Potty training your child
Before  potty trainig , your child must be both physically and emotionally ready for toilet training. Most children are physically ready to toilet train before they are emotionally ready. Before children can use the toilet, they must be able to control their bowel and bladder muscles.Children must also be able to climb, talk, remove clothing, and have mastered other basic motor skills before they can use the toilet by themselves.
Your child must want to use the toilet and be willing to cooperate with you. He or she may even talk about being a “big boy” or “big girl” and  wearing underpants  rather than diapers. A child is considered toilet trained when he or she knows that it is time to go to the bathroom and is able to climb onto and use the toilet with little help.
How start Potty training?
Before toilet training your child, place a  potty chair  in your child’s normal living and play area so that your child will become familiar with the potty. Consider placing a potty chair on each floor of the house if you live in a multilevel home. Tell your child that the potty chair is his or her own chair. Allow your child to sit fully clothed on the potty chair, as if it were a regular chair. Considere today you will find a diferent designs that create comfortabilty and enjoyment or new game activities.
Do not force your child to spend time sitting on the chair.
The next step is to show your child how the potty chair is used. Place stool from a dirty diaper into the potty chair. Allow your child to observe the transfer of the bowel movement from the potty chair into the toilet. Let your child flush the toilet and watch the bowel movement disappear down the toilet.
Stay with your child when he or she is on the potty chair. Reading or talking to your child when he or she is sitting on the potty may help your child relax. Praise your child when he or she goes to the bathroom in the potty chair, but do not express disappointment if your child does not urinate or have a bowel movement in the potty. Be patient with your child it will you best training.

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Author: Sara Jo

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Girls are usually easier than boys to toilet train. With all the boys and girls I have ever known, this has been the case. I don??™t think there is any research that actually explains why this is the case. It is also reported that fewer girls wet the bed. Actually and this is absolute truth, my daughter just one day started sitting on the potty chair and potty training was over for the both of us. She continued to use that potty chair until she was able to use the bathroom.

Some of the main signs you can watch for whether you have a boy or girl are:

??? Being able to wait several hours before urinating. When urination occurs, the child empties the bladder instead of only a small amount at a time.

??? The child knows the words that your family uses in connection with going to the bathroom or restroom, such as ???pee??? and ???poop.???

??? The child can get on and off of the toilet or the potty chair by themselves and can raise and lower pants unassisted

??? The child generally understands and follows your verbal instructions. If your child typically does not follow your instructions, you should probably make this your step one before proceeding to toilet training.

Sometimes constipation can cause a complication while toilet training a toddler. Avoid using laxatives or stool softeners unless directed by your physician to do so. Try fiber-rich foods such as whole-grain breads, broccoli, and cereal to keep the stools easy to pass.

A good rule to follow is that children should eat enough grams of fiber to equal their age plus five. This would mean a 4-year-old needs 9 grams of fiber each day. Try to distribute the fiber equally among all three meals. Be sure your toddler is getting adequate fluids that include water, diluted fruit juices and prune juice. Do not give your child too many dairy products.

Another trick you can try is to give your toddler a teaspoonful of pure honey each morning to help soften the stools if modifying the diet is not enough. Honey is a mild natural laxative. Do not give honey to a baby younger than one year of age. Babies are at risk of getting botulism.

If your toddler is still constipated consult with your child??™s pediatrician.

Once you have your toddler??™s constipation problems under control resume toilet training. It may take weeks or months for your toddler to forget about the painful bowel movements enough to try poop on the potty chair. You can start with encouraging your toddler to sit on the potty chair or toilet. Once he or she poops on the potty successfully a few times, he or she should be well on their way to being toilet trained.

There is no certain or magic age at which a child is ready to start learning how to use the potty. The majority of children have developed the necessary physical and cognitive skills between 18 and 24 months of age. Some children are not interested in potty training until they are closer to 3 or even 4.

