Most people have things like:

• spend more time with family
• lose weight
• quit smoking
• enjoy life – work less
• get out of debt

But for mother’s of toddler boys and girls, these goals will probably include potty training! Here are some great tips to getting your toddler potty trained this year.

• Get rid of all diapers and pull ups! Use potty training pants or “big kid” underwear- have them feel the wetness.
• Pick a potty training method and educate yourself that works for you and your family.
• Be CONSISTENT
• Scolding doesn’t work, positive reinforcement DOES!
• Educate yourself FIRST, then teach your child the correct potty training steps
• Don’t expect him to know how to go potty just because you do
• Have LOTS of dry practice runs
• Keep it fun! Remember that they are just kids

Check out the full article at: http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/A-How-to-Potty-Train-Toddler.html.

This is especially because you either will be waiting for quit some time for your child to use the bathroom or you will be running them to the bathroom repeatedly throughout the day, for false alarms and to check to make sure that they do not need to go.

However, this can be avoided, the bathroom time that is unproductive, that is frustrating for you and your child too. Instead, it is a better idea to start paying attention to when your child is going to the bathroom. You will need to pay close attention to how soon they go after eating or when they go at night and first thing in the morning.

This also means watching the signs that your child exhibits when they need to use the potty too or when they are going. This is also a great way to teach your child to pay attention to his bodily feelings of when he has to go.

To create a potty schedule, you will first want to:

• Watch when your child is going. Pay attention to how soon they are going after meals, waking up and before bed, as well as all the times in between too.
• You want to keep a journal and write down this information, as well as if they are peeing, pooping or doing both together too. This will require checking their diaper closely after each changing so you know which is happening.
• Keep track of their facial expressions or body language as well prior to going and make these notes in the journal as well. Is there something special they do when they poop or pee? Pay attention to these signals so you’ll know when to take them to the bathroom. Many children will fidget, walk around a lot, hold themselves, etc., watch what your child does before they go.

After you have kept a journal for a while, at least a couple of weeks, start going over the patterns that are happening when your child is going. This will help you establish what the schedule should be like. These patterns will be of when they are pooping most often or peeing most often, depending on what they are eating, what they are doing at the time or when they are taking naps for instance.

Once you know all this, begin taking your child to the potty at these times. So, for instance if your child pees first thing in the morning when they wake up, wake them a little sooner and get them to the potty. Or if they pee and poop after eating breakfast, take them there at that time too. The schedule should fit your child’s own potty habits and this will make teaching potty training easier, since your child will be going at the times when they would naturally go anyway. ​​​​​​

Here are some great FREE Potty Training Charts for Girls from Potty Patty and FREE Potty Training Charts for Boys from Potty Scotty.

If your child isn't feeling good, just take a break potty training.

If you are potty training and your child is going through a stressful time, they may not want to potty train any longer during this period. Stress can come in a number of ways for a child, whether it is because they are sick, a pet has passed away, a baby is being born, their has a been a separation or divorce or even moving to a new home, the stress this can cause them many times will result in your child not wanting to use the potty.

The stress can cause their body not to recognize when they need to use the bathroom too, so sometimes stress can get in the way of potty training too. So in this case, being that your child is sick there are a couple of options to use when this happens while they are being potty trained.

• You can go back to a regular diaper temporarily. This has to be made clear to the child that the diaper is only temporary due to the fact that they are sick. You will need to let your child know that they will be going back to using the potty when they are feeling better. This can be an option to use when they are needing a lot of bed rest while sick and they are sleeping a lot and won’t necessarily feel when they have to use the bathroom.
• There is also the option of using waterproof training pants too. If your child has been using underwear during the day while potty training, going back to the training pants may be the first step before going back to regular diapers. These are available in a waterproof design or a plastic cover can be put over them. This allows your child to still feel when they are wet, without soiling their sheets too. This could work for a child that is sick, but necessarily bed ridden. If your child is still moving around, than the training pants can work so that they can still tell you that they have to use the potty once they feel they feel they have become wet a few times.

No matter what you decide, you will need to stay very calm and positive at this time. They cannot be in trouble for having accidents, even if they had not been having them before. This is probably making them feel bad too, especially since they are sick also. So, keep in mind that having to go back to training pants or a regular diaper during their illness is not a sign that potty training has stopped, just that it needs to be put on hold while they are getting better.

You want them to retain the potty training you are teaching and if they are sick, they may not remember a lot of what you are teaching them.

The child at first is very respective to using their potty chair or potty seat and then suddenly something changes and they no longer will go on the potty. This is normal, although not a good thing to have happen, when a child is holding their pee, since this can cause other problems as well as mean that accidents are more likely to happen.

Many times a child will regress and you need to look at what else has happened or is happening that is causing them to regress and not use the potty any longer, as well as hold their potty too.

