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4 Signs that your toddler is ready for potty training

Is your toddler ready for potty training?

Ready to ditch diaper duty… I feel ya! Having two in diapers is tough. The idea of potty training Emmy has been floating around for a while. There is not question that I am ready for her to use the big girl potty, but is she?

One of the best things my mom has told me in one of our “how do you parent” conversations is to lead and teach my daughters by example. If I don’t want them spending hours in front of a mirror one day, don’t stand in front of the mirrors for hours in front of a mirror.

Sounds like the same goes for potty training! Experts say that toddlers (no matter what age), show signs that they are ready to potty train, and one way to help reinforce this big change is to let them see you going potty.

This has been the easiest task, it’s not like I actually have a choice. Emmy follows me into the bathroom like it’s her life duty. So now, I talk to her about what I am doing in hopes it will help her. Please don’t judge me for this, but I may even say a little cheer for myself every time I go in hopes it will help. Emmy cheers for me now too 🙂

I have a friend who is a mother of 4 boys, and she didn’t even have to try to potty train her 4th boy before he picked it up all on his own, because he was running around doing everything his big brothers did, including going potty. When he was ready he just copied what his brothers were doing and Voila!

If you aren’t one of the lucky and blessed mothers of 4 boys, don’t worry! Your little one will show you signs when they are ready. Here are a few to look for:

  1. They’ll start talking about going potty, telling you they need to go, or telling you that they already went.
  2. They’ll also start staying dry for several hours at a time and have predictable bowel movements.
  3. They may ask for a dirty diaper to be changed.
  4. Showing an overall general interest in the bathroom.

These signs can start to appear anywhere from 18 months to 3 years of age. It just depends when they develop certain emotional and physical traits, with boys tending to be ready a little bit later than girls.

Once you feel like your little one is ready, I encourage you to reach out to your moms friends for pointers. While every child is different, I always think it’s wise to try to pick up tips where you can. For example, one of my mom friends uses a water bottle to make her daughters “baby” go potty on the toilet to make her daughter feel more comfortable. I loved that idea! While I’m not sure if it will work for us, it’s at least one more trick in my pocket to try. 

We’ll keep you posted on our potty training journey!

By the way: we’re following along with the tactics in this book! We’ve heard  from so many other parents that it leads to success!

 

If you’ve got a toddler at home, you may love some of these crafts and activities:

 

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