When and how do you start potty training a 2 year old?

Answer 1

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FAQ
How and When Do I Potty Train?
Dr. Greene, how and at what age do you start potty training? I have heard so many different ages. My son is two next week. Thanks, Dr. Greene! Just trying to do this right.
Kathy Mills
Salt Lake City, Utah







One of the great adventures and accomplishments of childhood waits just around the corner. Even though learning to use the potty is a universal rite of passage, experts have wildly different ideas about when and how to proceed.

Some recommend doing almost nothing and letting nature take its course. Others consider the process of active potty training to be of critical importance to future psychological development. Who is right?

The truth is that sometimes kids do learn to use the potty with almost no help from parents. Most of the time, though, they need our guidance and encouragement.

No single method is best for every child. By understanding the underlying forces that surround this event, you will be able to understand which of the many recommendations are most likely to work for your little one.

I'll outline for you here an approach that, with some individual variation, will work for most kids.

Ready…

With any adventure, it's wise to be prepared before you set out. The time to start depends far more on development than on age. Here are some signs that your child is ready:

* Cute moments when your little one mimics Dad or Mom.
* Frustrated moments when a person or toy is in the wrong place ("No, Mommy! -- Here!").
* A trail of clothes strewn across the floor as your toddler gleefully tries to undress.
* A face glowing with pride at an accomplishment.
* Curiosity about the toilet and the genitals - theirs and yours.
* Talking about pee pee and poo poo.
* Dawning awareness of when pee pee and poo poo are happening - especially just before the fact.

…Set…

As these signs of readiness are emerging, reinforce your toddler's awareness of toileting. Watching parents, friends, or animals helps. Better yet - alert your child when you see that he has gone, is going, or needs to go.

When you notice behavior such as straining, tugging at the clothes or shifting from foot to foot, point it out! Even when it is obvious to everyone else, it may still be a mystery to a child. Help him learn his body's signals. Let your child run around naked - watching it happen live a few times speeds everything up. When he does poop in the diaper, begin going together to put the stool in the toilet, so he will learn that pee pee and poo poo belong in the potty.

…Go!

When you are ready, introduce a potty as follows:

Dress for Success

The long-term goal is to enable your child to go to the potty on his or her own body's signal, and to need little outside help with any part of the procedure, from sitting down to washing up afterwards. While the complete process may take a couple of years (the ability to wipe oneself effectively is often the last skill to be mastered), there is no time like the present to set your child up for success. Dress kids in loose clothes that they can easily take off by themselves.

Keep diapers off as much as is practical during toilet training. This will increase awareness and motivation for success. Big boy underpants are great! Pull-ups can prevent messes, but if you use them, I recommend cotton ones if you used paper diapers or paper ones if you used cloth diapers, so that they do not feel like diapers to your child. Nighttime diapers are still appropriate until your child begins to have dry diapers in the morning. This can normally take a couple of years after daytime control. If it lasts longer, talk with your pediatrician.

The Age-Old Question

A child is happily playing with blocks, but suddenly an intense expression appears on his face. The room gets uncharacteristically quiet. He squats behind the couch, and his cheeks begin to get red. "Honey, do you need to go potty?" you ask.

"No!" declares the toddler automatically. The question doesn't help anything. Instead, tell your child what you observe, and tell her, "It's time to go potty!"

Potty Time

At the beginning, you might want to set a timer for every 2 hours. When the timer goes off - "It's time to go to the potty." If he appears to need to go, or says he needs to go - "It's potty time." Make potty time something to look forward to. Keep your child company while he or she sits on the potty for a few minutes. You may want to have books, toys, or a box of dress-up accessories that are only used during potty time. Your undivided attention is the key ingredient.

Encourage your child to celebrate successes. If nothing happens, smile and say he's learning. When accidents happen (and they will - poop on the carpet is part of the learning experience). Don't scold your child, but scoop it up, put it in the potty, and say, "Soon you'll be able to get it in the potty every time!"

After a week or so of success, change potty time to "Head into the bathroom and sit on the potty - I'll be there with you in a minute!" When this is working well, progress to "Let me know when you're done, I'll check your bottom." Gradually encourage his independence.

And make no mistake - independence is what is happening here. Toilet learning is a wonderful, bittersweet snapshot of growing up. Changing his diapers for him was a central part of his life (and yours) up until now. Soon, for both of you, it will be time to celebrate no more dirty diapers!

