Are you worried about potty training your child?

Do you, like many other parents also wonder, whether your child will ever get potty trained or not?

Potty training is a habit that takes time and hence cannot happen in a few days time. It is a gradual process and may cause certain setbacks, mistakes and chaos.

However, by eliminating certain mistakes, you can make this big task an easier one.
Here are seven common potty training mistakes that most parents make and ones, you can avoid during the process of training your baby for toilet decisions.

7 Effective Tips While Potty Training Your Little One

#1. Do Not Force Sooner Than Required

Just like you cannot force your child to walk, run or jump, you cannot force them to use the toilet. It is a habit that takes time. Understanding that there cannot be a set schedule to potty train will make your task a lot easier. Give your child a chance to express his/her desire to use the toilet. This can be observed when your child starts to feel awkward about their dirty diapers. If your child does not respond to your training, allow some more time to get him/her ready for potty training.

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

#2. Do Not Punish Your Child In Case Of Accidents

There will be several accidents happening and your child will often miss going to the potty, thereby increasing the cleaning load for you. Do not punish by yelling or shaming them, especially in front of others. This might make them feel depressed and humiliated about themselves and their body. Instead, focus on stating that it is ‘okay’ to have an accident and clean them up lending your helping hand. Teach them that there is always a next time and that they should use the potty a little sooner then.

#3. Stay Consistent

Make sure to continue training your child for potty even if you have busy schedule or any events lined up and do not switch back to diapers or pull-ups. Inconsistency will break the learning process and get your child confused about the lesson he/she is being taught. Follow up with their toilet timings and make them use the toilet every couple of hours so that they do not fear wetting their pants and also don’t hold back potty which might lead to other bladder problems.

Also read: 10 Best Potty Training Tips for Girls

#4. Do Not Reward Your Child For Learning

Learning toilet etiquettes is a bodily function. It is a natural process that needs to be taught and adapted to for the rest of the life. Rewarding your child for using the toilet on time can make them greedy for rewards every time they use the toilet which might lead to them manipulating you by purposely visiting the toilet too often or by peeing in their pants if the rewards do not come their way. Try praising your child instead by using terms like “Very good” or “I’m proud that you did it yourself” which cheer them up for learning the right way.

#5. Invest In “Thick Underwear”

A normal underwear might look fancy but is made of very thin fabric that might not withhold accidents while potty training. Though your child can sense the feel to urinate, he/she might end up doing it in the pants that would overflow from the underwear. Using thicker underwear will help avoid this scenario to an extent and will prevent excessive dirtying of the place. Get a good stock of such underwear so that the potty training period of your child is well managed without many goof-ups.

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

#6. Watch Out For Signals From Your Child

Your child is in flux while sensing their bodily signals themselves in order to use the toilet and not dirty their clothes. During this time, it is important for you to have the knowledge and an active eye on your child’s expressions and signals. They may not be sure to come up and say they want to potty, but may use subtle signals like facial expressions, hand and leg gestures, and holding genitals etc. Guide your child towards the toilet as soon as you see these signals until they slowly learn to go by themselves without asking you.

#7. Do Not Switch To Diapers During Bed Time

Potty training needs to be done throughout, including night time. Don’t let your hard work go down the drain by switching to diapers during bed time as they will keep your child comfortable about bed wetting and will give them mixed messages about the day and night. One way to fix bed wetting problem is to spread plastic on the mattress and keep few extra sets of underwear handy in-case of any accidents.

Also read: 7 ways to potty train your child (when he is ready)

Want to share your experience as a mom with other moms through words or images? Become a part of the Moms United community. Click here and we will get in touch with you

null