Dr Golly’s guide to preparing your toddler and your house for potty training

Toilet training is a complex interplay between development, hormones, autonomy and ability. It can be both an exciting and stressful time. In this blog I’ll talk you through all the signs of readiness and how best to prepare your house and your toddler for this big milestone..  

First, you need to work out if your toddler is ready to start toilet training…

Your toddler will most likely show signs of being ready for toilet training between two to three years of age, but there is a very big window of what’s ‘normal’. 

Focus on whether your child is showing interest in learning about the toilet and skills needed to independently use the toilet.  These behaviours offer a better indicator of when your child is ready and increases the likelihood of a successful learning experience.

Signs of toilet training readiness can include:
●    Sitting and walking independently for short periods of time
●    Pulling pants up and down without assistance
●    Understanding and following simple instructions
●    Having dry nappies for two or more hours
●    Appearing to dislike wearing a nappy, this may be seen through attempts to pull the nappy off after use
●    Expressing interest in the toilet, such as following people to the toilet or watching parents on the toilet 
●    Expressing with words or gestures when or just before they are weeing or pooing in their nappy

Preparing for Toilet Training
Before starting toilet training it can be helpful to prepare your child for using the toilet. 
Some helpful tips for preparing your child can include:

TIP 1: Increase their vocab around toilet training
-    Teach your child words to express the act of using the toilet, 
-    E.g.  ‘wee’, ‘poo’, ‘potty’ or ‘toilet’

TIP 2: Show and tell
-    Verbalise when you need to go to the toilet 
-    Modelling your behaviour when going to the toilet so that the child can learn to recognise this process (let’s face it they’ve probably been watching you go to the loo for years.  

TIP 3: Let them practise sitting
-    Allow your child to try sit on the toilet or potty without going to help them become familiar with the space.

TIP 4: Show them where poo goes 
-    When changing your child’s nappy, demonstrate taking the dirty nappy to the toilet/potty to help them understand what this is for.

TIP 5: Address common fear around toilet
-    This also involves addressing any fears your child may have about using the toilet. 
-    Some children worry about using the toilet for the first time as they are afraid of falling in!  
-    Taking extra time to understand and address worries can make a huge difference to your child’s toilet training experience. 

Next you need to prepare your house…

Does your toddler have easy and safe access to a toilet
If your child is showing signs that they may be ready to start toilet training, start thinking about the space that they will be learning in - and making sure they can access it easily without your assistance.

Often for safety, toilet doors will be shut so toddlers can’t access - during the early stage of potty training this may mean placing a potty just outside the bathroom door or having a safety lock on the toilet seat.

Warmer environments help:
You’ll often find potty training is easier in the warmer/Summer months.  Toddlers are wearing less clothes and bathrooms are warmer. Sitting in a cold bathroom when you’re stressed isn’t fun, if it’s not Summer and you’re ready keep the bathroom warm and inviting. 

Let your toddler help pick a potty 
Let your toddler be part of the process of purchasing the potty. 

Remember, to give them an elusion of autonomy - pick 2-3 that suit your budget and house and let them choose between them or even the colour.

Generally there are 3 different types of potties you can buy
1.    Standard Floor Potties 
-    With a standard removal ‘potty bucket’ 
-    Some of these now come in the shape of an adult toilet with flush buttons (toddlers love these) 
2.    Toile cover & step 
-    If you’re transitioning to the ‘big toilet’ I always recommend a toilet cover 
-    For most toddler an adult size toilet lid is too big and they have to concentrate so hard using their hand to support them ‘falling in’ that it can make going to the toilet too stressful - a child size cover eleviates this
-    The best ones I’ve seen full integrate into the seat the are very easy for ‘busting adults’ to push up when they need to go 
3.    The ladder and lid
-    These are what I had as a kid, 3 little steps and handles that take you up to the big toilet 
-    Most children will need a traditional floor potty before they graduate to these 
-    The ladder can be tricky for younger toddler and can be really tricky to navigate if they are in a rush, I recommend holding off on these until they are a bit older 
4.    3 Piece Potties 
-    These transition from a traditional floor potty to a step with a toilet cover 
-    They are genius and space saving  

Rinsing poo out of potty buckets (it sucks) 
-    Doesn’t matter which potty you pick rinsing poo out of the them is a very grounding experience 
-    I like to use the side flush or the big toilet to do the heavy lifting
-    I then use regular toilet cleaner and the toilet brush to clean out any skiddies 
-    If needed give it a quick dry with toilet paper 
-    Replace it immediately so it’s not missing the next time your toddler comes to the bathroom 
-    This job is gross and will really incentivise you as a parent to get to level 2: pooing on the big toilet 

Wearing the correct potty training outfits 
-    Overalls and onesies broadly are the cutest outfits imaginable on a toddler but as soon as you start to toilet train these are a no no 
-    Toddler need to be able to easily pull down their own pants or lift up a skirt
-    Like overalls often tights and skirts can be too complicated for a toddler to manage in a hurry

Transitioning to pull up nappies 
Your toddler may want to transition straight into underwear but I’m a huge fan on pull up nappies during the transition phase.  Toddlers can easily get them up and down but if there’s an accident there’s very little stress.  If you’re finding your toddler is getting lazy in a pull up you can put underwear undeath it (again go on a shopping trip and let them pick their own underwear. If you place this under a pull up they will still get the uncomfortable sensation of wetting or soiling themselves but the clean up will be a lot easier - if you have carpet you’ll thank me for this one! 

Don’t toilet train when there are other major events or milestones taking place: 
-    I  recommend that toilet training is not tackled at a time when there are other major life changes or stressors occurring 
-    This simply makes the process too stressful and increases the chances of failure.