What Toddler Potty Training Mistakes are YOU Making?

Is Junior or Juniorette testing your sanity in the potty training arena? If they are, chances are you are committing one of the 7 deadly sins of potty training:

1. Starting before they are ready.

Using the potty is a developmental milestone. Children must have both the desire and the ability to control potty functions before training begins.

2. Starting before YOU are ready.

Begin training when you don’t have pressing tasks/life situations. Be ready to deal with sleep disruptions, excess laundry, pee puddles, and poop smears. Understand children may control daytime bodily functions, but nighttime success happens only when children are physiologically capable.

3. Missing the signals.

Get to know your child’s “potty dance,” taking them to the bathroom when it occurs so they can later associate the urge with the process.

4. Reminding (nagging).

Yes, we told you not to miss the signals, but constant “reminding” is an entirely different. It makes your child feel corralled and controlled. Leave a potty chair in a central location or try a schedule.

5. Hovering.

If your child wants to sit on the potty – get lost! Avoid time limits or restraint). Letting them be responsible and in control will more likely spur a relaxed return when the urge strikes again.

6. Freaking out about accidents.

Anger and stress over accidents can create fear and humiliation, damage self-esteem, and prompt your child to hold it. This can result in an overly emotional ordeal.

7. Getting caught up in a battle of wills.

Toddlers have control over very little in their lives, and forcing the issue will only reinforce this issues. When your child pushes – don’t push back – back off and help them feel safe.

Looking for a daycare center that has the right kind of “training” for your child? Check out one of Bubble Tots’s conveniently located centers today.