When To Begin Potty Training?

Posted on Oct 15, 2020

When is the Right Time for Potty Training?

Learning how to use the toilet or potty independently is a milestone for your little one (and also a proud moment for you) but how and when exactly is the right time to begin potty training?

The “Right” Time

Most children are ready to begin toilet/potty training between the ages of 18 months to 3 years old but it is important to note that the age is only a number and parents should allow their little one to reach this important milestone at their own pace (remember, this is not a competition!). Hence, rather than fixating on a specific age range to begin toilet/potty training or giving in to pressure from fellow friends and family to jump-start the process, it is more important to notice the signs of readiness that your little one may display; these signs are a more accurate indication that your little one is ready to embark on potty training!

Younger Sister Learn Potty Traning with Sibling
(product seen here: IFAM Easy Toddler Potty Training)

Potty Training Readiness Signs

First up, here are some signs that you could start looking out for:

Your child can keep his or her diaper dry for more than 2 hours. This goes to show that your child’s bladder capacity is expanding which is important in potty training.
Your child is able to undress him or herself. To potty train, your little one has to be able to independently pull down his or her training pants, undergarment or diaper when the time calls for it.
He or she can walk and run well. Nature calls often come suddenly and his or her potty may not always be by her side, hence if your child is still unable to make it to his or her potty on their own, independently, then an ‘accident’ is still bound to happen and thus starting on potty training before your child is able to walk properly may seem too premature.
Your little one announces when he or she needs the bathroom. If your little is able to make the connection between the urge to poop and pee and needing to use the bathroom, then you bet they are ready to begin potty training. Notice the kind of verbalizations (e.g. saying ‘pee pee/poo poo’), hand gestures or even facial expressions that your little one may portray when he or she needs to answer nature’s call.
Your little one begins to dislike wearing diapers! You may notice your little one constantly tugging or trying to remove his or her diaper on their own, especially the ones which are wet and soiled. This is definitely a sure sign that your little one is ready for potty training.

3-in-1 multi potty and step stool

(product seen here: IFAM 3-in-1 Multi Potty Toilet Seat and Step Stool)

It’s time-Preparing for Potty Training

Now, if you have already started to notice the signs mentioned above, do not be too eager to ditch your little one’s diaper stash just yet! There are still a couple of things you will need to prepare for in a bid to help your little one transition to potty training more smoothly. Here are some useful tips that you can try out:

Dress for the ‘occasion’. To make things easier for your child, you may want to dress them in easy and comfortable clothing; avoid clothing like rompers, jumpsuits, belted-pants etc. as they are tough for your child to undo on their own.
Help them to make the association between potty and diaper. To do this, perhaps one of the best ways is to change your little one’s diaper in the same room or area where his or her potty is placed. After changing your little one’s diaper, proceed to take the soiled diaper and drop it into the potty or, take the soiled diaper and empty the contents into the toilet bowl- this would help your little one to better connect and make the association between the toilet bowl or his or her own little potty and the soiled diaper.
Make potty training sound fun and positive! It is normal for one to usually be resistant to a new idea or concept at first so what you could do to get your little one into the mood of trying to use the potty would be to make positive associations to the entire potty-training process. For a start, you could tell him or her the benefits of being able to use the toilet/potty independently. Do be mindful of using negative words or phrases (e.g ‘dirty’ or ‘smelly’) in the process as your child may in return avoid wanting to use the toilet/potty because of that.
Show your little one how to use the toilet. Kids simply love to mimic the adults so while you may verbally explain to your little one how to use the toilet (i.e. squat, clean, wipe and flush), a more effective way is to literally show them how to do it! After they get accustomed to sitting on the potty or toilet bowl, it is important to stress on hygiene. Wet wipes for one would be able to clean better than the usual toilet paper. Parents may want to try our MyLO Flushable Wet Wipes as not only are they gentle on your little one’s skin, the wipes are also made from a flushable, bio-degradable material hence you need not worry the wipes clogging up the sewage system when your little one throws them down into the toilet bowl.

Easy Toddler Potty Traning and Flushable Wet Wipes best potty training buddy!

(product seen here: IFAM Easy Toddler Potty Training & MyLO Flushable Wet Wipes)

Choose the Potty!

The most common types of potty available in the market are:

A standalone potty chair that comes with a portable bowl; the bowl has to be manually emptied and cleaned once your child is done with their ‘business’.

(product seen here: IFAM Easy Urinal & Easy Toddler Potty Training)
A toddler-size potty seat, which can be placed on top of an adult toilet seat so that your child can get a more serious feel of what is it like to use the bathroom. In this option, you may want to purchase an additional stepping stool as your little one may not be able to get up to the potty seat on his own.
(product seen here: IFAM Child Safety Double Step Stool)

How Long Does Potty Training Take?

As with all other skills and tasks, teaching your little one how to use the potty will not be accomplished overnight. Typically, it takes between 3- 6 months but as mentioned earlier on, let your child complete this process in their own pace, be it shorter or longer. For those who happen to begin their child’s potty training too early (age-wise), it could actually take longer time for your child to master how to use the potty.

Night Time Training

Day time potty training is certainly very different from night time potty training, with the latter taking a long time to master. Be patient nevertheless, most children should be able to stay dry throughout the night by the time they hit the age 5-7 years old. In the meantime, as ‘accidents’ may happen every now and then, you may opt to use waterproof mattress covers for your child’s mattress and also disposable training pants for your little one when they sleep.

MyLO Flushable Wet Wipes Lifestyle

(product seen here: MyLO Flushable Wet Wipes)

Bear in Mind

Accidents do happen and to handle them:

Never scold or shame your child for not being able to make it to the potty in time. Instead assure and encourage them, you could tell them things like, “ it’s okay if you did not make it in time to your potty this time, let’s try to be faster the next time!”
Always be prepared, do keep a fresh set of clothes, training pants and undergarments with you, especially when you are out.
Encourage your little one, he or she may not be succeed at potty training entirely in the first few times or event weeks but constant assurance that they would eventually be able to do it could spur them on.

Now that you are equipped with the tips and tricks on how and when to begin potty training, all the best and have fun!

Head over to our website to get the perfect starter kit (i.e. kids potty/urinal, step stool, MyLO flushable wet wipes etc) to jumpstart your little one’s potty training process!

See Related Potty Training Buddies Here:

SG: https://adertek.com/collections/baby-potty
M’SIA: https://adertek.com.my/collections/potty-training