There is much to do when you are getting ready to place your little one in the driver’s seat on the potty chair. Therefore you must always be sure to take great care to prepare your child for this life-altering weeks-long event. It can end up being very stressful for both teacher and student if proper measures aren’t taken beforehand.
First, try to play up the great things about growing up and going potty in their own big little potty chair (or seat). Many children can get real excited about the prospect of saying adios to those diapers and hello to new, fun underwear. Although some parents can get carried away and chastise a child for wanting to hang on to the diapers for a while. Make sure you’re not one of them. Always keep the diapers as a viable option so that the child feels like they are not just being jerked out of the comforts of babyhood and thrown into the cold adult world with just those thin cotton undies to protect them.
Take notice of all the other grown up things they do and be sure to praise them for doing such things. Praise them when toys are put away, dinner is eaten without too much ending up on the floor, and sharing toys with other children, etc.
There are also many tools available to the overwhelmed parents of pottiers-in-training. Dolls that drink and wet can be purchased to explain the impending process to a child. You can even take it another step and have the doll wet into the child’s new potty chair or, if your child is old enough, you can ask him or her to help teach the “baby” to potty in the potty chair. And, of course, there are the numerous books and videos that can be shared over a good snuggle. These mediums are also very helpful if you are having a hard time explaining to your toddler just what is about to happen to his comfy routine. Books are also very handy to have in the bathroom when you need something to keep that squirmy child on the potty chair. As with anything else, on the job training is sometimes the best way to learn something. So, if you’re comfortable with the idea, let your child accompany the same sex parent into the bathroom for a live demo.
Possibly the most important step in preparedness is to get to know that new little potty chair up close and personal. Take care and put effort into picking the right chair for your little guy or girl. For safety reasons, be sure it is sturdy and will not tip over with the weight of a child on it. Maybe you could give it as a present or let them help to pick it out so there is an element of fun and anticipation attached to the task. To make it even more fun, you could personalize it and make it his or her prize possession. Try some stickers or some paint pens to decorate with and write their name on it. Let your child carry it from room to room if desired. This will give them a stronger feeling of control over the potty situation. Let them sit on top if it while reading , playing games, or anything else they do seated
Some kids are more interested in stepping right up to the big toilet. In that case, a potty seat might be a better choice. If you’re not sure which way your child will go, most potty chairs come with a detachable potty seat, so you could use it whether he or she wants to use a chair or a seat. Again make sure the seat fits well on the big toilet so there are no falling accidents, and you should use a good stepping stool in combination with the seat so your child can easily get up and down from the big toilet.