Potty training is a fundamental step in your child’s development. This is also an important time for parents who are wondering at what age to start putting their baby on the potty.
Potty training a toddler is a big step towards independence. There comes an age when parents can’t wait to spend less time changing their children’s diapers and seeing them go to the bathroom like grown-ups. But beware, learning to clean does not happen overnight and each child goes at their own pace.
But then when to start offering the pot to your toddler? This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions by new parents. To know when to offer the potty, and how to prepare your baby to free himself from diapers, here is the advice of Nadège Pétrel, childcare nurse and author of the book “50 keys to help a child who does not want to sleep” (Eyrolles).
When to offer the pot to your child?
“The term continence is more appropriate than the term cleanliness because it refers to the child’s learning about the subject and his skills”, begins Nadège Pétrel. “Regarding the transition to the potty, our child must begin to show a little interest in it. For example, a child who does not want to put on the diaper, who pulls on it a little, who follows you when you go to the toilet,…” So the first piece of advice is observe your child and be receptive to the signs which could suggest the urge to try the pot.
“If we offer it overnight, it won’t make too much sense to him.”, assures us the childcare nurse. Children tend to show this interest around 2 years/2 and a half years but it depends on everyone. “For some, it will be at 18 months, for others at 2 years.”, resumes the specialist in early childhood. “In reality, there is no age rule but observation with regard to your child.”
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At what time of the day can you offer the potty to your child
“We can offer him at key times of the day”, indicates Nadège Pétrel. “For example, when waking up, before or after meals, before going to a nap,… Several highlights come to punctuate the day with toddlers and it is in these times that we can offer him the pot.”
How to prepare him for continence training
To prepare it and encourage it to use its potty, Nadège Pétrel gives us some advice. “We can start by changing the model of diapers, to move on to those that look more like panties and that the child can put on alone. We can also let him in the toilet when we go there.” In effect, learning by mimicry plays a very important role in the acquisition process for toddlers. It is important for them to be able to see that yes, everyone goes to the toilet, how it is to wipe oneself, that when you are older you no longer wear a diaper but panties or underpants, that there is a context of hygiene, that we wash our hands afterwards,…
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How can I familiarize my child with the potty?
Moreover, familiarizing your child with the pot can go through very simple gestures. “For example, suggesting to your child readings on the subjectput him in contact with children who have acquired continence.” Some children, very clearly, no longer want diapers, and categorically refuse to wear them. “In this case, accompany your child. There will surely be misfires and pees in the clothes but remember that your child is in the process of learning continence and he’s on the right track“explains the nurse practitioner.
Putting your child’s potty in the toilet can also be a strategy to mark the fact that there is a place where we relieve ourselves. “At first, he may sit on his potty and there’s nothing there, that’s okay. The important thing is that he gets to know his potty, that he has fun and that it is pleasant for him.”, concludes Nadège Pétrel.
We reassure you, even if the learning process takes time, most children acquire continence before entering kindergarten.
Parenting writer
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