How to Know When Your Child is Ready to Potty Train

There is always that one child in the family that needs “naked time.” While it’s cute to see to little cheeks sprinting away, the truth is that your toddler just might be ready to potting train. If you’re looking for a big red sign on your child’s forehead then forget it. Though some kids will start telling you when they’re interested in the potty, the reality of it all has many toddlers running off to hide somewhere to plant that next surprise in their pants for you to find later – joy!

Parents know the truth in that saying that all children are different. This means that all children will develop on milestones at different ages and that you should never compare one child to the next or even to your best friend’s child. This type of comparison can lead to many, many problems later on down the road. Potty training is one of the toughest and yuckiest milestones parents go through, but you’ve probably all ready been vomited on, peed on, and licked by now so chances are you’re ready to get this over with.

Sudden Interest

While this interest might be fleeting or may come and go, the facts speak – if your child has been following you or anyone else into the bathroom and taken an interest in what’s going on, they’re ready to begin the preliminaries also.

The Big Kid Attitude

There are several things that go into the big kid attitude. First, if your child wants to do things on their own and second, when your child does these things on their own they feel proud and accomplished. The big kid attitude means their maturing (albeit slowly it might seem) and coming into more developed milestones which will require more work out of both parties: parent and child.

Tighty Whities or…?

When your child takes interest in underwear it’s a pretty blatant hint that they should probably start learning what it’s like to be in them. The good news: there’s super thick training underwear that you can put a plastic underwear protector over and it’s a lot like wearing a diaper. Beware, however that this combination requires a lot of follow up and maintenance – much more so than just regular pull-ups – and should be used for some one that is truly dedicated to helping their child obtain the “Free Potty Use” status.

Mommy (Or Daddy) Knows Best

The best thing you can do is help identify when your toddler is ready to use the potty. You know your child the best, after all and should never force them into something when they aren’t ready.

The truth about it is that most children aren’t ready to potty train until around the age of 2 ½. While some may take an interest in the potty even as early as 16 months, mom and dad are the best judges of character when it comes to their little one. Potty training is a tough pill to swallow for a kid that’s been catered to up until now so it’s going to take some time, some underwear, and lots of detergent.

Photo From: Babble.com