Toddler potty training: setting the stage

Even before your toddler actually uses a potty, you can gradually familiarize them with the concept to set them up for success. This first stage is all about helping your child get comfortable with the toilet and tune into their body’s signals. Starting now with a gentle, no-pressure approach could help when your toddler is ready to sit down and try it. Follow these early potty learning tips: 

1. Describe your toddler’s diaper changes in a matter-of-fact way: “First, we’re going to pull down your pants. Now, we’re going to take off your diaper and wipe your bottom.” 
2. Use real words for “pee” and “poop”—avoid negative terms like “yucky,” “stinky,” or “gross” or making a face.
3. Point out when family members or pets pee or poop to help normalize it.
4. Occasionally change your toddler’s diaper as they stand in the bathroom.
5. Invite your toddler to hold a clean diaper and then hand it to you so they feel involved in the process.
6. Go together to put poop from their diaper into the toilet and flush it down.
7. Let them hang out in the bathroom when you use the toilet, if you’re comfortable with it.
8. Read books about going to the bathroom. Try “Ready to Go: Pee” and “Ready to Go: Poop” Board Books, available in The Realist Play Kit Book Bundle.
9. When your toddler is about 20 months old, place a potty chair in the bathroom for them to use once they’re ready.

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