How to Tell When Your Child is Ready for Potty Training

by -TheBestMoms

Repost: Original article by: www.pull-ups.com

How to Tell When Your Child is Ready for Potty Training

You’ve conquered teething, tantrums and monsters in the closet. Make sure potty training is another success story by watching for the signs of readiness and starting when your child is ready.

Your Unique Child

Is my child ready? How long will potty training take? Is there a certain age when kids are ready? The answers to the questions can be as unique as the families who ask them. The truth is that no two kids train alike. The secret to success in potty training is to tune into your unique child’s learning style.

Steer clear of worrying about hard and fast deadlines. Avoid getting caught up in milestone-mania. Learn to recognize old-school advice as just that. While you might still find people who say, “trained by 2—or you’re in for trouble…” nothing could be further from the truth!

No matter what your mother told you, there’s no one right age to start potty training. Most children show signs of readiness sometime between the ages of 18-24 months. Some children are ready at 18 months. Some hold-outs aren’t ready at three! Once you do get started, potty training takes about eight months, on average.

The Signs of Readiness

Whether the start of potty training comes earlier or later for your child, you’ll get your cues on “when it’s time” from your child. That emerging independence starts shining through. “No” isn’t the answer to every question. They’re eager to please. Now is the time to start actively watching for these signs of readiness for potty training:

Your child can stay dry for two hours at a time during the day or is dry after a nap.
Your child is uncomfortable with soiled diapers and wants them changed. (pronto!)
Your child shows increasing interest in the bathroom.
Your child’s b.m.’s are regular and predictable.
Your child wants to wear Big Kid® pants.
Your child can indicate by words, facial expression or body language that he or she is about to go.
Your child can follow simple verbal directions.

If your child shows two or more of these signs, it’s a good indication that they’re ready to start potty training.

Are You Ready?

Make sure you’re ready for the start of potty training when your child is. That goes beyond the essential shopping trip for potty time prep (on the short list: training pants, potty seat, rewards).

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