10 Best Toddler Potty Training Techniques And Tips To Follow
Pick the proper potty training technique based on the child’s age, personality, and comfort.
Jenn Chu is the owner and operator of Little Ones Welcome in San Francisco. She offers services in her private practice, and virtually. Her focus is on the health and wellbeing of the individual. She specializes in women's care with an emphasis on conception, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and pediatric support.
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Knowing the right potty training methods can help successfully potty train your toddler. It is also essential to initiate training at the right stage of development. Look for signs OF readiness to be potty trained in your toddler since each toddler’s developmental milestones are different.
Most toddlers can hold bowel movements for a longer time by 24 to 30 months though they may be unaware that they have control over their bladder and bowel movements. However, the average age to start potty training is 27 months (1). Some begin much earlier, such as from the newborn period using elimination communication (EC) based on the baby’s natural cues before passing urine or bowel movements.
What Is Potty Training?
Potty training is the technique of teaching your child to identify body signals for bowel movements and urination. It also involves teaching them how to use a toilet or potty chair (small toilet seat) correctly and at appropriate times (2).
Potty training doesn’t happen overnight but might take three to six months. It may take less time for some children, while it may even take longer than six months for others.
Difference Between Potty Training Boys And Girls
Parents usually say that it is easier to potty train girls than for boys. However, the training concept remains the same—learning to manage bowel and bladder movements. With that being said, every child has a different learning curve. Importantly, it depends on when you are ready.
Boys and girls both need encouragement, but it is not necessary to give them rewards or praise during potty training. They also need support and love when accidents occur, because they will. Kids are learning and to learn we usually make mistakes.
Let us discuss the differences between toilet training boys and girls.
- Timeline: According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, gender has little role to play in toilet training. However, in toddlers and preschool boys, the tendency to be physically active may delay their potty training (3). A few population studies demonstrated that toilet training for boys is delayed by approximately six months when compared to girls (3).
- Getting started: During initial training, boys should be encouraged to sit down while peeing, but if they won’t, standing is just fine. If your little boy doesn’t have interest in standing to pee don’t worry. Interestingly, boys will gradually try to urinate while standing by seeing other boys doing the same thing (2).
- Wiping: Cleaning themselves and washing hands is an important part of training when children get older. Girls should be encouraged to wipe from front to back to avoid germs from bowel movement from entering the urinary tract (1). Boys should learn to avoid touching the tip of their penis.
Is Your Child Ready For Potty Training?
Toilet training should start when the child shows signs of readiness, is what pediatricians will say; however you can start whenever you choose. Pediatricians feel that the children will show the following “signs” when they are ready, which is usually around 18 to 24 months old, and at which point they tell parents to start toilet training (2). Doctors agree that the child is ready when:
- The child can walk and is able to go to the toilet seat or potty chair.
- The child can let you know or indicate when ready to go to the toilet.
- The child can control the muscles used for bowel and bladder movements.
You may also look for the following signs to know your child’s readiness (1) (2) (4).
- Pulls down underwear, diaper, or training pants by themselves.
- Tells you when there is bowel or bladder movement or asks you to change the diaper.
- Shows interest in wearing underwear or using the toilet.
- Follows simple instructions of going and getting things.
- Understands words that are associated with using the toilet.
- Shows uneasiness or discomfort when the diaper is wet and dirty.
- Have dry diapers for at least two hours during the day, after naps, or overnight.
- Follows you into the bathroom and shows curiosity in learning how to use the toilet.
- Shows interest in copying what older children or parents are doing.
- Enjoys doing things for you that gets them a reward or praise.
- Have bowel movements that are consistent throughout the day.
- Knows how to walk to the toilet, sit on it, and get off.
As a reminder you do not have to wait for signs of readiness in order to begin potty training.
Toddler Potty Training Techniques
Let us discuss a few potty training techniques in detail.
- Brazelton child-oriented potty training: This technique was introduced by T. Berry Brazelton in 1962 (5). This training technique should be used when your toddler starts to show signs of readiness, which is usually after 18 months old. It involves using positive words for praising, avoiding shaming, punishment, or the use of force, and making the training experience positive, natural, as well as without threatening gestures (6).
- Three-day potty training: This training technique is quite quick. Parents may choose any three days or a long weekend to initiate the training when the toddler is ready. This technique requires easy access to the toilet. Parents may keep the child bare-bottomed or use clothes with elastic waistbands or training pants. It can involve giving your child more fluid than normal, but it is not recommended. Encouraging or taking them to the toilet first thing in the morning, after every meal, before and after naptime, and before bedtime can help the child in learning how to use the potty.
