Potty training: when and how to potty train your baby without difficulty

Motherhood brings many challenges, one of which arises when the baby is becoming a child and needs to abandon one of its most characteristic habits: wearing diapers.

From the second year of the child’s life, parents usually start the process of training, which consists of making the baby stop using diapers and learn to use the toilet to do their physiological needs.

The process requires teaching the little one to ask to go to the bathroom, when the urge to pee or poop arises. It can be a difficult time, but some tips can help you get through it more easily. Check out!

How to unfurl?

“The potty training is something that can happen overnight or challenge parents for long periods,” says pediatrician Priscila Zanotti Stagliorio. According to the expert, there are no specific rules to follow that work with all children. Every experience is different, even among siblings.

The experience with boys and girls can be different. Many point out that training for girls is easier, but Priscila says that there is no difference in the way of training.

In any case, many fathers and mothers have doubts about how to do the potty training and don’t even know where to start. So, here are some tips:

1. Start with daytime training

The first thing to keep in mind when starting the potty process with the little one is to start with the daytime. The child will only learn to sleep without a diaper after they stop wearing diapers during the day.

2. Start in the summer

Don’t know when to start unfurling? Prefer summer! During the process, the child will pee on his clothes a few times until he can control himself and, during the summer, it is easier to occasionally leave the baby wet or with few clothes – such as only underwear or underwear.

“From the moment parents start this process, I don’t recommend stopping for less important reasons, such as pity for the child to get dirty or wet. This phase can be quick and it is important for the child to feel secure from the parents in their actions”, explains the pediatrician.

In addition, clothes, which will need to be washed more often, will dry faster.

3. Leave the child without a diaper for a few hours

Even at the beginning, when the baby still doesn’t know how to identify and control its needs, Priscila indicates that parents or caregivers should leave them without diapers for a few hours at home or at school. This period helps little ones get used to leaving diapers aside.

4. Establish someone as a reference

It is important for the child who is training to have a reference of what is the correct way to relieve themselves from that point onwards. This reference can be the father or mother or even a sibling. “It is a good tip to stimulate the child”, guarantees the pediatrician.

5. Don’t fight when the child relieves clothes

Parents need to be aware that during potty training accidents will happen. Children can often pee or poop their pants in inconvenient situations, such as at peer parties or in public places.

Patience and understanding are needed, as Priscila explains: “In these situations, parents should never fight or punish the child, as this causes trauma and can stall the process”.

6. Congratulate each achievement

On the other hand, the victory of the little ones every time they manage to wait and pee in the right place should be valued. “Hug and congratulate the child to convey confidence”, suggests the pediatrician.

7. Remind the child to go to the bathroom

It is necessary to create in children the habit of going to the bathroom, as it will not always be available and, sometimes, when she remembers and identifies the urge, it may be too late to reach one. Therefore, in some situations, such as at parties or before getting in the car – even for short trips – it is necessary to remind the child to use the bathroom. “On longer trips, remember to make stops for the child to pee or poop”, emphasizes Priscila.

8. Invest in waterproof surfaces

As mentioned before, at this stage, leaks are very common and can not only soil and wet the baby’s clothes but also items in the house. To avoid such problems, the pediatrician suggests using simple resources such as waterproof sheets to cover beds, sofas and even the rug on which the child sits to play.

9. Carry extra clothes

Are you going to spend an afternoon outside with your son? Remember to carry even more extra clothes. It is common for dads to already do this because of the risk of getting dirty with food, or the diaper poop leaking, but when you are in the training period, the risk of needing to change your little one’s clothes is even greater!

10. Finally, the challenge of night training

According to the pediatrician, the process of abandoning diapers to sleep at night can be even longer and requires parents to establish certain routines, among them, two can be essential: making children always go to the bathroom before bed and not giving too much liquids. close to bedtime.

Is there a right age for potty training?

According to the specialist, although there is no pre-established age to start, potty training can be started around 24 months.

“In this period, the child already has a little maturity to signal to the parents when he feels like peeing or pooping. But it is worth remembering that each child has a rhythm and parents should not charge them or punish them when they do not meet their expectations”, explains Priscila.

Signs that your child is ready to potty train

If you don’t know if it’s time to start potty training, you can notice some signs that show if they’re ready for this challenge:

• Can speak: if the child already knows how to speak, this can facilitate the training, since he can communicate to whoever is with him his desire to pee or poop;
• He knows how to signal to parents when he wants to pee or poop: knowing how to talk is not essential to start the potty process, but the child needs to know how to signal his needs in some way, whether with a word or gesture.
• Diaper discomfort: a clear sign that may indicate that it is time for your baby to stop using diapers is his own discomfort with the accessory “Some children begin to signal that they are uncomfortable with the diaper and tear them off throughout the day” , explains the pediatrician.
• Able to sit in the same position for some time: Finally, another behavioral sign that your little one is ready to put the diaper away is being able to sit in the same position for a while, especially to do poo.

Living with the child, parents can take these and other signs into account to see if the child is ready for this new experience.

Keep in mind that, when training, you need to be patient, as it is a process that does not have a pre-defined duration and means a great learning experience for your child. Priscila gives a message of hope to those who are going through this phase or will soon: “The important thing is not to give up, because at some point it will work!”