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Steps to Potty Train Your Toddler
Are you getting ready to potty train your toddler ?
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Most mothers do not wait until the baby indicates he wants to go to the toilet himself as they are afraid he will never learn. Sometimes they find it difficult to deal with soiled diapers and rush the potty training. If they can wait, however, they will usually find that when the child is somewhere around fifteen months old, he will know when his movement is coming and be able to control it. He can be led to the toilet, and if he is not, will probably take himself before he is two, having learned from watching others in the household. By two and a half or three he would probably have trained himself simply by imitating the family.
If a parent wants to start potty training a child, it is best to be aware of their own attitudes. There is a need to be patient; and to indicate to the child that this is not a matter of tremendous importance, and be sure not to make an elaborate ceremony of sitting on the potty or toilet.
A common mistake a parent can make is to take the child to the toilet too frequently and insisting that he use the potty. This will accomplish little and may produce resentment and resistance in the child. If he does not perform, do not be cross or scold; be matter-of-fact and patient. When he succeeds you are, of course, pleased. But do not make a big fuss about it. A smile and a word, "That's good," is enough.
A seat which allows a child to sit with his feet o the floor is best. At a later age, two and a half or so, he will be able to use a seat placed on the adult toilet seat.
As the child develops a vocabulary he soon learns a word to indicate that he has to go to the toilet. Many child of a year and a half can tell when they need to go to the toilet, but it not until the child is around two or more that he can tell whether it is for a bowel movement or urination. When he does have a bowel movement he will point to it and be very proud. Be sure to have a good attitude if this happens as your attitude toward his potty training will affect the child.
By the time a child is eighteen months old he will most likely cooperate enough to keep clean during the day. By two, most children have fairly reliable control. When they have an accident it should, of course, not be treated as a calamity. By two and a half, accidents are rare, and at three many children go to the toilet themselves although they may still need help when they are finished.
The more a parent makes an issue of potty training, the more it becomes a battle, and the easier it is for the child to use soiling or retention as a way of making the parent angry or worried. When potty training becomes a battle a parent cannot win. I would suggest taking your time in trying to potty train your child and before you know it he will be going to the potty alone.
FAQs
What is Toilet Training?
Regardless of age, toilet training involves many steps. The child who is truly toilet trained does not announce that he has to use the bathroom. He goes by himself (self initiation), closes the door, sits on the toilet without a pull-up or a diaper, defecates, and wipes himself. He then flushes the toilet, washes his hand, and leaves the bathroom without announcing that he has gone to the bathroom.
There is controversy by what age a child should be completely toilet trained. However, it is generally agreed upon that children without special needs are usually toilet trained for stool by 3 to 3 1/2 years of age. Children with special needs including delayed development, low tone (hypotonia) or autism may take longer to toilet train and may be able to achieve only certain aspects of toilet training. For instance, a child with delayed motor development who is in a wheel chair may not be able to get onto a toilet by himself or even wipe himself but still may be toilet trained in all other aspects of the process. What is agreed upon is that any child who is withholding and or having stool accidents has not achieved what might be expected.
What is Stool Withholding?
Stool withholding is a behavior by which a child purposely withholds stool when he feels the urge to have a bowel movement. What looks like an effort to poop is actually an attempt to hold back. In almost all instances, this behavior is due to a desire to maintain control. Frequently, there are also other behavioral issues around eating and sleeping. If a child withholds stool, he may develop a fecal impaction in his rectum. Discomfort from this impaction may lead to soiling in the underwear and a foul smell frequently throughout the day. On occasion, the stools may be huge, so big that you can't believe it came out of your child.
What Kind of Problems Deserve Proper Attention and Consultation
Although it is true that some children have not yet toilet trained for stool until three to four years of age, most children are toilet trained completely by three years of age. If your child is having bowel movements on an infrequent basis (every three days or longer), it is most likely that he/she is stool withholding or in other words is purposefully trying not to have a bowel movement. It may appear as though he/she is trying to push out stool but in fact the behavior you are observing is actually purposeful effort to withhold.
If the child withholds for enough days, stool is retained in the rectum and the child may actually start to soil small amounts of stool in his diaper, pull-up, or underwear. Frequently, parents think that older children who have this problem are not wiping adequately. In truth, most children overwipe and stool in the underwear usually reflects stool withholding and soiling, not underwiping. After holding back stool for several days, your child may have multiple small bowel movements or indeed a very large bowel movement that may actually cause a tear in the rear end with small amounts of bright red blood. Retaining stool may also cause the abdomen to swell and for the child to have bowel movements that smell particularly foul with or without increased amounts of gas passed via the rectum. You and others may notice that your child smells of stool. This problem in itself will often lead to significant psychosocial problems.