- Parent-led potty training: This technique is useful when parents want to follow a strict schedule. It involves making the toddler use toilet based on a schedule or after specific time intervals. You may encourage the child to use the toilet every two or three hours, after meals, or before bedtime.
- Assisted infant potty training: It can start from birth, but typically starts when the baby is two to three weeks old. It involves placing the baby on the toilet seat as soon as the baby shows signs of bowel movement or after a large meal. In this technique, the baby is often rewarded with affection and praise after a successful bowel movement, although that is not necessary (6).
- The Azrin and Foxx ‘toilet training in a day’ method: It involves promoting appropriate behavior using rewards or positive reinforcement such as toys, food, or affection and practicing negative reinforcements (verbal reprimand, punishment, or decreased positive attention/affection)when accidents occur (6).
- Gradual, parent-led toilet training: It is a combination of the Brazelton (child-oriented) technique and the Azrin and Foxx (parent-led) technique. In this technique, parents leave the potty chair at a place where it is easily accessible to the toddler. The technique also involves rewarding the child after each successful bowel movement, not forcing them during training, and not making them sit on the toilet seat if nothing happens.
- Bare-bottom (no-pants) training: This technique may take a week to complete. It involves dressing your toddler in a long, loose T-shirt (covering their private parts) without diapers, underwear, training pants, or shoes. Also, the potty is made easily accessible where the child spends most of the time.
- Wait-and-pee method: This technique is all about allowing toddlers to potty train themselves. Unlike other methods, where parents place the child on the toilet seat or encourage them to use the toilet, in this technique, parents praise or reward the child when they decide to go and use the toilet on their own.
- The training-pants transition: This technique is used when a toddler starts to shift from diapers to pants and learn to lower them when there is an urge for bladder or bowel movement. Some parents may try diapers that feel cool to touch when peed in. This may help in training the child to learn to stay dry.
- Eyes on the prize: This practice involves rewarding the toddler with treats or small prizes like stickers or badges for their effort. This also gives children the motivation to learn. This method is usually used in combination with other methods mentioned above.
Potty Time Tips
You may try the following tips for successful potty training (2) (4).
- Encourage and help your toddler to use the toilet every two to three hours to minimize the chances of accidents. Make it a practice to make your child go to the toilet in the morning and before bedtime or naptime, and offer the potty when you go
- Make sure the caregivers, babysitters, or grandparents follow the same routine or schedule while potty training the toddler.
- Since the body has a reflex to poop after a meal, encourage your toddler to sit on the toilet seat for 15 to 30 minutes after a meal.
- You may teach boys to stand and pee by teaching them to aim at an imaginary point while urinating or by putting Churrio’s in the toilet for them to aim at.
- Accidents will may happen. However, make sure not to punish your child or show disappointment. Let your child understand that mistakes are also part of the learning process.
- You may also keep special toys or books for the potty time in the toilet.
- Dress your toddler in easy-to-pull-down clothes while they are undergoing the training.
- Use positive words and praise when they try to do things on their own, including sitting on the toilet seat when nothing happens.
- Avoid potty training if you are expecting a big change such as moving, traveling, sickness, or a new baby’s arrival.
- Be calm and patient as every child learns at their own pace. Feel free to try multiple potty training methods to find the one that works the best for your toddler.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Should I potty train day and night at the same time?
No, day and night time potty training should be different. Start with daytime potty training and observe their progress. Once you find fewer wet or soiled nappies in the morning, you may start the nighttime potty training (7).
2. Is three too late to potty train?
No, you may start potty training at three years old if you have missed the early years because children are believed to be developmentally ready by this age (8).
Successfully potty training your child is an important developmental milestone that indicates your child is understanding their bowel movements and acting accordingly. But potty training your child can be difficult if you do not have the right tricks and methods under your sleeve. These potty training methods will help you make the process easier and teach your child to poop better. It is important to note that you should look out for the signs which indicate that your little one is ready to be potty trained and then transition to the process.
Key Pointers
- Potty training is the process of teaching your toddler to use a toilet and understand the body’s bowel and urine signals.
- Train girls to wipe from front to back to prevent feces germs from entering the urinary tract and teach boys to avoid touching the tip of their penis.
- You may begin potty training your toddler at around 18 to 24 months.
- Potty training strategies such as Brazelton child-oriented potty training, three-day potty training, and others are discussed here.
References
2. Toilet training; Stanford Children’s Health
3. Is it true that boys are usually toilet-trained later than girls?; American Academy of Pediatrics
4. Potty training your child; Seattle Children’s
5. Brazelton T. B.,A child-oriented approach to toilet training;American Academy of Pediatrics
6. Choby B. A. and George S.,Toilet training; American Family Physician
7. How to potty train; NHS UK
8. Toilet Training at 3? Is it time to just do it? Children’s Hospital St. Louis
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