How Do You Know If Your Little One Is Ready For Potty Training? 

By: Healthy Baby

When is the right time to potty train?

Generally, children are ready between 18 months and 3 years old, so between these ages would be an appropriate time to begin preparing and learning about it. But remember, this is a time to pay attention to what works for your unique little one; potty training is always most successful when it is individualized.

Strategies to support potty training readiness:

Encourage observation and participation. Use the bathroom with the door open so baby can see you perform a toileting routine and narrate the steps so they can start to learn the sequence of actions.

Engage your little one in components of the routine like flushing the toilet, ripping off pieces of toilet paper and turning on the water while you wash your hands.

Promote baby's body schema by encouraging them to label body parts.

Read them books about using the potty.

Clues your baby might be ready to potty train:

Your little one is starting to hold their urine, they wake up dry or become upset if they are soiled and need to be changed.

Your baby is having regular bowel movements.

Baby demonstrates changes in their body posture or facial gestures when eliminating, they might find a private spot, crouch or hide when they are eliminating.

They can label their body parts.

Baby can start to recognize and label sensations like pee, poop or wet and dry.

They follow simple instructions, such as, bring me a diaper (1 step instruction) or go to the bathroom and pull down your pants (2 step instruction).

Baby has enough hand strength to successfully pull pants up and down over their bottom.

When you are ready for potty training:

You can commit time to potty training depending on which method you’re going to choose.

You can be a little bit chill about it and not be too tense.

You do not have any other big transitions going on, such as, new house, school, sibling or caregiver. Now might now be the time to potty train. Let’s find a time that’s more relaxed.