Potty Training Made Easy

How do you get your toddler to use the potty independently without raising a fuss?

Potty training is a very important topic, just ask the mom of any toddler. This is one issue that has given several parents a tough time, yet if you do a quick search online, there is no end to claims that you can get your little one potty trained in a couple of days or less.

If you are struggling with training your toddler to use the potty and it is not yielding a lot of success, the temptation is to think that maybe there is something wrong with you. Or with your child. If those thoughts are sneaking into your consciousness, then this is the time to resist temptation.

There is likely nothing wrong with either you or your child.

So how exactly are you supposed to potty train your child?

That is a question that might be running through your mind, and it is a good one. The fact is that there are many methods to potty training and the one that will work for you depends largely on your child.

It is easy to assume that a parent just automatically knows how to toilet train a child. But, it does not work that away. As a parent, it is important to learn how to do things properly. Of course, there are those who just intuitively know how to go about the potty training business and some children who just automatically start using the toilet by themselves. However, these are the exception and you probably do not know very many people like that. In fact, you probably don't know anyone like that.

What most people do is learn about the different methods of potty training and then pick the one that suits their child's temperament and personality. What works for one child might not work for his sister. So understanding your child is imperative for successful toilet training.

What does not work though, is shaming and mocking your child whenever accidents happen. This can have far-reaching negative effects on your child.

The psychologist, Erikson believed that potty training was one of the eight important stages in the psychosocial development of a person. In particular, that toilet training was the most important stage between the ages 1 and 2. He believed that it was an event that led to self-confidence and self-control in a child, breeding greater freedom and the ability to do things on their own.

Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt

In order to achieve this autonomy in children, it is important that parents let the children do things on their own. This means not being too overprotective and certainly not shaming the child whenever there was a mistake.

The result of the way you react to your child during this stage has a great significance on the child's world view later on. Whether your child goes on to become a confident and self-assured person or views the world through a lens of shame and doubt about his or abilities will depend a lot on the way you handle things during the potty training stage.

Not to put pressure on you as a parent, this is merely a call for lots of patience during the toilet training phase. During any phase to be honest, but your toddler is going to need you to be patient and encouraging as she navigates her way through the strange, diaper-less world.

Patience you say?

Yes, asking you to be patient is easier said than done. There are times when it is going to seem as though your little angel is on a mission to test the limits of your patience. And there are times when mistakes are going to happen no matter how hard you try. Frankly, there is nothing as frustrating as placing your little one on the potty for what seems like endless hours and nothing happens. Only for him to go just as soon as he gets up from the potty, leaving you to clean up the mess.