Common signs of potty training readiness

It’s quite common for parents to want their child to be transitioned out of diapers as soon as possible. Diapers are a costly expense and can also become an inconvenience as children grow older and visit public places more. It’s true that children can display signs of potty training readiness between 18-24 months, but for others it can be around 3 years old. There is no one size fits all approach for potty training and one of the most important things to understand is to start when your child is ready. If you start training too soon, it may take longer than expected until they’re fully trained.

Do your homework first.

Do you know how to recognize the signs of potty-training readiness? If your child displays several the signs below it may be great timing to start the potty training process:

• Can communicate well.
• Awakes with a dry diaper following their naps.
• Can walk themselves to the restroom and assists with clothing removal.
• Shows curiosity for using the potty seat or toilet.
• Dislikes the feeling of wet diapers and wants a fresh change.
• Asks about wearing underwear like big kids.

Other potty training preparation tips for parents.

1. Have plenty of training underwear and expect to run through these quickly in the beginning!

2. Read fun books together that help explain potty training and make it more exciting.

3. Have clean up supplies on hand and ready to go for accidents.

4. Be consistent. Let caregivers or teachers know your child is potty training so they can help provide support while away from home.

Just like many other aspects of parenting, patience is key when potty training. Additionally, as a good starting place it can also be very beneficial to read through different potty-training books to learn about tried-and-true methods that have worked for other parents. For a full online guide of potty training basics click here .

What next?

Remember, you and your child are both going through this training together. Just as you’re learning what does and doesn’t work, your child is too. When your child eventually finds their rhythm going to the toilet, there may still be occasional accidents from time to time and that’s okay. When an accident happens, identify what may have caused them to not make it to the toilet in time so you can help prevent that issue from happening again and keep trying!

We understand that no child’s potty-training experience will be the exact same as someone else’s.

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Regardless of the date published, no content on this website should ever be used as a replacement for direct medical advice from your primary care provider or another qualified clinician.