Beginner’s Potty Training Fits

November 23, 2009

Cloth diapers to make potty training go faster?  Check.  Children's books about the potty that he'll listen to?  Check.  Cute little trendy potty chair in choice of color?  Check.

Child who wants to sit on said potty? …Not so much.

At first my 2-year-old little guy was excited for his tiny little potty.  He sat on it a few times and once, but only once, actually used it.  And then something changed.  The idea of sitting on the potty was traumatic for him.  He didn't want to wear the Lightning McQueen undies he was so proud of before.  I wasn't sure what happened, but I have a few guesses.  One, his potty chair, for whatever reason, was no longer comfortable for him to sit on (he squirmed a lot).  Two, with so many toys and fun, who can be bothered to stop to use the potty?  I felt like I was up against a wall.  I want him to learn, I know he's capable of learning, but what to do if he doesn't want to?

After a while, I learned two things that really, really helped the process:

1.  Listen, listen, listen to the child.  He simply hated his potty chair.  It was uncomfortable, plus when we say, "Daddy uses the potty," he certainly knows that Daddy doesn't use a "potty" that sits on the floor and has a big picture of a bear on the front.  I found what he really wanted was to use what he calls "Daddy's potty," meaning the big one that everyone else uses.

2.  Have patience.  In my research on potty training, I found this to be a repeating theme.  If you push, yell, scream, punish, etc., potty training will take longer, and may actually cause physical health problems through constipation.

I hope you can put these tips to good use and make potty training go smoother for you and your little lone.

Suggested Reading: The No-Cry Potty Solution by Elizabeth Pantley

Beginner’s Potty Training Fits appeared first on Mom4Life Blog.


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