Having a baby is a blessing, along with it comes some sweet challenges too. ‘Being paranoid’ is a common quality among first-time moms. They are quite sensitive about their baby’s needs and remain very particular about their choices . The amount of research they do before starting anything new for their baby is tremendous.
I was no different from all the mommies out there; before I started potty training my daughter, I googled a lot. One thing that I learned is, that every kid is different and should never go by the book. It is necessary to observe our kids before we start any new routine.
There is no right or wrong age to potty train a kid. Certain parents start as early as 6 months to as late as 3 – 4 years. All these depend on your baby’s behavior. In my opinion, any time less than 18 months is quite early because once they are completely potty trained, they can never use a diaper. Until 18 months of age, their frequency of peeing is quite high, so if you must travel long distances with your baby it might be quite difficult.
Potty training is one of the important developmental tasks in kids. This process impacts the entire family, so it is necessary to watch out for signs to have a smooth process. Kids must be observed for a while before they are trained.
So, what are the signs to watch for?
Follow a regular pattern
Most of the kids show a consistent pattern in their potty routine once they are 12 months old. Certain kids have bowel movements early in the morning once they wake up, a few of them after their morning milk, and a few before their nap. Once kids exhibit such a regular pattern, it means they are ready to be trained.
Gets uncomfortable
Kids generally are distracted and do not pay attention to their bowel movements. But if your kid seems conscious about their pee or potty amidst their playtime, it is to be understood that they are ready to be trained. If your kid acts weird or gets uncomfortable during their bowel movement, it means that they are quite conscious about it. Certain kids find a corner or find a spot under the bed when they have to poop. These are all signs that they are ready to be potty trained.
Wants their wet/soiled diaper to be removed immediately
If your kid cannot stand a wet/soiled diaper and gets quite cranky about it ,then it is a sign that he /she is ready to be potty trained. When they are quite conscious of these changes, the process of training becomes smooth.
What happens if you choose the wrong time to potty train?
When you as a parent just go by the book without observing your child, the task becomes a messy one. Kids do not co-operate; kids will have to go back to using a diaper after a while because of many accidents. So, it is necessary to observe your child quite well and start the process at the right time; if done so, it typically takes only a week. If you have been training them for quite a long time, like more than a month or so, it is quite possible that your kid is not ready yet.
When to start going nighttime diaper-free ?
Once your kid is trained to remain diaper-free during the daytime, do not attempt immediately to get them diaper-free during their nights. Keep observing them for a while for a few signs like :
- If they can use the restroom during the daytime even when they are highly distracted like playing, watching TV/iPad, etc.
- There are minimal accidents.
- If their naps are successful without accidents.
Once your kid shows the above said signs during the daytime, it signifies that they are ready to be trained for nighttime too.
How can we train them ?
It is always better to start the training process during summer rather than winter. You can take your kid to the restroom every 2 hours for the first 3 days of the initial week, to know their pattern. Then for the consecutive weeks, the time interval could be increased to every 4 or 6 hours to match the time of their routine. Apparently, they would start holding and would get a good night’s sleep without any accidents.
Training them during nights is a big task for parents especially if you are working parents. But it would be just a matter of days if you start the process at the right time.
If you are a first-time mom or a mom struggling to get your kid potty trained, hope this article helps you. We have all been there, you are not alone.
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