Some things to consider are:

• Is there a medical condition? This can be something as simple as a yeast infection or bladder infection. If they have become to hold their potty, these conditions can also be created by doing this too. A yeast or bladder infection can cause painful urination that is very uncomfortable. This can make a child not want to use the potty, since it hurts every time they go and they only go when they cannot hold it any longer. Holding their potty again can cause these conditions too. You may want to take your child in to make sure that nothing like this is happening, as well as checking to make sure that they have not stayed in wet underwear or that their underwear is too tight. These two conditions can cause yeast infections, even in boys when they are younger. You also want to make sure that they are wiping properly and helping them with this too. Bacteria can get into areas, especially in girls, that it shouldn’t causing an infection and painful urination also. Make sure that they are wiping from behind and front to back to cut down on the chances of an infection happening.
• Has there been any negative behavior that has happened that has been associated with the potty? Have they had an accident and you became upset at them, thus making them nervous to go on the potty because they do not want to make a mistake.
• Major events Sometime major events such as new baby, divorce, separation, or loss of a friend or loved one can be completely devastating for a child. These major events can have the child either regress or cause the child to need to get control of something in their life. Regressing can sometimes be a sign of deep fears, loss of control or major changes in their lives.
• Is he Confused? If your child is standing up and then peeing, this could be that there is confusion with their own bodily functions. They may not have all the feelings in their body yet, to know when they have to go and when they sit down, these feelings are dampened further. This is the opposite of what usually happens when we sit down to pee, however it is not uncommon for a child to have mixed signals. In this case, it may be okay to let them go with no bottoms on or let them pee in the shower even, to ensure that they go when they are standing up.

There are many reasons or issues that can cause this behavior in kids, and trying to figure them out can lead many parents to feel frustrated. Remember the more frustrated and upset you are, the more your child feels it and will refuse to comply.

As a last result, you may consider letting your child go back into diapers. This will temporarily elevate the pressure on your child, and give you the time to figure out what is going on.

The sign language can be used for babies and toddlers too, since many children are and can start potty training as young as one years old to eighteen months old. Using sign language is a great way to communicate with a child that cannot speak what they need or want. It can be used so that they child can let you know that they need to use the bathroom and you can help get them there.

Furthermore, teaching potty training before a child has turned two is easier many times as well, since prior to two, children are not as stubborn and more likely to follow commands and directions. There is less resistance when they are younger when it comes to learning new things and being taught how to do something.

Five simple signs that can be used when potty training your child will work by the time they are one year old at the most.

These signs include:

• When you change your child, make your hands into fists and shake your fists up and down or back and forth every time a diaper change happens. Show your child to use the same sign when they need to use the potty too.
• To teach a child the sign of more, begin with tapping your fingertips together when your child wants more of something. Show your child that tapping their fingers together means more, by them receiving more of what they wanted. Later, convert that to tapping their fingers together when they still need to pee or poop on the potty while going.
• Teach the sign all done, by sweeping your arms down by your side when your child has finished eating or drinking something. Show this sign to your child when you are finished doing something as well. Later, convert this to having your child sweep their arms by their side when they are done using the potty and going to the bathroom.
• The washing hands sign is to put one hand over the fist of the other. This can be shown when your child is done eating, by using this sign after meals and snacks. As well as you use it to when you are getting ready to wash your hands as well. When your child is using the potty, use the sign to remind your child to wash their hands when they are done going to the bathroom.

These signs can be used, as well as if there are already signs that you use in your own home, they can be used when potty training too.

However, other than that, boys all learn at different speeds, just like girls do, there is no rule to this.

So, here are some tips on potty training boys.

• Let your son decide if he wants to sit or stand initially. Your son should do whatever he is comfortable with in the beginning. He mainly want him to go, so sitting is fine and many times easier for boys, since reaching the toilet may difficult, as well as aiming. Your son can always stand later when he wants too. You can also have a potty chair and a potty seat so he can decide what to do.
• Potty training your boy can be made easier if he has his daddy or brother or any other male show him what is suppose to happen, just by watching. Allowing your son to see what other boys do will go a long way when it comes to potty training.
• Use toilet targets if your son is beginning to stand to pee. These are fun and there is an array of choices to use. There are some that are thrown in the water and dissolve when your child is able to pee on it, as well as others that are placed in the bottom of the toilet and change colors or images when your child pees on it too. This is than more of a game when your son goes potty and he does not even realize he is learning how to aim into the toilet.
• Allow your son to go bottomless when at home or in the backyard. This is a great way for them to recognize their bodily emotions, since most children do not want to have an accident. However, do remind them to go to the potty regularly, so there are no accidents, but it does make it easier for them to go, since there is no clothing to take off.
• Make sure to have a reward system in place for when your child uses the potty correctly. They can receive stickers, small toys or anything else that they respond to for doing a job well done.
• Cut back on how much your child is drinking at night, so there will be less of a chance of an accident happening. Mainly this is because children need to master daytime potty training, before they can master nighttime potty training. Trying to do both at the same time can be overwhelming to a boy.
• Always bring a portable potty or potty seat with, so that no matter where you and your son are at, he always feels comfortable to go to the bathroom. There are disposable potties, as well as inflatable ones and the traditional fold up potty seat too. You want to make sure that you are consistent when potty training a boy and having a portable potty with means that this can happen.
• Begin using underwear occasionally when your son is staying dry for long periods of time. This is a reward for staying dry and not having accidents, as well as a way to help encourage your son to go, so that he does not go in his favorite character underwear too. ​​​​​

The advantages and disadvantages of baby or infant potty training are:

Advantages

• Your child is potty trained sooner, eliminating the need for diapers and baby wipes and that added expense.
• It is less expensive if a child is going to day care or a care givers house, since you will not have to pay for the diapers and baby wipes or the sure charge there is for having a child that needs to be changed by the day care or care giver.
• There are less messes for you to clean up, giving you more time throughout the day to do other things and take care of your child.
• It is easier to take your child places when they are potty trained this young, since there is less to bring and carrying around with you.
• They have already mastered a major milestone easily on, which being able to spend more time on other important childhood milestones.

