The ABC's Of Potty Training
The best way to speed up the process of potty training is to get your child as involved in the process as possible. Unfortunately, not all kids are interested in learning to use the toilet. When this happens we need to rethink our strategies and find new ways to motivate our children.
Before starting it is important to carefully consider our current strategy. Are we making the process more difficult without realizing it? For example, is your child easily able to pull her own pants up and down? If not it would be a good idea to get pants that are a bit larger so your child find the job easier. Consider all aspects of toilet training from the child's perspective from the clothes she wears to the routine she goes through to use the toilet.
As you continue teaching your child it is important to stay consistent. Each time she needs to use the toilet she should be offered the same amount of support and should follow the same basic routine. Being inconsistent will confuse your child and she will have a difficult time knowing what to expect.
Your child should be encouraged to tell you when she needs to use the potty. The long-term goal is that she will be able to take care of using the facilities on her own, so constantly telling her when to go is counter-productive. While reminders can be helpful try not to overdo them.
A reward system can be very useful. While giving treat may seem like an easy solution you may find that a sticker chart that shows the child how well she has progressed might be a more effective solution. Another idea is to offer a special prize for staying dry for a full day or even a week. By keeping things consistent and varied your child will maintain their interest and make a better effort to improve.
Of course, sometimes things go wrong and an accident will happen. A good way to avoid this is to add practices to your child's routine. Whenever you see that your child looks like she needs to go, or even after she has forgotten and made a mess encourage her to have a practice run to the toilet. Help her to run as fast as she can to the bathroom, pull down her pants and sit on the toilet. Don't fret about whether she actually goes or not, instead congratulate her and make a big deal of her. Practices should not be punishment; they should be fun, a game that involves your child as much as possible in the potty training process.
Toilet training does not need to be a chore. Indeed the best results happen when kids are having fun. By working with your child and offering her tons of praise and encouragement soon you and she will enjoy a diaper-free life.