The best way to start is to decide about the words used to describe stool and urine. Don’t use words that the child may feel embarrassed to use in front of guests or other people. Some of the commonly used words include “pee”, “potty” or “poop”.

Many authors suggest allowing the child to be with you while you go to the bathroom. This may suggest the child about going to the bathroom for passing stools or urinating.

Next step can be getting the child familiarized with the potty trainer. Make the child sit with the clothes on for a few times to make him feel comfortable with the chair. Next you can ask the child to let you know when the diaper is soiled; putting the soiled diaper into the potty chair and then transferring it into the toilet can be helpful for the child to understand about the concept of the toilet. Then, you need to identify the times when the child passes his stool usually and make him sit in the trainer without the pants. The child may not sit at once and you may need to convince him that it is safe.

You can also try telling some stories or showing some interesting things while the child is on the trainer for the first few times. Once the child passes the stool or urinates into the potty trainer remember to encourage him by saying that he has done a good job and you are happy about it. On the contrary, do not scold or say that he is a bad child if fails in the first few attempts.

Once the child is confident about using the potty trainer, then you can introduce him to the toilet. You may need to accompany the child for the first few times until he learns to do it by himself.

Next page: Normal age of potty training

Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last updated: April 20, 2012