5 Ways To Find Out That Your Child Is Ready For Potty Training

My observation with children being a mom and being a teacher at a preschool is that you really cannot set an age target for your child to be potty trained. It is always the child who sets the pace for toilet training and it is best to follow the child, rather than rush him. Is your child ready for potty training? Check out these five signs to find out.

Also read: 7 Effective Potty Training Tips That Actually Work

Is your child ready for potty training? 

Is your child ready for potty training? Take a look at these five tell-tale signs to find out:

#1. Wet diapers reduce

With my little one, I noticed that closer to when he was ready to be toilet trained, the number of diaper changes had reduced. Until the age of about 20 months, a child will pee so frequently that they do not even understand the concept of bladder control. When their diaper begins to stay dry for an hour or two at a stretch, you know that your child is ready for potty training physically.

At this time, you can slowly begin taking your child to pee every 2 hours and slowly it will become a habit for them.

#2. Bowel movements become predictable

Your child is ready to be potty trained when he shows a pattern. Of course, children will poop many times a day but with a set rhythm. When you see your child’s beginning to show pattern then you can train the child to ask to go the bathroom when he needs to poop. To start with, you can make him sit on a potty chair so that he can learn all the basics of toilet training. Then get him to start using a commode when he has mastered the basics.

Also read: 20 Best Potty Training Tips From A Real Mommy

#3. They show signs of wanting to poop

If your child is very vocal, he will announce that he is pooping, just like my son always did. In other cases, they will show an obvious sign such as contracting muscles, making a grunting sign or just freezing and stopping what they are doing. This indicates that the child is also aware of the bodily functions that are occurring.

When you notice that your child is going to poop gently take him to the bathroom and make him sit on the potty chair. Even if he’s already done it, just tell him that the next time he needs to do it in the potty chair, and slowly he will understand.

#4. They would know simple ways of undressing

Now when you potty train your child, he or she should be able to pull their underpants down and rush to the potty. That, as trivial as it seems, is an important skill. If they are not aware of simple undressing, then, it is quite pointless to teach your child to head to a potty. Of course, initially, there will be several accidents where the child will soil their clothes. But, if you are careful and consistent they will learn sooner or later.

Also read: 10 Best Potty Training Tips for Girls

Transition your child from diapers to potty training underpants. Training underwear is great in the beginning because sometimes a little pee starts before the child realizes she has to go. Training pants absorb the pee so you don’t have to change the clothes and also helps the child know that he is wearing underwear, not a diaper, they are more comfortable and gives the child a sense of responsibility that he has to use the toilet and not pee in his clothes.

#5. The child is visibly uncomfortable in a dirty diaper

You will see that the child will try to squirm out of a soiled diaper or will yank at it to get it off. They are very averse to any personal mess that they make. You should take this as a sure sign to get your child potty trained.

However, in my opinion, each child is different, so it’s best to never compare the progress of two children. While one of them learns or becomes potty trained sooner, the other may take time. To know more about potty training, we recommend reading the book – Potty Training (Top Tips from/Baby Whisperer), as it answers all the potty related questions a parent might face.

Also read: How Potty Training a Boy is different from Potty training a Girl?

This is not a physical development milestone. So, if your child waivers from the expected age to be potty training ready, it should not be any cause for concern. Just watch out for the signs above. Happy training!!

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