Age 1
Toilet Training (1 year)
Take on toilet training calmly and don’t be impatient.
Even if your child has accidents, don’t scold her.
Steps in Toilet Training
(1) If your child doesn’t object, have her sit on the potty.
When she first wakes up and when her diaper is dry are chances! Try decorating the potty to make it fun!
(2) Watch for signs that your child has to go
Watch for actions like squirming or holding her crotch that indicate that your child has to go to the bathroom.
(3) Celebrate together when she goes to the bathroom
Help your child become aware of “pee,” the feeling of peeing and the sound it makes.
(4) Moving from diapers to underpants
Aim to switch when your child can use the toilet about half of the time.
★Start working on moving from diapers to underpants when your child starts going about once every two hours.
Forcing your child to go will have the opposite effect. If nothing comes out after 2-3 minutes, call it quits.
Advice
- If you change your child’s diaper at the same time every day, it’s easier to tell how often your child goes.
- Toilet training begins with diaper-changing time. Help your child become aware of good and bad feelings by saying things like, “Eww, stinky!” or “All clean! That’s better.”