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Potty Training – Get Ready, Get Set, Go!
By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Potty Training Solution
Get
Ready
If your child is near or has passed his first birthday, you can begin
incorporating pre-potty training ideas into his life. They are simple
things that will lay the groundwork for potty training and will make the
process much easier when you're ready to begin.
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During diaper
changes, narrate the process to teach your toddler the words and
meanings for bathroom-related functions, such as pee-pee and
poo-poo. Include descriptive words that you'll use during the
process, such as wet, dry, wipe, and wash.
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If you're
comfortable with it, bring your child with you when you use the
toilet. Explain what you're doing. Tell him that when he gets
bigger, he'll put his pee-pee and poo-poo in the toilet instead of
in his diaper. Let him flush the toilet if he wants to.
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Help your
toddler identify what's happening when she wets or fills her diaper.
Tell her, "You're going poo-poo in your diaper." Have her watch you
dump and flush.
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Start giving
your child simple directions and help him to follow them. For
example, ask him to get a toy from another room or to put the spoon
in the dishwasher.
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Encourage your
child to do things on her own: put on her socks, pull up her pants,
carry a cup to the sink, or fetch a book.
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Have a daily
sit-and-read time together.
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Take the
readiness quiz again every month or two to see if you're ready to
move on to active potty learning.
Get Set
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Buy a potty
chair, a dozen pairs of training pants, four or more elastic-waist
pants or shorts, and a supply of pull-up diapers or disposables with
a feel-the-wetness sensation liner.
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Put the potty in
the bathroom, and tell your child what it's for.
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Read books about
going potty to your child.
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Let your child
practice just sitting on the potty without expecting a deposit.
Go
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Begin dressing
your child in training pants or pull-up diapers.
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Create a potty
routine--have your child sit on the potty when she first wakes up,
after meals, before getting in the car, and before bed.
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If your child
looks like she needs to go--tell, don't ask! Say, "Let's go to the
potty."
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Boys and girls
both can learn sitting down. Teach your son to hold his penis down.
He can learn to stand when he's tall enough to reach.
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Your child must
relax to go: read a book, tell a story, sing, or talk about the day.
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Make hand
washing a fun part of the routine. Keep a step stool by the sink,
and have colorful, child-friendly soap available.
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Praise her when
she goes!
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Expect
accidents, and clean them up calmly.
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Matter-of-factly
use diapers or pull-ups for naps and bedtime.
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Either cover the
car seat or use pull-ups or diapers for car trips.
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Visit new
bathrooms frequently when away from home.
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Be patient! It
will take three to twelve months for your child to be an independent
toileter.
Stop
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If your child
has temper tantrums or sheds tears over potty training, or if you
find yourself getting angry, then stop training. Review your
training plan and then try again, using a slightly different
approach if necessary, in a month or two.
This
article is an excerpt from The No-Cry Potty Training Solution:
Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by
Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)
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