When a parent or guardian seeks advice on potty training the most important thing is to reinforce with them that they are not alone and any setbacks they may be experiencing will very probably be overcome in time, neither the parent or child are to blame. By empathising with the parent they will feel reassured by the advice given thus helping to build a strong relationship with them.

There is no exact science to potty training and what works for one child may not work for another, however there are a number of strategies that you can share with parents to help them.

Preparing the child

Getting the child involved from the start can help, especially for those children who are at an age of striving to be more independent and do things for themselves.

This could involve activities such as choosing a potty together or letting them personalise it with their own stickers so they see it as theirs.

Taking the time to discuss with the child what the potty is for using language they understand will help build their confidence.

Time on the potty

The first stage of potty training should just be encouraging the child to sit on the potty. This can be done at certain times of the day such as when the child routinely has a bowel movement or as part of the daily routine such as when they first wake, before or after mealtimes or just before bedtime. It is useful to reassure the parent that the child may not actually do anything on the potty initially, but they will start to understand what it is for and when they may naturally need to use it.

If a child resists time on the potty it is important not to force them and just try to make the time as enjoyable as possible encouraging them with lots of praise initially just for sitting on it.

Training pants and nappies

A child may initially resist giving their nappies up but adopting a consistent approach by not reverting back to nappies will help with their progress. To help bridge the gap between nappies and no nappies, some parents may choose to put their child in reusable or disposable potty training pants as opposed to normal underwear immediately. These products fit like real underwear being easy for them to pull up and down and have the advantage of helping a child become more independent to move away from nappies but still contain any mess from accidents that happen. A parent may choose a washable training pant or purchase a disposable product. Unlike nappies, these products give the child a sensation of wetness when they urinate to help the child understand when they are wet. There are night time products also available with extra absorbency as a child may initially become dry during the day but take a little longer to achieve this through the night.

When out and about a child should still be encouraged to use a potty or toilet at all times to maintain consistency, however the training pants will help give parents peace of mind and enable them to deal with accidents easily.

Reward systems

The use of praise and reward can have a huge impact on the child's success and many children react very positively to simply being praised by the parent for doing something really well.

Alternatively a sticker chart or any reward system that the child identifies with and finds motivating can be useful.

Bowel training

Some children will take to potty training to urinate easily but be more resistant to using the potty for a bowel movement which can be confusing for parents. Using the potty for a bowel movement is very different to using a nappy and many children can be quite scared initially for a variety of reasons. Advising the parent that it is common for this to happen and they should try to alleviate any fears the child has with lots of encouragement will help.