When should I start potty training my child?

Potty training is the process of weaning a child from weeing (urinating) and pooing (defecating) on their diapers. Sometimes parents rush this because they want to cut down the cost of investing in diapers.

One way to make the potty training process easy for both parents or caregivers and children is to wait till the child is ready.

If not, it could be a long, frustruating and tortuous journey.

Children are ready to be potty trained at different ages because every child is unique. Children are generally potty trained between the ages of 18 months and three years.Generally, girls are ready to be potty trained a few months earlier than boys.

                              Photo Credit: Pixababy

Here are some signs to look out for, to know if your toddler is ready to be potty trained.

ü  Your child can stand, walk and run on her own.

ü  She shows discomfort when her diaper is wet or soiled

ü  She becomes fidgety when she needs to pee and might go to hide in a corner

ü  She might show you signs eg grunt or squat or tell you, if she has started speaking, when she is in the process of peeing or pooing.

ü  There is an interval of at least one to two hours between peeing (this shows that the bladder muscles are getting strong enough to control peeing).

ü  She shows a feeling of accomplishment when she gets a task done.

ü  Your child can sit still for up to five minutes

ü  Your child understands simple instructions eg sit down, give me

ü  Your child does not resist when you try to potty train him/her

You can look up our article on how to potty train your child, to get tips on how to make the potty training journey easier and rewarding.