When children first start to learn how to use the toilet, there is often a need for training for parents as well. After all, there are no manuals that come with raising children and the same is true for potty training. By remembering a few simple tips about the nature of this developmental milestone, both parents and children can have an effective and positive experience with learning to use the toilet.
If you have heard a diaper punishment story, ignore it
One of the biggest mistakes parents can make during potty training is to introduce punishments for not using the potty correctly or at all. Some stories of parents using diaper punishments are horrible to say the least and extremely damaging to a child on an emotional level. Never punish your child for not using the potty or not using it correctly.
A note on resistant children
Some parents may encounter a child that will not use the potty after many consistent attempts to get them to do so. This is not an uncommon power struggle and it is also relatively easy to overcome. Children who are resistant to using the toilet are usually acting this way because they have been reminded too much, have been punished in some way or there is too much control on part of the parent. Parents need simply stop pressuring their child to use the potty. This works much better for children in the 3 to 4 age range. Reminding your child to use the potty is a form of pressure and your child will resist or withdraw from using the toilet when there is too much pressure to do so. Speak one last time with your child about the potty and then stop all talk about it. You will be amazed to see that once the pressure it off, your child will show more interest in potty training or even begin to do it on their own.
General tips
Once your child has shown interest in using the toilet, it is important to encourage them through praise and reward to continue to do so. Forcing or punishing your child to use the toilet will not work and may end up damaging them emotionally. Use rewards that your child really likes and remember to stay consistent. Using a cloth diaper or underwear during training is also a good idea. Although this may cause more work for the parent and the occasional mess, it will help your child want to use the toilet because materials in these items do not absorb moisture nearly as well as common disposable diapers leading to more discomfort when the child goes in their clothes. Rewarding the children is a good strategy for getting good potty training behaviour. Toddlers beds are a good gift or fresh cot bed bedding can help the child get a good nights sleep and learn more happily.