Toilet training: And now for something completely grown up

How do you do it?

• When it looks as if your child is ready, put a pot in the bathroom and encourage your child to try it out for short periods of time.
• Pots aren’t compulsory. Some children like to sit on the toilet from the beginning. You will need a child seat to set within the ordinary toilet seat, and a safe step for them to get up.
• Encourage your child to sit on the pot, or the toilet, several times a day, but for short periods of time. Avoid any pressure on your child. If your child is lucky and gets something in the pot, then say: ‘Well done, you’ve done a pee’. If not, fair enough.
• If after a week or so, your child still isn’t keen, then stop. You will get nowhere if early toilet training becomes a battle of wills. Leave it for a few weeks, and then try again.
• Decide what you’re going to call these pot productions. Most parents say some version of ‘pee’ and ‘poo’ that young children then use themselves. Just bear in mind that your child will use the family words at top volume. You may use words like ‘going for a crap’ or ‘piss’ in robust adult company, but do you want this broadcast around your local supermarket?
• With practice over the weeks, your child will start to recognise not just that she’s done a pee or poo, but that she is about to do something. She starts to recognise the physical sensations that something is on the way.
• It’s wise to keep your encouragement to warm words and smiles. If it seems a long haul, it can be tempting to reward success with sweets or biscuits but this tactic undermines a balanced diet for your child, and then you have the problem of fading away the sweets later.

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