And so what does Aibileen do? Well she takes the toddler out to her special bathroom and, “I take down my underthings and I tee-tee real fast, use the paper and get it all back on before she can really see anything. Then I flush.”

This is a revelation to Mae Mobley. The kid’s got her mouth hanging open “like she done seen a miracle.” Before Aibileen can spell tee-tee, the kid’s got her diaper off and is using the colored toilet.

Aibileen is so proud of her that she gives Mae two cookies when they return to the house.

That sets off this just too cute for words exchange:

“What Baby Girl do today?”

She say, “Tee-tee.”

Even though most toddlers don’t typically ask adults to show them how to go potty, the concept of showing a toddler by example is a great idea.

Take your child into the bathroom, talk to them, explain why and how you go potty. Once your child sees you go a few times, buy them a potty chair and let them sit and practice going at the same time.

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.

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.

What to do after the baby is born?

Depending on the age of your child when you are potty training them, they may go through a period of potty training resistance. This is not that uncommon to have happen with a child. This can be especially true when a child is two when they are potty training and going through the terrible twos as well. At this age, they are more likely to exert control over their environment by not wanting to learn new things or refusing to learn to do things differently. Again, this is normal to have happen in many children, because learning something new can be very scary for them and saying no is their only way of having any control over what is happening to them.

However, potty training resistance can also happen when there is stress in their life too. This can be in the form of changes in the family, such as moving, a separation or divorce or a new baby entering the household. They can also resist if they are sick or not feeling well, a pet or family member has passed away or other stressors that have been happening to them that they can do nothing about. Resisting potty training when a new baby is being born is a pretty common time for children not to want to continue to potty train. Some reasons for their resistance can be:

• They are scared or nervous about a new family member coming into the home. This is a big change for them and they are used to things how they currently are. A new baby coming home means that everything is changing and they may be too young to understand these changes. This stress can make going to the bathroom more difficult on them, since their own body is still developing all the feelings to let them know when to go.
• They are the baby currently and no longer will be. Many children go through a period of regression when a new baby is coming home or has come home. They regress because what they are seeing is that a baby is receiving so much attention, so they behave in the same way to receive that same attention. Regression can happen with potty training, as well as other areas that your child has already learned, such as basic communicating, eating, etc.

At this time, instead of becoming upset about the fact that your child is resisting potty training, stay calm and understanding. These are some big changes that are happening to them and it can be difficult for them to take all of this in. You can go back to diapers temporarily if need be during this transition time. There is also going back to using training pants too if your child has been underwear during the day. This does not mean that the potty training has stopped, just that you are allowing your child to take a break from it and than come back to it once things have calmed down again.

Don't let your toddler be surprised on how easy it is to wipe themselves

When children are potty training, they may not be able to wipe themselves. This is normal, since they cannot necessarily reach and they do not have the motor skills yet to be able to wipe themselves. You will need to check your child, as well as possibly continue to help them wipe too up until they are 5 to 6 years of age.

Since children do love toilet paper and watching it come of the roll, that doesn’t mean they can wipe themselves with it unfortunately. So to help with the wiping, make sure that your child can actually reach the toilet paper and have alternative wipes on hand as well, that may be easier to use and clean up better as well.

However, making sure that your child understands good habits in the bathroom is still important, even when you are helping them with wiping. These need to be taught from the first day that toilet training begins. Wiping and washing in the bathroom needs to be reinforced from the beginning, so that once they can do these tasks on their own, they will.

Here are some tips on teaching your child to wipe and wash themselves after each bathroom use:

• Always have flushable wipes on hand when potty training. These are so much easier to use and they can clean up better too. Also, children usually love these better than toilet better even since they are wet and cool too. Allow your child to get their own wipe, but help with the actual act of wiping though. However, this reinforces that they need to wipe after each bathroom use.
• Make sure to show your child that they need to wipe from front to back. This is extremely important for both boys and girls, since bacteria can get into areas when wiping the other way and cause infections. Once they have pulled their own wipe, you want to help them go through the motion of wiping. If you are using a potty training doll, make sure that the doll ”wipes” also. This is important when using model potting training, since you are using a model that you want your child to replicate and copy. So, even a doll needs to be wiped after a bathroom use.
• Ensure that the sink is in easy reach with a step stool and everything that your child will need to wash their hands after using the bathroom. The easier it is for them to get to the sink, the more likely they will be to want to wash up after going. Also, there needs to be soap and towel there too that your child can reach as well. If they are waiting for items, cannot reach them or cannot find them, they will lose interest in getting the job done.
• Lastly, make sure that you always wash your hands and wipe properly as well, especially when your child is watching. Again, they are going to do what you do and model their behavior after you, so you want to make sure you follow the same cleanliness rules that you have set forth with your child. If they see you doing it that way, they will be more likely to want to do it the same way also. ​​​

However, there are ways to get a child interested in using the potty. Potty training later on may be completely normal for your child, since they may have walked later too or spoke later and this is just how they develop. There is nothing wrong with this, since many times the muscles and nerves in the body that tell a child that they need to use the potty may have not completely developed yet. This means that they do not have the feelings there to go to the bathroom or to feel like they need to go to the bathroom. The average age for potty training is 3 years old and if you are still struggling at this point, you may want to talk with your child’s doctor, as well as:

Take into consideration that there could be a medical reason, such as constipation. This can be painful and your child may not want to go if that is what is happening. There is also the fact that eating certain foods can make the bowl movements painful, since they can burn when coming out too. There will an area that is raw and ring around the anus if they are allergic to certain foods.

Look into what else if happening in your child’s life that they may not want to potty train. Such as, are they resistant to doing anything new? Is there added stress in the family that is happening? Have them been angry or upset about anything that would inhibit them from using the potty? It may be necessary to take a step back or back off for a bit until some of these issues have passed.

Make sure to be using a reward system when potty training. Every time your child is successful and goes potty on the toilet, they receive the reward. Stickers work very well for a child to collect and then after they have X number of stickers, they receive a special treat. Other rewards can be used too, such as treasure boxes or places coins in a jar when your child goes potty on the toilet.

If you still have diapers, get rid of them. This could be inhibiting your child from going on the potty since they are going to do what they know and what they are used to, as well as what is easiest. Get rid of the diapers and switch to cloth training pants that are waterproof or have plastic covers to go over them. This can also include allowing your child to run around with no bottoms on outside or even in the house too. This helps to teach responsibility for their body.

Ensure their is also a routine in the house when toilet training. Make sure there is a set schedule for when your child should be going to the bathroom, as well as allowing your child to help clean up any accidents that occur too. This can include cleaning themselves and any messes that were made when they did not make it to the bathroom in time. This may be enough to get them to go on the potty since they will get tired of doing this. ​​