Keep in mind that starting a child on toilet training before the child is ready does not mean you will finish sooner. It is more likely the process will end up taking longer. Review the checklist below to determine your toddler??™s progress toward readiness for toilet training:

??? Physical signs include: Coordination enough to walk, and run steadily; urinates a fair amount at one time; has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times; has dry periods of at least three or four hours;

??? Behavioral signs include: Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes; can pull his pants up and down; dislikes the feelings of wearing wet or dirty diaper; shows interest in other??™s bathroom habits or wants to wear underwear instead of diapers; gives a physical or verbal sign when he or she is having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting or tells you; demonstrates a desire for independence; takes pride in his accomplishments; is not resistant to learning to use the toilet; is generally cooperative, not negative or contrary to your instructions;

??? Cognitive signs include: Can follow simple instructions like ???go get your coat or hat;??? understands the value of putting things where they belong; has words for urine and stool; understands physical signals that mean he or she has to go or can tell you before it happens or hold it until he or she is able to get to the potty.

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You are folding laundry one day, putting away your socks and underwear with your constant helper by your side. She says “Mommy ’s Panties?” to which, if course, you tell her, yes they are. Then comes the question you’ve been waiting for…she asks where her panties are. You get a big grin; she is ready to start potty training, right?

The answer is “Maybe”. There are a few things to keep in mind if you are getting ready or thinking of potty training your little girl.

The first thing to consider is, if she is ready or is simply wondering about what Mommy does and wears. Pushing her to train when you are ready isn’t going to do any good at all. Most children will be ready between eighteen months and three years of age. Of course, this is a guideline, not an absolute. Your little one may be early or later than these ages.

How do you know if she is ready? Well, does she stay dry for at least two hours? Does she make a specific face when she needs to go? Does she start to fidget? And the big one- does she ask to wear panties? These can all be signs that she is ready to learn.

There are several thoughts as to how to speed up the process of training. Using diapers that pull on and off like underwear, but have the benefits of diapers. Maybe you should try training pants that look like panties, but act like diapers, pulling moisture away from her skin. Should you go straight to panties and let her know what being wet feels like?

The answer is different for every little girl. If she shows interest in her own panties, by all means, let her. Take her shopping; let her pick out her own designs. She may think the ones with fish are the cutest when you would have picked out butterflies for her.

One of the best ways to get her to use the potty is by giving her plenty of choices. While in other situations, choices may not be a good thing; here it may be what gets things moving. Let her chose if she wants to use the big potty or the little one. If she wants panties or pull up type diapers with her favorite character. She may change her mind several times during the course of making the decision or even through the day.

Watch for fidgety moments when she is playing. Ask her if she needs to go. If she responds that she doesn’t, give her a few more minutes. Then check again. This time you may want to let her know it is time to go instead of giving her the option.

Dress her in loose fitting clothes so she doesn’t have to mess with buttons and zippers. Also, be sure to teach her how to wipe, wash up and flush when she is finished.

The main thing to remember is to have patience with her. While it ’s second nature to us, she needs to learn how to tell when to go potty.

Potty training can be natural, easy, and peaceful. The first step is to know the facts.

* The perfect age to begin potty training is different for every child. Your child’s best starting age could be anywhere from eighteen to thirty-two months. Pre-potty training preparation can begin when a child is as young as ten months.

* You can begin training at any age, but your child’s biology, skills, and readiness will determine when he can take over his own toileting.

* Teaching your child how to use the toilet can, and should, be as natural as teaching him to build a block tower or use a spoon.

* No matter the age that toilet training begins, most children become physically capable of independent toileting between ages two and a half and four.

* It takes three to twelve months from the start of training to daytime toilet independence. The more readiness skills that a child possesses, the quicker the
process will be.

* The age that a child masters toileting has absolutely no correlation to future abilities or intelligence.

* There isn’t only one right way to potty train – any approach you use can work - if you are pleasant, positive and patient.

* Nighttime dryness is achieved only when a child’s physiology supports this–you can’t rush it.

* A parent’s readiness to train is just as important as a child’s readiness to learn.

* Potty training need not be expensive. A potty chair, a dozen pairs of training pants and a relaxed and pleasant attitude are all that you really need. Anything else is truly optional.

* Most toddlers urinate four to eight times each day, usually about every two hours or so.

* Most toddlers have one or two bowel movements each day, some have three, and others skip a day or two in between movements. In general, each child has a regular pattern.

* More than 80 percent of children experience setbacks in toilet training. This means that what we call “setbacks” are really just the usual path to mastery of toileting.

* Ninety-eight percent of children are completely daytime independent by age four.