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Answer 2

Boys
Let him follow his dad (if no dad, then a trusted male influence) into the bathroom. Don't make a big deal out of what's going on, but don't shut the door either. 2 year olds are famous for copying. If there is a same sex sibling close in age, do the same. If the sibling is quite a bit older, talk to him about what you're trying to achieve and see if he's okay with being a role model, leave the door open but be close by so the older child has his privacy from mom, but the younger child is still supervised.
If no male influence can help out, check out those little floaties they make for kids to pee on and make it a game. Let him practice in the tub before a bath if you're really determined, then move to "toilet only" fun.

Girls
Have an open door policy with mommy. Tell a "story" of all the steps you're taking to go potty. "First I have to sit, then I count to three, and when I'm all relaxed, I finally start to pee!" When she hears a cute rhyme set to the sound of your pee, she might want to try her own song.

lol. Or I'm just too liberal with my bodily functions!

Answer 3

I would read up on all of the literature as I am training the child. Many children take right to it and others are longer so it would be best if you talked to your doctor about any problems you find yourself. Certainly it is a normal bodily function so we need to not overly praise it or overly react when not done right. Just like when you are raising puppies or other animals it is all in consistency with the program. Once you start it do not go back and try to keep track of the child's business so that you will know when it is best to place the child on the stool before an incident happens. If it is a boy let him watch dad use the bathroom the washing of the hands and lifting of the lids etc. This way it is normal and an everyday occurrence.

Answer 4

Now is the time. You can start by buying one of those small potties from Wal-Mart. About 15 minutes after he/she has something to drink, have he/she sit on it for about 15 minutes. He/she will have accidents but do reward greatly when he/she gets it right. Make it fun! Sing a song about going to the potty. Sometimes running water in the background while he/she is sitting on the potty works too!

Answer 5

It is first-class that he's sitting at the potty already. If you'll be able to take a look at to determine while he's going, you'll be able to be somewhat bit extra competitive and take a seat him at the potty whilst you believe he would possibly have got to cross, no longer simply while he needs to sit down or after he is going. The coaching pants are very just like diapers. The greatest change is that they're made to be pulled down like lingerie. My favourite manufacturer is Huggies, however they're my favourite for the whole thing (plus they've the greater coupons.) Also, or a few youngsters, it's excellent no longer to hurry coaching. If you do, you get pressured, and he's going to get pressured and there's a larger threat of injuries or relapse. (My first baby began potty coaching at a tender 2 and used to be nonetheless utilizing midnight diapers and having occasional injuries at three.) As quality as it's not to have got to manage diapers anymore, they're manner greater than ton of laundry and cleansing up after injuries. Right now my two 12 months historic twins are utilizing the potty from time to time, however I've determined to not relatively push for being potty proficient till they're three.

Answer 6

When? When you are ready to put in a full day of sitting with your child near a potty.
How? Reward, make it fun! Ask Grandma to do it!
My husband asked his Mom stay with us for a week when my second baby came. She thought I was putting off potty training my 2 year old and she was right. She came prepared with stickers, little silly toys, gummy candies and fishies...We asked Jeffrey all day if he had to go and made him sit and try constantly. A book to look at helped keep him on the potty. When he did finally go we rang bells, danced, and gave him rewards of one sticker and 2 gummy worms!!! It took only one day and he loved going. We continued to reinforce him for a week and when he would slack off we would again pull out the treats.

It has been 6 months since that day and he still has accidents at times. Thats okay! My husband gets mad but I tell him that I am 34 years old and I still pee my pants occasionally! Sorry! In fact my husband crapped himself at the age of 39 while he had the stomach flu. This reminder quiets him quickly!

But seriously, just after you take that day or two of potty training wear pull ups on especially at night. I refused to at first thinking it would make my boy regress but I got sick of washing bedding every morning! It may take awhile for your child to control his/her bowels during sleep. Good Luck! You will get there!

Answer 7

You'll notice baby is not wanting to keep a dirty diaper on, or baby might start taking diaper off....Tired of wearing it. Put training pants on when your home with him/her and put on potty chair every couple hours...Praise baby when a job is well done....Put a diaper on each night. By two your baby ought to be ready. In summer months its better.....But keep putting child on potty often through out the day. And be sure to praise. He/she will be so proud, as will mommy and daddy.

Answer 8

As soon as he or she is walking. I will be frustrating at first, but be patient they will get there.