Potty Training and Toilet Training are life changing progression steps which every child will go through at the average age of between two and four years old.

Mums Baby Magazine have put together a short guide on how to approach this important and life changing step with your little one.

When should you start potty training?

Potty training is something which cannot and should not be rushed. There is no right or wrong age at which to begin potty training.  However, it is worth considering whether your little one is ‘ready’ to begin the journey of potty training.  Every child is different and although some might be ready at eighteen months of age, others may not be ready until they are thirty two months old. Rushing the matter can actually delay the end result therefore it is wiser to follow your child’s signals and give them your patience, support and encouragement. We would like to make it clear that the age a child is potty trained bares absolutely no relation to future abilities or intelligence of the child.

Pre Potty Training

If your child is not yet ready but you are desperate to try and set them onto the path to ‘dryness’ then you may wish to begin pre-potty training, you can start this as early as ten months onwards. Pre-potty training is simply offering your little one information and guidance upon ‘toilet time’ so that they are able to relate to this matter on a personal level when they are ready. Here are some of the things that you can do to build ‘pre-potty’ skills and understanding:

• Each time you change your little ones nappy, explain to them that they are wet or soiled and that children do these acts on the potty/ toilet.
• You may wish to refer to the toilet that you yourself use as ‘the potty’. You can then state to your child “Mum is going to the potty” so that they are aware that adults also use a similar device to a potty.
• Allow your little ones to come with you when you use the toilet, although you may feel awkward at first, try to remember that we are our children’s role models and they imitate many of our actions, including using the toilet!
• Allow your little one to actually look at the potty contents when pouring it into the toilet and let them flush it away, building their understanding of where their waste goes.
• Keep a potty in the room with you  and allow your little one to explore the potty.

Potty Training Tips

Remember that Potty Training can be a long journey and may take many months. Always stay positive and try to encourage and praise your little ones when they use the potty. Like all of us, children love rewards and this can be an excellent way in which to encourage your little one to use the potty. Even if your little one has simply sat on the potty yet not used it, still praise them for this. It is a big step for children to use the potty and exploring the potty simply by sitting upon it can be quite daunting.

If you place your child upon the potty and they are unhappy remove them from the potty, using the potty should be a positive experience and being forced to sit somewhere or on something which they are uncomfortable or unhappy with will only build negative feelings towards the object and prolong the potty training journey.

Children are easily distracted and may lose focus quickly when on the potty, try to keep them focused upon the task, here are some ideas which may help to keep your little ones focus:

• Keep a special book (or set of books) which is to be used during potty time, read this to them while they are sat upon the potty. Ideally this book could be related to potty training or could even be a personalised journal of their potty training journey including photos.
• Children love looking at pictures, especially if they are pictures of themselves or others they may know. Perhaps take pictures of your toilet, the potty, toilet roll or anything related to the matter for your child to identify and discuss with you.
• Create a sticker chart for your little one to cover in stickers each time they simply sit at the potty, it can take time to select the sticker and to place it upon the chart keeping their focus upon the task.
• Sing songs (these may even include actions) with your little one whilst they are on the potty.
• Play small games with your little one whilst they are on the potty, these could be special ‘potty time games’ with flashcards, Lego bricks, fuzzy felt or even fishing games (using magnets and fishing, the fish can then be placed upon the floor to catch). Did you know, there is an adults version of the fishing game for toilet time too?!

Try to choose select words which you, your partner and any family members use to discuss toilet training. By only using specific words when referring to objects or body parts your little one has less chance of becoming confused.

Try to observe your child for signals which may indicate that they wish to use the potty such as passing wind, grabbing their crotch area, holding their tummy or squatting and offer them the chance to use the potty at this point. Remember that little ones find it difficult to ‘hold the urge’ and often need to be given the chance to use the potty sooner rather than later to avoid accidents.

Try to dress your little one appropriately for potty training, outfits such as dungarees or vests with many poppers can cause delays when getting ready to use the potty and can also results in accidents. Wearing lose fitting pants or a skirt with baby legs/ leg warmers (to keep your little ones legs warm yet allowing the nappy to be worn freely without cover from additional clothing layers) can speed up the time it takes to get prepared for using the potty.

