Toilet Training for Toddlers

An ideal time to begin toilet training for toddlers is when they are between the age of 2 and 3. As a parent, you may have some apprehensions about the transition your child will make eventually. You may have questions or doubts as to how this changeover will take place. Will you both have weeks of hard work for potty training? At one point or another, every parent goes through the frustration and fears while training toddlers. However, you don't have to go through any of these concerns. With some preparation, right guidance and proper techniques, you can get over any/all potty training problems.


There are sure shot signs from your toddler, which tells you that he/she is ready. You should begin the training when he/she:

• Shows movements of bowel during the same time each day.
• Understands when to use the bathroom.
• Stays dry for more than a couple of hours and/or after a nap, wakes up dry.
• Knows how to pull his/her pants up and down.
• Wants to stay dry and tells you when he/she spoils the diaper.
• Has ability to understand what "let's go potty" means.
• Knows what wet, dry, poop, potty, and dirty means.
• Tries to imitate you and/or other family members.
• Wishes to do things himself/herself.
• Wants or likes to stay clean and wash hands.
• Wishes to please you.

Training toddlers in less than a day is possible. Toddlers as old as 20 months can be toilet trained. This technique of training in less than a day was conceptualized by Nathan H. Azrin, Ph. D. and Richard M. Foxx, Ph. D. and described in their book Toilet Training in Less Than a Day. Here are some specific tips for potty training boys and girls.

Step #1: First and foremost, prepare you toddler for "The" toilet training day. You will have to start at least couple of weeks in advance by talking to him/her about the use of toilet. If there is an older sibling(s), describe their experiences and how they use the toilet now. Make your toddler excited about using the toilet for themselves. Show him/her how to become a "big kid".

Step #2: Let your toddler select his/her underwear. This will be the "big kid" underwear that he/she will wear after being toilet trained. When kids wear something they love a lot, they tend to keep it clean for as long as possible.

Step #3: Practice for the final day. Take the diaper off along with the clothes (just bottom half) and put a long T-shirt to cover the private parts. Explain to your toddler what his/her role is in the toilet. You can purchase a doll from the store which "wets" herself. This will give your toddler a demonstration about what a person does inside the bathroom.

Step #4: Give your toddler a big glass of water or juice and explain him/her that he/she will do what the doll does. Take your toddler to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes and later on, after 2 hours, go to the bathroom every 30 minutes. Once your toddler succeeds in using the toilet, celebrate the achievement. This is a big day for both of you. Show your toddler that after using the bathroom, he/she has to wash hands with an antibacterial soap. Also explain its importance.


Not just daytime, but nighttime training will make your kid(s) grow and mature. During the day, proper teaching methods would be to have the toddler recognize his/her body signals. He/she needs to understand, when it's time to go to the bathroom, he/she needs to communicate that signal and follow your previously given instructions. However, during the night, it's a whole different story. To make sure your kid doesn't start bedwetting, here are tips on how you can ensure it doesn't happen.

Plastic Mattress Protector
Lay a plastic mattress protector underneath the bed sheet before you make his/her bed. This will cover the mattress completely. For training toddlers during the night, you won't have to change his bed every time he/she wets the bed and the protector will keep the mattress from being ruined. You can also keep an extra protector, bed sheets, and pajamas in your kid's room. So, in case of any mishaps, you can quickly make a new bed, get him/her in new pajamas and put him/her back to sleep.

Fluid Control
As bedtime approaches, limit the amount of water or any other fluids given to your toddler. When you follow this approach, your toddler won't go to bed with a full bladder and wet his/her bed in the middle of the night. Another approach you can take towards potty training at night is taking your toddler to the bathroom before he/she goes to sleep. Use pull-up diapers at the time and then dress him/her in pajamas. This way, your toddler will understand that he/she is supposed to go to the bathroom before going to bed.

Patience is Necessary
You need to be patient till the time your toddler's elimination muscles develop properly. Once they do so, he/she will be able to hold the urine throughout the night or wake up to use the bathroom. At such a juncture, as a parent, all you can do is wait. Show your support, never yell at them for wetting their bed, and always praise them during their daytime training. Every time he/she succeeds in following your instructions, show your love and support. This way your child will want to learn much quicker.

I hope that the tips mentioned in this article were helpful. You can easily follow the steps or choose to adopt a different, easier method which you are comfortable with. Whether you choose to follow the guidelines and/or add a few methods of your own, keep in mind that every step you take towards explaining and helping your toddler, will bring both of you that much closer to success.