Disadvantages

• It does take some time and can be very time consuming at first.
• You will spend a lot of time watching your child to determine when they have to go so you can get them there.
• You will spend a lot of time in the bathroom, since your child cannot get themselves to the bathroom.
• There is no way to verbally communicate, so you may be using facial expressions and hand language to communicate with your child.
• It may be messy at first, especially times when you get your child to the bathroom and just as you are putting them on the toilet, they go, maybe missing the toilet.
• It takes many more trips to the bathroom to teach them to use the toilet, since they are much younger.
• You will need to get up at night to take them to the toilet too so they can go.

Depending on your situation, baby or infant potty training will work for you. If they are an only child this may be the perfect solution, since you can fully concentrate on them and getting them potty trained. However, it can work for parents with multiple children too, since having your child potty trained will make taking care of all your children easier.

It will depend on how much time you have and if you have the patient to take your child to the bathroom regularly throughout the day to help teach them to go. You will have to be very consistent and stay very calm when doing baby potty training.

However, having twins has the advantage of your children being able to learn together and reinforce the potty training with each other. They can learn from each other, especially if one twin is catching on faster than the other, which can happen.

Each child is different, even when it comes to potty training and twins are no different that respect. One may catch on faster, however this does not mean you should become frustrated or upset by this.

Each child will still learn at their own pace, however with another child there learning with them there is a better chance that they will want to go, since their sibling is going too.

• You want to make sure that each child has their own potty chair and that your son also has a potty urinal too. Making sure that they both can use the potty when they need to is so important. You do not want them fighting over the potty or having to wait for one another to use the potty. You never want them to have to hold their potty, this could discourage them, especially when they need to go and set you back. Instead have a potty chair that is specifically for each of them and that has their name on it too. This lets them know that this is their special place to use the potty and all theirs, that they do not need to share this item.
• Having a potty urinal for your son will mean being able to get him to stand up to pee much sooner, as well as cause less messes to clean up around the toilet, which a girl may not be happy this.
• You will also want to make sure that they both have their own potty training dolls, potty charts, potty stickers and potty rewards too.
• You can have them sharing a potty chart to keep track of their progress and the potty stickers and chart should be something that each child chooses and that they like. There are plenty that comes in styles that are great for boys and girls and these are great reward methods, as well as a great way for children to visually see the progress they are making.

Lastly, make sure that you do create a potty schedule with twins. You do not want to be running back and forth to the bathroom throughout the day. Instead, having a schedule that both children go to the bathroom at the same time will make the potty training much easier, especially in the beginning when they are first learning.

This will also be a way to encourage your children to go and they have each others support while they are in the bathroom. It also eliminates the number of times you will be emptying and cleaning the potty chairs too.

Please check out New Potty Training Products for Boys or New Potty Training Products for Girls for more purchasing details.

Routines can work great, especially for children that are very routine orientated and like to have a set schedule. To set up a potty training routine, there are a few things you will want to do, which are:

• Watch to see when your child goes to the bathroom. Most children have to go to the bathroom first thing in the morning when they wake up, however when else do they go? Are they going when they are taking a nap or do they not pee or poop than? Watching your child will give you a better idea of when they need to be taken to the potty to set up the regular schedule for them.
• Stay on schedule when it comes to eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you eat at the same times everyday, your child will most likely need to use the bathroom afterwards at the same time everyday too. This will help keep them on a routine and keep them consistent also.
• This includes giving snacks at the same time as well. Again, this will help them to go after the snack has been finished.
• Have your child change their training pants every morning just like regular underwear to develop good hygiene habits, as well as if they have had an accident, they can help to clean it up. Then have them go to the potty again first thing in the morning.
• They should use the potty as well right before they go to bed too to help reduce the chances of an accident happening.
• Make sure that you have potty rewards ready for them when they do go, so they always receive their reward for going and it is a consistent routine to go potty, than receive the reward.
• If you are using a potty chair that needs to be emptied after each use, than make sure that this happens as well. Have your child help you empty it into the toilet and than wash their hands afterwards. You would never want to leave that sitting anyway and again sticking to the same pattern helps to develop the routine and the habit of using the potty too.

In the beginning of potty training and setting the routine, your child may not remember or may not like it, since they are learning something new. However, you need to continue to follow the same routine everyday that you have set up, regardless of how your child’s attitude or behavior is about it. This ensures that you are staying consistent and this will help them get on the potty training routine as well.