Remember that your child will have accidents and that you must not react in a negative manor, potty training as previously stated can take several months or even longer. Remember, ‘Rome was not built in a day’!

Where should the potty be placed?

Some parents chose to take the potty wherever they go, some parents chose to place the potty in a particular area and some parents chose to place the potty in the bathroom. It is up to you where you wish to place your child’s potty, although it is worth considering your end goal is for your little one to use the toilet. However, your bathroom may be up or down a set of stairs from where you and your child tend to spend your time and therefore this may not be the most suitable place in which to place your potty during the early stages of potty training.

Staying dry throughout the night?

As we have said throughout this article, potty training is a journey and it can take a long time, even when your  children gets to a stage at which they are able to recognise their bodies signals and to use a potty or toilet training seat successfully during the day they may not be able to ‘stay dry’ throughout nap and sleep times. There is a difference between day time dryness and night time dryness, staying dry throughout the night can only be achieved one your child’s physiology supports this. Night time dryness is not something that you can teach and it certainly should never be rushed. We would suggest continuing to use nappies during the night until your little one has stayed dry overnight for over a week, at this point you may wish to fit a ‘protective sheet’ onto their mattress and attempt a night without wearing a nappy.

Which potty should I use with my little one?

There are a wide range of potties available on the market. However, very few of these potties are designed to grow with your child as they progress through each stage of potty/ toilet training (right through from pre-potty training to toilet training). The Kidskit 3-in-1 Toilet Trainer is specifically designed to adapt according to your child’s specific stage of potty/ toilet training.

Mums Baby Magazine put the Kidskit 3-in-1 Toilet Trainer to the the test with a toddler undertaking potty training. We began by putting together the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer as a potty. We then placed the potty in the toddlers living room to allow him time and space in which to explore his new potty. After a short amount of time he seemed happy to sit upon the potty and shortly after asked to use the potty and seemed very pleased with himself when he was successful.

The Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer is bright, colourful and user-friendly. When the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer  is in ‘potty mode’ it features handles either side of the potty which your little one can hold onto to aid their balance when lowering themselves onto the seat of the potty, these handles can also be used whilst on the potty to steady your child or to push/ pull against (if they feel they need to). Mums Baby Magazine were impressed by how safe and sturdy the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer is when in ‘potty mode’ and consider this potty to be extremely ‘safe’ for little ones to use as it also features ‘grip areas’ on which little ones can place their feet when using the potty to prevent slipping.

The potty itself has a wide, removable bowl which enables waste to be flushed away easily, this potty can also be cleaned with ease due to its simplistic design.

We altered the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer into a ‘toilet training step up seat’ which was very quick and easy to carry out.  When placed onto the toilet, the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer fit easily (it is universal and therefore fits all standard sized toilets). Our toddler was easily able to use the step and get onto the toilet without aid. Our toddler seemed to enjoy practicing getting up and down from the toilet, this product certainly seems to offer children more independence.

By  using the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer as a ‘step up seat’ you can cut the time it takes to ‘toilet train’ your little one , many children have to learn to adapt from using a potty to using a toilet seat. However, if you chose to train your little one in using a toilet training seat rather than the potty then this may cut out one step on the ‘toilet training ladder’.

When in the ‘Step up Seat’ mode, the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer can be folded for storage. However, we did find this product still seemed a little bulky and for those parents with limited space this could cause issues.

Once your child no longer requires a ‘step up’ they can use the toilet seat adapter alone without the added step, this being the final step in the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainers three uses.

The Kidskit 3-in-1 Toilet Trainer comes with clear instructions on how to alter the the kit into the differing modes. The Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer can be altered easily using one single tool which is provided with the kit.

Suitable from 1-3 years, the Kidskit 3-in-1 Toilet Trainer is a multifunctional piece of kit which aids children and parents in  taking the  ‘step towards potty and toilet training’. Mums Baby Magazine give the Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer 9/10. The Kidskit 3-in- Toilet Trainer is available from www.thatcuteage.com for £24.95. Visit www.kidskit.biz for more information.

References: Pantley, EP (2007) “The No-Cry Potty Training Solution “ McGraw Hill Publishing Company, Berkshire, England.