Potty Training Readiness Checklist

One question that parents often ask when starting out with the potty training process is: Is my child ready for potty training? Well, believe it or not, there is no right age for potty training…

Some parents opt for early potty training, but this is not a guarantee that your child would learn how to use the potty instantly. In fact, you might be met with initial resistance if you insist on going through the training process even if your child is noticeably not ready yet.

So to make sure you’re not starting too early or too late, here is a quick list of some tell-tale signs of potty training readiness that you should look out for:

1. Your child’s bowel movements are regular. This would save you time because you’d be able to tell easily when your child is about to ‘go’. You can also reduce potty accidents because you’d be able to anticipate each bowel movement.
2. Your child shows interest in your bathroom habits. He curiously takes a peek whenever you have to relieve yourself. This is good because to potty train him, you’d simply have to indulge his natural curiosity.
3. Your child can follow simple instructions. If he can follow simple instructions such as: be quiet, or please give me your toy, toilet training would be much easier.
4. Your child gets irritated when his diapers get dirty. This is the perfect time to train him because he now recognizes the importance of being clean. Plus, if he hates being in dirty diapers, he has a powerful incentive to make an effort to stay clean.
5. Your child’s motor skills are fully developed. Without a doubt, this is the most important factor in the checklist. Your child should be able to stand, sit down and walk with minimal supervision from you.
6. Your child displays initiative. This can be simply in the form of picking up toys or trying to use a spoon to eat. The reason this is important is because then your child would want to be independent, and therefore he will want to learn new skills – like potty training.

This simple checklist gives you a snapshot view of your child’s potty training readiness. It is, however, imperative to know your child’s disposition, because some of the factors mentioned may or may not apply to him. Toilet training resistance is greatly reduced if you are closely attuned to your child’s needs.