No parent is ever ready to potty train, but it has to come eventually. Using the adult toilet is something that has to happen, but the headaches and hassle do not. Your experience while potty training a child will be unique but listening to experiences from other parents and following simple tips will help you make the task far more manageable. Keep reading to find advice that will make teaching your child to use the toilet much easier.

When Is Your Child Ready For The Task?

Potty training a small child is hard enough without asking them to take on the responsibility before they are ready. While it may be challenging, you must ensure that your kid is ready to constructively learn. Signs that your child is ready to start their potty training adventure are:

  • They understand verbiage that relates to “going”
  • Your child can wait for a minimum of two hours between uses
  • Maintain interest long enough to sit and go

When you’re child starts to display signs of understanding their functions and their diaper stays dry for a couple of hours at a time, then they may be ready for potty training, depending on other factors, like their attention span.

How To Make Them Stay

Getting your kid to stay in one place rarely happens; especially when you are asking them to sit on a cold, uncomfortable surface. To them, it is a lot of extra work for little return. When starting out, it’s important to make the experience as comfortable as possible and lighten their “inconvenience”, otherwise your child’s natural reaction may be to fight the process. 

Make sure to talk to your child, make them feel comfortable, and reduce their anxiety, especially during their first encounters with the toilet. Helping them feel safe in their new environment will reduce the risk of them throwing a fit or shutting down. 

Another helpful way to make your child’s visits more comfortable is to purchase a toilet seat accessory that customizes the surface for them. If needed, you can reduce the size of the seat, soften it, and more, thanks to modern-day products. You can find just about anything you want to make the experience more enjoyable with a simple search or trip to the store.

Reward Systems

We won’t get into the psychology behind reward systems and potty training but to cut a long story short, they work. Not every kid is the same, however, so a method that works for one child may be useless to another. Try a variety of reward systems until you find one that your kid can get excited about to get the best results. Some of the most popular reward systems are:

  • Simple Affirmation
  • Sticker Charts
  • A Toy Jar
  • Small Treats
  • Long-term reward systems

When teaching your child to use the toilet, sometimes all you need are kind words. Treats, toys, and positivity are valued the same in different children’s eyes, but combining different methods and finding your optimal formula will help you keep them excited about using an adult toilet. 

Make The Toilet Accessible

You can have the best reward system out there, but if your toilet isn’t accessible or hard to use, the child will not respond well. To help them get up on their own, use a bathroom stool that lets your child climb up by themselves. You should also ensure that it is comfortable for your child to sit on the toilet, meaning you may need an attachment to make the gap smaller. 

If helping your child wipe isn’t in the cards for you, bidets are your best bet. Systems let you add presets, which you can customize for your kid and get them a thorough clean without ever having to wipe another human. Bidets are just a wonderful way to avoid the mess for everyone, and teaching children to use toilet bidet seats while they are young can be much easier than trying to transfer them later on.

Conclusion

Reduce the challenge of potty training your child by making it more enjoyable and comfortable to go. An attachment that makes it easier to sit and go, a stool to help your child get up to the seat, and reward systems will go a long way in helping your child learn to use the toilet. Start experimenting with treats, praise, and toys to help your child get excited about the go!