A routine will help in making your child more confident and comfortable during potty training. Having your child on a schedule before potty training time can actually make the transition easier.

Your toddler should be on a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, playing and having diaper changes by the age of one. These regular diapering times will prepare your toddler for a regular potty schedule in the future.

Your first goal during potty training is to help your child stay dry through the daytime hours.  Nighttime dryness will come a little later. In the beginning phases, take your child to the bathroom every hour and then when your child usually has a bowel movement or urination, such as just after a meal, snack or nap.

The obstacle a lot of parents face is that they get into the habit of asking their child if they have to use the potty. Instead, try telling them and then take them. Initiating is often the last step in the process.

You can’t force your child to urinate or produce a bowel movement, but you can encourage him to practice. Have your child sit on the potty for 2 to 4 minutes every hour or so.

You really need to know when it’s time to stop.  If your child can’t urinate or produce a bowel movement after 2 to 4 minutes, it’s time to try later. If your child protests strongly when you suggest she return to the potty, don’t insist. Such resistance may mean that it is not the right time to start training.

Make sure your child is an active participant in getting himself or herself dressed and undressed.  Let your child practice lowering and raising their underwear or training pants sometimes, or putting them on and taking them off.

To prevent children from locking themselves in the bathroom or closing the door on their fingers, put a towel over the top of the bathroom door. This will stop it from closing or locking.

Let your child learn from you and those around him or her.  Children are often interested in their family’s bathroom activities. It is sometimes helpful to let children watch their family members when they go to the bathroom. Seeing these people use the toilet makes children want to do the same.

You should take steps also to respect your child’s feelings and privacy.  Even though they are little people, they do have these feelings.  Potty training focuses on the most personal and private parts of your child’s body so proceed in a dignified respectful manner. Some children need privacy and will not go if anyone is looking or is in the bathroom with them.