Potty training may prove a daunting task, especially for new parents. There are certain common negative responses a child may exhibit during the training, which will only prolong the process. This AptParenting article helps you understand the major concerns, and offers some tips and pointers to smoothen the potty training process.
Potty training your child is difficult enough, without making some obvious mistakes that will only prolong the process. A few apparent pitfalls to avoid are, starting too early, or scolding your child when he/she has a mishap. The right potty training age is two years or older than that. However, this is does not apply to every situation, and hence, you need to assess your child’s behavioral development to know if he/she is ready for it. It is also very important to use correct techniques, to make the transition as positive as possible for your child. While the kind of potty training problems everyone encounters, are different, here are some common ones listed out for you.
Major Concerns
Resisting
There are a few possible reasons, why your child may refuse to use the toilet. One of the very common issues is your child being frightened of the pot. The sound of the flush can be pretty intimidating to a small child. It may also seem large and cold. If this be the situation, the ideal way to get your child to warm up to the idea of using a potty, is to get him one of his own. Get a nice colorful chair for your kid, and make sure he knows that it belongs to him, by allowing him to scribble or paste stickers on it. Also, get him to sit on it for a few minutes every day. You can make your child do this, with or without his diaper on. For him to get used to the functioning of a regular pot, make a practice of emptying the soiled diaper into the toilet and flushing down the poop.
Another reason why your child may be resisting the use of toilet is that, he is just not ready to make the transition so early. If that be the case, the best way to deal with it, is to simply not push your child, and wait for a few months before trying again. If your child is already dealing with other significant changes, such as, arrival of a sibling or a shift of residence, that may be the reason he is resisting to use the potty. Under these circumstances, you must not pressurize your child and wait for some days till the kid gets adjusted to the above-mentioned changes. Once your child has settled back into a comfortable routine, you may resume training.
Regression
One of the common problems with this training is regression. In these cases, your joy over your child learning to use the pot may be short lived. One of the possible causes of regression may be a small change like shifting from the use of a crib to a bed. In these situations, the diaper may be a security blanket that a child just wants to hold on to, because it is something familiar. In these situations, it is important to find positive ways (a trip to the park, a story, praise) to encourage him to start using the potty once again.
Among the other toilet training problems you may face, can include, your child refusing to use the toilet outside home. If he is refusing to use the bathroom at his daycare center, make inquiries about the bathroom routine that they follow. If the kids go in groups, the problem could be one of privacy. Another possibility is that, your child is uncomfortable using the toilet at the day care facility, in which case, you can provide him with a potty chair similar to the one he uses at home. While these are some common problems associated with potty training, the ones you face could be entirely different. However, some more research, or your pediatrician’s suggestions are sure to help you sort through them.