This article is an excerpt from The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)

You are welcome to reprint this article on your website or in your newspaper or newsletter, provided that you reprint the entire article, including the complete byline with author’s name and book title. Please also send a link or copy to elizabeth@pantley.com. Thank you.

Potty training is easier and happens faster if your child is truly ready in all three areas: physical, cognitive and social. But the big question is: how do you know when your child is ready? If you have never traveled this road before, you likely don’t even know what signs to look for. Take this quiz to find out where your child is on the readiness spectrum.

1. I can tell by watching that my child is wetting or filling his nappy:
a. Never.
b. Sometimes.
c. Usually.

2. My toddler’s diaper needs to be changed:
a. Frequently, every hour or two.
b. It varies.
c. Every two to three hours–sometimes less frequently.

3. My child understands the meaning of wet, dry, clean, wash, sit, and go:
a. No.
b. Some of them.
c. Yes.

4. When my child communicates her needs, she:
a. Says or signs a few basic words and I guess the rest.
b. Gets her essential points across to me.
c. Has a good vocabulary and talks to me in sentences.

5. If I give my child a simple direction, such as, “put this in the toy box,” she:
a. Doesn’t understand or doesn’t follow directions.
b. Will do it if I coach or help her.
c. Understands me and does it.

6. My child can take his pants off and put them on:
a. No.
b. With help he can.
c. Yes.

7. When I read a book to my child, he:
a. He ignores me.
b. Sometimes listens, sometimes wanders off.
c. Sits, listens and enjoys the story.

8. My toddler wants to do things “all by myself”:
a. Never.
b. Sometimes.
c. All the time!

9. I think that it’s the right time to begin potty training:
a. No.
b. I’m undecided.
c. Yes.

Total the number of responses for each letter:
a. __________
b. __________
c. __________

Most answers are a: Wait.
Your little one doesn’t seem to be ready just yet. Test again in a month or two.

Most answers are b: Time for pre-potty training–get ready!
Your child is not quite ready for active training, but you can take many steps to prepare your toddler for the future. Gradual introduction of terms and ideas will make potty training easier when the time comes.

Most answers are c: Your toddler is ready to use the potty!
It’s time to start your potty training adventure. Good luck, and have fun!

Are you between two scores?
Just like any parenting situation, there are choices to make. If your child is hovering between two categories, it’s time to put your intuition to good use. Your knowledge of your own child can direct you toward the right plan of action.

This article is an excerpt from The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)

~*~*~*~*~
You are welcome to reprint this article on your website or in your newspaper or newsletter, provided that you reprint the entire article, including the complete byline with author’s name and book title. Please also send a link or copy to elizabeth@pantley.com. Thank you.

Get Ready

If your child is near or has passed his first birthday, you can begin incorporating pre-potty training ideas into his life. They are simple things that will lay the groundwork for potty training and will make the process much easier when you’re ready to begin.

* During diaper changes, narrate the process to teach your toddler the words and meanings for bathroom-related functions, such as pee-pee and poo-poo. Include descriptive words that you’ll use during the process, such as wet, dry, wipe, and wash.
* If you’re comfortable with it, bring your child with you when you use the toilet. Explain what you’re doing. Tell him that when he gets bigger, he’ll put his pee-pee and poo-poo in the toilet instead of in his diaper. Let him flush the toilet if he wants to.
* Help your toddler identify what’s happening when she wets or fills her diaper. Tell her, “You’re going poo-poo in your diaper.” Have her watch you dump and flush.
* Start giving your child simple directions and help him to follow them. For example, ask him to get a toy from another room or to put the spoon in the dishwasher.
* Encourage your child to do things on her own: put on her socks, pull up her pants, carry a cup to the sink, or fetch a book.
* Have a daily sit-and-read time together.
* Take the readiness quiz again every month or two to see if you’re ready to move on to active potty learning.

Get Set
* Buy a potty chair, a dozen pairs of training pants, four or more elastic-waist pants or shorts, and a supply of pull-up diapers or disposables with a feel-the-wetness sensation liner.
* Put the potty in the bathroom, and tell your child what it’s for.
* Read books about going potty to your child.
* Let your child practice just sitting on the potty without expecting a deposit.

