The first step is to ask yourself a hard question, "Do you want your child to be parent trained or toilet learned?" What is the difference?
Parent trained means you know when your child eats so you know when your child needs to go to the bathroom and/or you take your child to the toilet every 1/2 hour until she goes. Your child is not responsible to understand her body's signals and take care of her needs; you do it for the child.
Toilet learned means your child reads her body's signals and can take herself to the bathroom with no help or just a little help. The child initiates the process and she is responsible for the outcome.
To get the process started as soon as a child is a stable stander, you need to put away the changing table, move all the changing supplies into the bathroom and only change your child there. Get a small chair or stool for you to sit on and diapering becomes an activity you do with your child, not to your child. Have your child stand up and help hold up their top, pull down their pants, open their diaper. If it is only a wet diaper let the child wipe the body and have them help you put on a new diaper. The child can hold up the front of the diaper while you fasten it or even let the child do the fasteners. For a dirty diaper ask the child to bend over and touch her toes. This will open her bottom and allow you to wipe her clean. Be sure to have the child wash her hands afterwards just like after the child uses the toilet. This way you are getting her ready to be independent. For some children this is all the push that is needed to move the child into wanting to use the toilet all the time. Most girls learn between 2 1/2 to 3 years old and most boys learn between 3- 3 1/2 years old. Diapers are so absorbent that it does not let the child understand where the pee and poop come from.
Signs your child is ready or getting ready:
- The child stays dry during the night and/ or at nap time. (At least 3-4 hours)
- Is interested in flushing the toilet.
- Wants to sit on the toilet.
- Holds genital area.
- Is able to pull pants up and down.
- Has some form of communication to tell you she has to go to the bathroom.
- Your child’s bowel movements follow a basic schedule.
- Your child hides or leaves the room to poop or pee in the diaper.
- Your child wants to be changed as soon as the diaper is soiled.
- Your child wants to watch you go to the bathroom.
- Your child is asking lots of questions about going to the bathroom.
- Announces one day she wants underwear and will not wear the diaper any more. (Believe it or not this does happen)