3 Potty Training Readiness Signs

It likely seems like yesterday that you bought your first diaper for your toddler, and now your curious if they are ready for the process of potty training. Potty training is different for each child, however there are some tips that can help us decide if they are ready for this step!
First we need to ask ourselves the very important question of “Is my child TRULY ready for potty training?”. Here are some signs that suggest your child is ready potty training.

1. Showing interest in toilets or potty chairs
Many of the children at All About Kids who are ready to be potty trained will show interest in the small potties we have in each classroom. Our staff will encourage children to sit on the potty after their diaper change to help the children become familiar with the potty.

2. Stays dry for two hours or longer
Your child staying dry is a clear indication that they don’t like the feeling of being wet in their diaper. This is a great opportunity to encourage using the potty!

3. Is able to push their pants down, and pull them back up again
Once a child is able to push and pull their pants up, it will be much easier for them to go to the bathroom. It will be less likely for them to have accidents when they can easily move their pants up and down. Keep in mind, this is a new venture and your child may not be able to make it to the potty with time to spare. Being able to push and pull their pants up will help in the process of making it to the bathroom, and more importantly on the potty.

4. Verbally expresses they are wet
Verbally expressing themselves goes right along with staying dry for 2 hours or more. Because your child is telling you they are wet, they may be trying to express that they don’t like being wet and want to be changed. This shows that they may be ready to try to stay dry on their own. This is yet another indication that your little one may be ready to start tomorrow in big kid underwear!

We have found that using incentives goes a long way when potty training your little ones. Incentives can range from sticker charts, a small piece of candy, small surprises inside tissue paper or coloring the toilet water with food coloring.

When deciding to start the potty training process it is important to communicate this with your child’s provider. You can work together to bounce ideas off of each other. Having the open communication on what is working at school, may give you some ideas on what will work at home and vise versa.

Praise your child when using the potty, especially when they decide to go on their own without any encouragement. Be enthusiastic when they tell you they need to go potty. High fives, hugs and simple “Good Jobs” go a long way!

Remember there will be accidents; this is normal, and a large part of the potty training process.