Toddlers are classically fussy little people.  They will refuse to do anything for you when asked at a certain point in their upbringing. Potty training can start when your child start to obey simple commands. There is much to be said for setting the stage well before you begin toilet training. Your child needs your help and guidance.

There are some steps you can take before the actual potty process begins to prepare your child for potty training. A child who has become familiar with bathroom procedures and equipment is more likely to become trained quickly and easily than one who has not.

Take your child into the bathroom with you. It is very helpful if fathers and brothers set the example for boys, and mothers and sisters set the example for girls. If your child is in day care, they can watch how their peers use the potty and will most likely imitate them.  This can actually speed up the process significantly.

Comment on signs you notice, such as the child’s pausing in play as if he or she is uncomfortable after elimination. Use statements such as, “You are going poop,” rather than asking the general question, “What are you doing?” Asking your child to let you know when the diaper is wet or messy is another way of increasing awareness.

Try to help your child recognize the sensations of “being wet,” “wetting now,” and “about to be wet.” Encourage your child to talk about these sensations.

You should use the terminology that come most easily to your child such as “Peeing” which may be more effective than the term “urinating”. You should use specific terms such as “Go pee on the potty”. “Going to the bathroom” is too vague. Try not to use words that will make your child think of his or her bodily functions as being disgusting such as “dirty”, “yucky” and “stinky”.

Let your child go nude in appropriate settings to help the child “see” what he or she is doing, and to help make the mental connection between the words and what they refer to.

Explain the way things should be to your child.  At the start, explain to your child that it’s time to put her “pee-pee” and “poo” in the potty. Tell your child that when she feels the need to go she should hold it in just long enough to walk to the potty, sit down, and let it go.

Let your child flush the toilet for you to help him or her to get used to the noise it makes and avoid possible fear later on. We found it helpful to “wave bye bye” to the pee or poop as it drained out.  This made it fun for your child!