Go
* Begin dressing your child in training pants or pull-up diapers.
* Create a potty routine–have your child sit on the potty when she first wakes up, after meals, before getting in the car, and before bed.
* If your child looks like she needs to go–tell, don’t ask! Say, “Let’s go to the potty.”
* Boys and girls both can learn sitting down. Teach your son to hold his penis down. He can learn to stand when he’s tall enough to reach.
* Your child must relax to go: read a book, tell a story, sing, or talk about the day.

* Make hand washing a fun part of the routine. Keep a step stool by the sink, and have colorful, child-friendly soap available.
* Praise her when she goes!
* Expect accidents, and clean them up calmly.
* Matter-of-factly use diapers or pull-ups for naps and bedtime.
* Either cover the car seat or use pull-ups or diapers for car trips.
* Visit new bathrooms frequently when away from home.
* Be patient! It will take three to twelve months for your child to be an independent toileter.

Stop
* If your child has temper tantrums or sheds tears over potty training, or if you find yourself getting angry, then stop training. Review your training plan and then try again, using a slightly different approach if necessary, in a month or two.

This article is an excerpt from The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers by Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2006)

You are welcome to reprint this article on your website or in your newspaper or newsletter, provided that you reprint the entire article, including the complete byline with author’s name and book title. Please also send a link or copy to elizabeth@pantley.com. Thank you.

The first day at day care is a big one for all concerned
mum, child and carer. It is exciting and terrifying at
the same time. Here are a few tips on how best to prepare
all of you for the big day and help make that transition
a smooth one.

Mom Start gently preparing your child in advance
mentioning what a great adventure day care will be
with lots of friends and games. Keep it low key though
do not overdo it as this could overwhelm your child.
Provider You could provide mom with first names of
children and carers at the day care and suggest role
playing with dolls so everything is not completely strange
on that first day.

Mom should try to foster independence in the weeks
preceding with visits to friends, washing own hands etc
and providers should be sure to encourage mom and child
to visit the day care a couple of times before starting
allowing the child to absorb the environment.

Mom should be sure to have everything packed for the day
e.g. snacks, change of clothes, comfort toys and ensure
everything is labelled. Be sure and have monies paid and
forms completed before the big day so you are not
distracted by these tasks. Have lots of time
to get ready the morning of the big day with a good
breakfast and some chat about the great adventure ahead.
Carers should have an extra person on hand when a new child
is starting so that one person can focus on distracting
and comforting the new child. It is also advisable to have
the child start at a time when everyone is settled into
their morning activities I wouldn’t recommend first thing
in the morning when the flurry of activity could be
upsetting for the new child.

Allow the child to help pack his bag and carry it.
When you arrive at the day care walk your child in
holding his hand, do not carry him. Providers should
insist on this therefore avoiding the peeling child off
the parent scenario.

All day cares should have a settling in period where
the child will stay for gradually longer periods of time.
Facilitate the moms so they can be around but discourage
too much mom involvement. This is where mom needs to
take a back seat and observe rather than interact. Provide
one on one support for the child. He may just want to sit
and observe for a while eventually venturing into a group
to participate or play alone with a toy. Let him go at
his own pace. When mom leaves, distract him immediately
ushering him off to some exciting activity.

Mom,the first day of settling in you will probably stay
in the room, allowing your child to do his own thing but
remaining in sight. Gauge his reactions perhaps stepping
out of the room momentarily explaining that you are making
a phone call and are just in the hall. Allow the staff
to distract your child and observe from a distance
(obviously, do not let him see you). When the time comes
for you to sit in the car or go for a coffee say, bye mom
will see you later, positively with a quick kiss and leave
the room. If your child cries do not look back, remember,
once you are out of sight the child will stop crying
shortly and will be distracted by play and activities.

It is very important to establish this drop off routine
from day one. Firm and consistent is key with children.
Communication and understanding between parents and
providers will make for a smooth and enjoyable transition
for the child. Now, moms, enjoy your cup of coffee in
peace!!! Providers enjoy your new little person!

Fiona Lohrenz drew on her 10 years experience of running a day care to found ChildCareOnly.com and produce a ‘How to Start a Day Care Business’ DVD guide: www.startchildcare.com Fiona can be reached at her website: http://www.childcareonly.com