Potty training children is probably one of the things that parents, especially first time parents, have a hard time doing.
The varieties of potty chairs available in the market don’t help either. Dr Phil has some simple tips to help you overcome your potty training problems.
Dr Phil advocates using a doll to teach your child because he will find it easier if he gets to watch you teaching the doll. There are dolls available in the market that “wets” when it is not taken to potty for the purpose of teaching potty training children. You can make the setting more real by giving the doll a name and talking to it as if it were a real child.
Start by giving the doll a drink then walking it to the potty chair. Pull the doll’s underwear down and let your child watch it go potty. Your child should be watching this entire process. Children learn by example and this is a good way to get your child to make the effort.
After the doll has successfully gone potty, throw a party for it with your child. Make an event out of it with party hats and cakes. You should give lots of attention to the doll so that your child understands the importance of going potty. He will become excited about it.
If he also successfully goes potty, he too will get a big party like the doll.
Another incentive is to allow your child to call his favorite superhero when he has successfully gone potty to report the good news.
Potty training children should not go back to wearing diapers. Put underwear on the training doll and make your child wear them as well.
It is also best that you throw out all the diapers you have around as well so that you will not be tempted to let your child wear them again whenever you get frustrated with the training process.
Give your child lots of fluids to increase the opportunities to get him to use the potty. It is also a good way to get him to learn to hold it in. He is not wearing diapers any more so he needs to hold it in until there is an opportunity to use the bathroom.
If, however, your child can’t hold it in and has an accident in his underpants, don’t snap at him. Instead, take him to the potty, pull down his underwear and have him sit on the potty chair. Doing this 10 times in a row will help him build muscle memory and he will eventually be able to go on his own.
Ask your child frequently if he needs to go potty. A common potty training problems is he will tell you no even if he needs to. This is fine and if you have been giving him lots of fluids as advised above, he will eventually have to go.
If he has an accident, do like above and have him sit on the potty chair.
Lastly, when your child finally goes potty, have a celebration! Now he can finally call his favorite superhero to report the good news. Get a friend to play the superhero role on your behalf.
As you can see, getting your child to go potty is not really that hard, is it? All you need is some persistence and keep up the positive reinforcement.
Note: For more information and details about child potty training please go to www.childpottytrainingtips.com