How to Potty Train Children – Potty Training –  If you’ve completed the marathon with a child previously the words might send a shudder down your spine, you may even break into a cold sweat. Yes, the task is hard, but remember how fantastic it felt when you finally reached the end?

Embarking on potty training with your little one can seem extremely daunting if you enter unprepared, or with little knowledge. Friends and family can help you by recounting their experiences and triumphs, but every child is different and it’s important that you understand that they must do it in their own time.

Luckily, there are a number of general rules you can follow that can aid your child’s development and help you reach your goal faster.

1. Make Your Child A Prince/Princess

The word ‘throne’ is often used when referring to a potty. We’re not saying that you need to invest in something that you may see in a celebrity magazine, but it’s vital that you make the potty inviting.

When purchasing it, make sure your child likes the design too. Alternatively, buy some stickers of his/her favourite cartoon character to decorate a potty you already own.

2. Tick-Tock Timing

Kids are busy little bodies; playing, asking questions, generally being very entertaining. Due to this they often forget they need to go to the toilet.

Use your smartphone to set a timer with a fun alert so that when it beeps, your child knows exactly what to do. Also, try getting into the routine of first thing in the morning, after meal times, and before bed.

3. Calm Down Dear!

As well as looking for the tell-tale signs that your child is ready to start potty training, it’s important that you pick a calm time in your lives to do so. Make sure no big changes are afoot such as starting nursery, moving house etc. This will enable your child to fully focus on the task at hand.

4. Let Me Entertain You.

Kids aren’t a ‘sit-down-and-go’ kind of lot. Getting them to go to the toilet once seated can take quite a while. In the potty area, ensure that you have plenty of books and toys close by so that your child doesn’t get too bored and restless. An ipad or tablet can also prove useful for playing cartoons.

5. Rewards

Whereas good behaviour should be standard, we all know that little treats and rewards can go a long way when it comes to coaxing a child around to doing something.

Set up a rewards chart near the potty area with stickers to show your child’s progress. Every five times a potty is used your child could receive a chocolate bar, every twenty, a new toy. Agree with your child what works best for them.

Now that you have a better idea of where to start, we wish you and your child the best of luck with the training. We also encourage you to have a well-deserved reward at the end of it!