and dry, so that you can help your child understand the notion that wet is incorrect and dry is good.

An argument in favor of earlier potty training, moms and dads should keep in mind that the more mature your youngster gets the more difficult it may be for him or her to escape the diaper habit. Also, keep in mind the realities of toddler growth; your lovely infant soon develops into a terrible young child past the age of two and a half. The stubborn, rowdy and demonstrative young child who replies each question with an decisive 'NO' is going to be more difficult to potty train.

Earlier potty training has its historic precedents. In 1957, 92% of children were toilet trained by the age of 18 months. In the period before throw away diapers, when mums had to wash unclean baby diapers by hand, moms and dads were much more determined to toilet train earlier. Things evolved with the introduction of the disposable baby diaper, supported by the plenty of reports touting the 'child-centric' strategy to toilet training. It's important to point out, at the possibility of sounding cynical, that a number of of these scientific studies were commissioned by the companies who manufacture disposable nappies. The most well-known is one published by Dr. Brazelton in 1961 that came to the decision that mothers and fathers should hold out 'until the youngster is completely ready' to get started toilet training. The analysis was commissioned by Proctor and Gamble, the premier supplier of disposable baby diapers.

When you can reply to these three things with a 'Yes!' then you are prepared to start potty training:

1. Can she or he go two to three hours with a dry diaper?

2. Can reply to fundamental instructions?

3. Are either you or your child confident enough to know when he or she is about to urinate or poop?



Post by Suzanne Riffel, author of "The Potty Boot Camp: Basic Training for Toddlers" - a new, fast, easy toilet training method that produces remarkable results.