Toilet Training
Although some parents decide to start the journey down the road of toilet training from birth, we decided to place the topic in with Toddlers, as this is the time that most parents choose to do it. Babies cannot voluntarilly control the muscles for the rectum & bladder until they are atleast 18 months old. There is no exact 'miracle cure' on this page, as we know, all children are unique & will respond differently to a technique than another child. Just don't forget the main thing about toilet training is patience! We hope some of these suggestions help you flush away the problems!
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The good ol' hand in the warm water trick! Well, it works for adults! This may seem alittle strange for the child to just stick it's hand in a bowl of warm water, so try having some new toys in there or something on the bottom to get off, such as a 10c piece.
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Turn on the tap! The running water may help them to "go".
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Give them a target to aim for! Little bits of toilet paper are a great target. But make sure that whatever you put in the toilet can be safely flushed or you plan on taking it out afterwards.
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I heard a strange one of putting a little shampoo or bubble bath in the bowl so that when your child does a pee, they make bubbles! Be sure to either explain that only for you to put the soap in, or have a pump pack & only have 1 squirt put in. You can shorten the amount that comes out with 1 pump if you place something between the tap on the pump pack & the bit that screws into the top.
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Don't throw away the nappies straight away. Your child may feel like they are too pressured & this can make the learning & accepting of toilet training take longer than it could have. Make it a new adventure! Let your child pick out "their" new training pants & brand new underpants! Nappies don't generally come with the favourite super hero or character on them! Most children will generally want to be able to wear their exciting new "big girl/boy" pants, than the boring old nappy.
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On younger children, use cloth nappies so the child can learn the wettness associated with needing to use the toilet. This might mean more washing, but some children generally learn toilet training upto 9mths before their 'training pant' counterparts.
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Praise....and lots of it! Even if they try to go & nothing happens, still give them praise for trying. Children need reassurance that they are doing well & that they can acheive goals.
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Accidents happen....and they WILL happen. Don't punish them for it. It is nothing to be ashamed of & the chances are, you may do more harm by punishing them than any good. They can actually be a positive part of the learning proccess...accidents mean that they learn the 'wet' association.
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Don't be disheartened when your child tells you after they have already 'gone' in their nappy or trainer pants. They are realising that these bodily signals are time to go to the toilet. Praise them for telling you, & that next time to try & let you know before it happens.
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Most children toilet train in a particular order. Bowel movements at night, bowel movements during the day, bladder control during the day, then bladder control at night. Of course this isn't a set guideline that all children are miraculously born to follow...but you should start to see these steps happening while you & your child are doing toilet training.
The information contained in the pages of Aradiia.com are a guide only & are not designed to replace medical advice. For any medical advice, see your local Child Health Clinic or doctor.