If your child is around the age of two or three, then you’re probably wondering about techniques, tricks, secrets or even hints to make it easier to house break (potty train) him or her. When you house break a child, there are a few different things you should think about. Things to consider include your child’s learning abilities, demonstration techniques, support, and of course, patience. Let’s analyze these more deeply:
Children’s Cognition
You have to understand that a child of that age has little ability to understand abstract concepts. Even though going to the bathroom seems simple enough to us, to a child, this can be overwhelming. They have to think about whether or not they are doing it right, when it is ok and when it is not ok, and they have to figure out why. After all, what sense would it make to a child to have to do more work than “go” in their diaper whenever they feel the need. To guide your child through these questions, the best thing you can do is give them positive encouragement and tell them that it is the “grown up thing to do”. Also, show them what to do to increase their understanding of the process.
Demonstration Techniques
When you housetrain your child, you will want them to understand exactly what it is they have to do. To do so, you should use a stuffed animal to give your child a visual representation of what they need to do. Show them how to sit, how to use toilet paper, and how to flush when done. After a few demonstrations, your child will have a good idea about what is expected of him or her. After that, it is just a matter of getting them into the habit of doing going on their potty. You will have to be supportive of their accomplishments and optimistic about their setbacks.
Parental Support
As a parent, you are your child’s idol. They look to you for love, guidance, support, food and everything else important to them. Therefore, it is important that you give your child the support that he or she needs to get through this time of his or her life. To do so, give constant encouragement, even when they do wrong. Don’t encourage bad behavior, of course, but encourage their will to try. Even go so far as to encourage their urine and feces, as you don’t want them to feel ashamed of what they are doing. To be supportive, you are going to need to be patient.
Just a Little Patience
The best of the potty training tips I have is to always, always be patient. Patients cannot be stressed enough. You must be empathetic toward your child during this phase of their development; otherwise they can develop anal-retentiveness or obsessive compulsion disorder. Finally, you must always keep in mind, no matter how hard it gets, that once it is over, it is over. You will never have to worry about toilet training ever again.