Toilet Training

This is one of the most asked about concerns of many parents.

Most questions include: Is my child ready? What do I have to do? How do I as a parent go about this? When is he/she going to do number two's on the toilet? The simple answer is when your child is ready they will do it and it will be easy. Well, as easy as things can be for a child aged 2-6.

Here are some answers:

Your child is ready, when they want to be changed out of a wet or soiled nappy, this may include pulling the nappy off themselves or asking to be changed and not minding to lay down to be changed. Children can be ready at any age. I think it is influenced by observation and modelling, so some firstborn children may take longer but lastborns may be quicker, which is my experience. However, this is not always the case and sometimes this is reversed. Most children between 2 and 5 will show an interest in going to the toilet.

How to go about it? Offer your child opportunities to go to the toilet. If your child asks to be changed or showing signs of readiness, ask if they would like to go try sit on the toilet, before putting another nappy on. Before a bath or first thing in the morning you may want to ask them if they want to use the toilet. Perhaps let them go with an older sibling at the same time to the toilet. It is slow and once again your child will display interest or no interest depending on their readiness.

The more ready your child is, the less need for rewards or charts.

Within a month or two of your child using the toilet independently, you may notice they will start to take the next step and do number two's on the toilet.