How to potty train a child

Whether you use disposable diapers, cloth diapering, or practice elimination communication with your baby, one day will come when you start thinking about potty training. There is no universal guide; every child starts walking at a different age, talking at a different age, and will also stop using diapers only when they are ready. So what are the potty training methods, and when should you start?

When to potty train

The time when you start potty training a child is very individual. Some people start putting a child on the potty as soon as they can sit on their own, others wait until the child says so themselves. There is no suitable age that would apply to everyone. It also depends on the method you choose for potty training. What is certain, however, is that if the child does not want to, you can stand on your head and they still won’t stop using diapers.

Children are usually ready for potty training if they start urinating less often during the day, but in larger amounts. And also if they go to another room or a little farther away from you to relieve themselves. That means they are aware of their bodily needs. Some will even tell you after they are done.

Potty training methods

Putting the child on the potty

Our grandmothers were already familiar with this method, and many mothers still use it today. The downside of putting a child on the potty is that it takes time during the day and usually takes a long time overall. You keep asking the child whether they feel like peeing and try to keep them on the potty “by hook or by crook” until they get it. The pitfall of this method is that the child learns to pee into the potty on a parent’s command/signal and does not connect it with their real need. The child may also eventually tune out the phrase “do you need to pee?” and ignore you.

The Indigenous method, or how to potty train in 7 days

Faster is the so-called Indigenous method, which promises potty training in a week and consists of taking away the diapers from one day to the next around the child’s second birthday (they are kept for sleeping at night and during the day). Potty training then takes roughly one to two weeks. During this time, especially the first few days, a calmer routine without major visits and trips is recommended so you can tune in to the child’s signals and not have to change wet clothes outside so often. You have to count on accidents happening before the child understands what the potty is for. It is important to arm yourself with patience and firmly decide on this method so you do not confuse the child later when you put diapers back on them.

Letting the child decide

This method may be met with negative reactions from those around you, because letting the child decide can take a long time. The advantage of this method is its simplicity. You simply do not deal with potty training, you do not take away the diapers, and you wait until the child says for themselves that they no longer want diapers and will use the potty or go straight to the toilet. According to mothers’ experiences, it then often happens from one day to the next, and even straight without diapers at night. This independent potty training usually happens around the age of 2.5 to 3 years.

If you decide to let the child decide, that does not mean you cannot introduce them to the potty earlier. They can play with it, sit on it, put stuffed animals on it—just about anything—without forcing them; you explain and wait. Grandmas and grandpas will certainly not like it, so be prepared and explain to them that it is your business and yours alone.

Trying the toilet right away

Since children learn by imitation, they may not understand why they should pee in a potty when everyone else does it on the toilet. You can therefore get a child’s toilet seat and try it that way. However, if the child is not ready to say goodbye to diapers, even a seat will not help.

How to potty train at night

Potty training at night is a separate topic. It can happen that your little one is diaper-free during the day from the age of one and a half, but still wears diapers at night until the age of three. It depends on how deeply your child sleeps and whether the need to go to the toilet or potty can wake them. There are children who sleep so deeply that they cannot do without a sleeping diaper for a longer period of time.

It is certainly important not to give the child too many fluids before bedtime and to let them pee before they go to sleep. If they have a dry diaper after daytime naps for at least a month, you can try potty training for that nap first. If the next month also goes by without an accident, then you can try potty training at night as well. Be prepared that accidents may still happen from time to time, and you should definitely not punish the child for them. Accidents often happen with the arrival of another sibling or during family tension. Some children may still wet the bed at night at the age of 5, and that is nothing unusual.

Help with potty training

When potty training, besides the potty or child toilet seat, the following helpers can also assist you:

• sign language - if the child is not yet speaking, signs such as “potty,” “more,” and “done” can help, and with them you can communicate great while learning to use the potty;
• training pants - for daytime potty training, especially when going out;
• waterproof mattress protector - an indispensable helper when potty training at night.

If you are already in the potty training process and it is not going very well, or if you are just starting, try not to put so much pressure on the child and feel free to take a break. It can happen that once the child does not feel pressure from the parent, they will potty train on their own within a few days or weeks. We wish you lots of success, and don’t worry, all children will learn it someday.