Potty Training a Myth

Well this is a major task that most of the mother's find overwhelming. You would have read many articles and methods on the web explaining potty training. ..like bribing candies, a gift for so many stickers, keeping timing and taking them to the potty every 1 hr and the list goes on. So many websites selling various products, books, ideas, dolls etc for potty training.

Well let me just ask a question, what's wrong with all of you? Did you train our baby to crawl? To walk? To cry ? To laugh? Did you spank them for being Couple of months late to walk? Did you bribe them to crawl fast? Then why are you wasting so much of energy, time, and money for the potty training? Don't you know that Potty training is just another physical development of your child like all the others mentioned above? Just think about it. Have you seen any adult who is not potty trained?

Answer to all questions and concerns in your mind:

>>My parents/in-laws say that kids get potty trained early if we try.

You don't have to worry about people criticizing you if your child is in diapers for a longer time, its not your fault. Your child may be a little slow. That doesn't make him dumber than the once who are potty trained earlier than his/her age. If a child walks couple of years earlier that doesn't make him smarter than the rest. Every individual have their own pace of learning various tasks.

>>He/she would not be able to get control if it becomes too late?

Do you think a child who has control will go in her/his pants? Wait for them to get control believe me she/he will try not to go in her/his pants.

>>Keeping a child in diapers will reduce his control on his bladder?

Using a diaper has nothing to do with his control it only makes him unaware of his bodily discharge. A diapered child is unable to understand that there is a physical fluid discharge coming out of his body. So your duty is to show him the discharge when ever possible, you could keep him diaper free for few hours in his early stages say around 18months (this again the mother has to decide depending on the understanding level of the toddler) for a couple of hours or so just to show him that there is a fluid coming out.

>>Then how will he learn to use potty?

You show him use the potty or his siblings using it. So that he understands the whole process. Toddlers love to imitate their elders. Make him sit on the potty seat (there are toddler potty seats that can be fixed to your potty seat)just for fun and be very glad if he actually uses it. After you think he is wanting to use the potty with full will try leaving him diaper free for longer hours asking if he wants to use potty occasionally. If there are more number of accidents that tires you put him back to diapers and try later this means he is not able to control his bladder yet.

This works believe me you dont have to hit your head on the walls for it. With my second child(son) I never seriously tried to potty train him at all. As a common saying “the second child is the lucky one”. I left him diaper free for couple of hours in the mornings when he was around 18months. He used to get so scared to see his fluid that he would come running to me. And I would just smile and tell him that it is his pee and take him to the potty and tell him that your pee should go in that and wash him. I did it for just a week. Then I showed him me using the potty. He would also see his sis using it. Then I tried it after he was two. He had gained more bladder control by then and had very few accidents. He was fully trained with in 10-15 days after that.

Seriously I feel I had done nothing, I never got stressed. He learned it himself. Believe me if he can learn like that any child can, only the timing may be different. If your child has more accidents than you can handle put him back to diapers as soon as possible before you lose your temper and try later. It Will Work Insha Allah. And its never too late.