Parenting Advice

Potty Training
Contributing Writer - Teri Crane, The Potty Pro

There are three things you can never make a child do - eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom.

For most parents, potty training is the most frustrating of the three.

Remember, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink." The same idea applies to toilet training. Children need a worthwhile reason to be potty trained. There are a number of ways to motivate and teach toddlers, but one of the most effective is "fun!"

Kids love parties. In Toddler-Speak, a party means fun, games, cake, candy, presents, and prizes. For a two- or three-year-old, it doesn't get much better than that. In Mom-Speak, a party can mean a fun way to motivate a child to learn a new behavior-in this case, using the toilet. Giving a toddler motivation is critical to a mother's success because when it comes to becoming toilet trained, most kids have absolutely no incentive. None. And when you look at it from their perspective, why would they? Life experience has proven that it's fast easy, and convenient to go in their diapers.

No matter how much a parent may want their child to trade in his/her Huggies for big-kid underpants, chances are s/he will remain blissfully unmotivated by the parent's desire or concern. Plus, if a child has had negative experience with the potty, it can be even more challenging to entice him to try again.

To lay the foundation for potty training success, a parent should start helping the child to master all the individual skills required for potty proficiency.

I. Potty Training Building Blocks

• Actions Speak Louder Than Words
  Studies have convincingly proven that children can be toilet trained significantly faster when their parents use a learning method called modeling. Basically, modeling means learning by watching and by teaching.
• Body Parts and Functions 101
  Along with teaching a toddler to recognize the sensations that mean "I have to use the potty," a parent needs to teach him/her the words to use for their body parts and functions.
• Clean and Dry: Wiping and Washing
  Silly as it may sound, "hygiene habits last a lifetime."
• Dressing and Undressing
  Clothing that is easy to pull up and down is the key to enhancing a child's ability to get his pants down in time to use the potty and back up afterward.

II. Potty Party Plans and Themes

Playing is one of the best ways for young children to learn. When the educational playtime engages a variety of senses-sight, hearing, touch, taste, and scent-toddlers tend to learn new concepts and skills both better and faster. And, as icing on the cake, they also discover that learning is fun!

All potty parties use the same teaching methods, modeling, and hands-on experience and the basic framework for all parties. By incorporating theme decorations, activities, and treats, a parent makes the learning process exciting, stimulating, and very rewarding.

If the thought of "planning" a potty party raises your stress level, remember that to a toddler the word "party," loosely translated, just means fun. The most important part of the learning process is to make it a positive experience-and this is whether potty training is achieved in one day, two or a few.

III. Consider This

If you want your child to be a quick study, give him/her straight A's:
Acceptance, Approval, Appreciation, Admiration, and Applause.

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