How Do I Begin to Potty Train My Child?

Bring your child with you to the bathroom. The best way for her to learn is to watch you "go potty." Talk to her as you go to the bathroom, and explain every step in simple terms. Don't make a big deal out of it. Just show her the toilet paper and tell her it is for wiping when you go potty. Show her the handle and let her flush. Let her come with you to the bathroom as often as possible; don't pressure her to go potty when you do; just keep explaining how big people go potty.

Get a child-friendly toilet option. You can get a separate potty that sits on the floor and is easy for your child to get to, or he might be just as thrilled with a little potty seat that goes on the real toilet and a stool so he can climb up on the seat. Go with what is most comfortable for you and your child. Bring it home, put it out, and show it to your child. Tell him that he can start using the potty the way big people do now! Wow!

Start taking your child to the potty every hour or so. Don't ask, "Do you need to go potty?" When a child begins potty training, she isn't yet aware of the body signals that tell her she needs to go. She simply needs to get used to the repetitive action of pulling down clothes, sitting on the toilet, wiping, flushing, and so forth. Take her at least once an hour, and let her "go" more often, if she wishes. There may not be any actual pottying for many of those trips, but this part of the process is essential.

Repeat and reward. Keep taking your child to the potty often throughout the day. When he does go potty, give a reward of some kind. Stickers are great. When he doesn't actually produce anything, still praise him for trying. Don't punish him for trying but not going. He is still learning the body signals that tell him when he needs to go and when he doesn't.

Expect accidents. Your child is learning, and she will make mistakes through the learning process. Keep her in pull-ups if that is easier for you. But if you can handle it, let her wear "real" underwear so she can understand what happens when she doesn't make it to the potty on time. Having big-girl or big-boy underwear is a great motivator for children to learn to go potty. Don't make it a big deal if there are accidents; simply take her to the potty, go through the potty process (even if there's nothing left to put in the potty), clean up, and put on a dry pair of pull-ups or underwear. As your child learns, the accidents will lessen.