Toilet Training in Childcare Centers and at Home
Becoming a parent is joyful and exciting. Those tiny moments when you witness your little one grow each day, taking baby steps and making new moves gives you a reason to look forward to a new day. However, with all that joy and happiness comes the exhausting process of raising the child and facilitating him in meeting his milestones. From teaching him new words to making him take his first steps to wean him off and introducing him to solid foods – the struggle gets tougher each day. One of the toughest phases that parents find is the toilet training. Babies are used to the diapers and nappies from day one, but they cannot wear it all their life and have to be trained to sit on the seat. However, some toddlers give a really hard time when it’s time for their toilet training.
Accidents and the resulting mess are another nightmares that most parents do not want to go through. Fortunately, in Australia, many childcare centers also assist parents with the toilet training phase. The training assistance provided by the professionally trained caretakers is quite helpful for both the babies and the parents. Here are some tips that are used by many childcare centers and can also be used at home for training your kids for the toilet.
The Child Must be ready
While some parents delay the toilet training as much as they can, others try to start too early to get done with it as soon as possible. It is a common myth that the sooner you start, the better. Interestingly, there is no correct answer as to what is the right age to start toilet training. Remember every child is different and has a different pace. You need to focus on when a child is ready for the training. Some kids will start showing signs at 18 months while others will not be ready even at three years of age. It is a bad idea to be pushy about training if the child is not ready especially if he is too young.
Starting the Training
If you feel your child is showing the signs of readiness, the first step is to invest in some toilet training equipment. Some kids are more comfortable with the potty, but many parents find it better to start directly on the toilet seat. If you are going for the latter option, invest in a toddler seat cover that can fit in your existing seat so that the baby can sit on it comfortably. Meanwhile, teach him some toilet-related keywords so that he can use them to communicate if he has the urge to go to the toilet. Ditch the nappies and switch to training pants.
Routine and Timings
Babies find it much easier to train if they have a set routine and if you condition them to use the bathroom at a particular time period. For example, take him to the bathroom every hour or every 30 minutes and make him sit for 5 to 10 minutes. It is advisable to start training at a time when you have a consistent lifestyle and are not expecting any changes in the routine or lifestyle such as going on a holiday or moving houses. This is going to be disturbing for the child.