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Potty training basics

It takes time for kids to get used to the bathroom

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Originally published in Today's Parent March 2010

iStock

Andrea Williams says that toilet training Evan, at 2½, was actually fun. “A few months beforehand, we’d got the potty, which he’d sit on while he looked at books. And we went shopping for big-boy underwear — that was a big deal.”

“We’d talked about using the toilet a lot,” recalls Williams. “When the time came, I had a plan. We set a timer every 15 minutes, and I let the dishes pile up in the sink.”
Toilet training tends to go fairly smoothly when kids are developmentally ready, says Elizabeth Pantley, who is the author of several parenting books, including The No-Cry Potty Training Solution. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting from diapers to dry:

Ready?

A child is probably ready to begin toilet training when she:

• has periods of dryness (a dry diaper after a nap is a good sign).
• can do some things on her own, including getting her clothes on and off, and follow simple instructions like “Put your book on the shelf.”
• has shown some interest in the potty, and is able to sit comfortably on it for a few minutes.
• anticipates the need to go.

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What do you think?

  • Alex Mlynek says ....

    Hi Jo-Anne, Thanks for checking in. This is a stock photography shot, so I am not sure what brand of potty this is. Sorry I couldn't have been more help. Alex, Todaysparent.com

    • 15 February 2012