Its easy to get the potty training bug when a Mommy friend shares about her little one’s first pee or poop in the potty. But, one of the keys to successful potty training is following your child’s readiness. If you are feeling the push to do something, don’t despair. Here are seven areas you can work on with your little one now that will make actual potty training easier when the time is right!
- Language Development. Continue to help your child improve his vocabulary by specifically targeting words necessary for potty training. Words to work on: body parts (use their correct names!), pee & poop, clean & dirty, wet & dry, potty, and whatever your family calls underwear. These words can be easily taught through every day interactions and play, or you can start reading books about going potty.
- Dressing and Undressing. Pulling up and down his own pants makes training easier for everyone, so why not teach that first during every diaper change? You can also help daughters learn to deal with tricky tights and skorts without frustrating urgency.
- Washing Hands. Seems simple, but there are so many little things to learn. Which handle is the cold water? How do you get the soap out and how much is enough? How long to rub and rinse? Which towel to dry off with and how to get it back on the hook?
- Using a Stool. Again, easy peasy, right? Not necessarily if your kids aren’t natural climbers. Teach your child to take out the stool, how to place it correctly, how to stand on it safely, and then to put it away when finished.
- Doorknobs. Well, they are often necessary to get to the potty.
- Privacy and Knocking. Usually, the toddler doing a potty dance gets to break all privacy rules to escape an accident. Still, you can start teaching about privacy and knocking for those less urgent moments.
- Sitting Still. Okay, you can’t really teach sitting still, especially to a toddler. However, being able to stay on the pot long enough to relax and pee or poop is necessary. You can spend time now discovering tricks to make your child stay in one place for a few minutes. Tricks other than TV, that is.
