Whether it’s your first child or you’ve “been there, done that” everyone makes mistakes when potty training. Doing all you can to prepare and still having unexpected problems pop up is common.
So, don’t fret, it happens to us all. But there are potty training problems I see popping up again and again that can be avoided, so why don’t we go ahead and go over those, and hopefully I’ll be able to save you from some headaches!
1. Being Unrealistic
Every child is different and learns at a different rate. Forget all the “rules” you’ve always heard like “Children should be potty trained by two” and “Girls always learn faster than boys.”
Be careful not to establish unrealistic timelines because you could be setting yourself (and your child) up for a letdown. Reasonable and realistic expectations are fine. Flexible goals are good.
If you’re able to get your child potty trained quickly then that’s great. If not, don’t be disappointed with yourself or your trainee. There isn’t anything wrong with your child. They will learn. Give them time, be flexible and don’t set unrealistic expectations.
2. Not Allowing Room For Error
Every child is different and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to potty training. It would be great if it were that easy. Thankfully, as a other you are intuitive and inventive.
Give yourself time to discover your child’s motivator. This will ultimately be the key your and their success. It may be praise, fun rewards or an accomplishments chart. You can try out different approaches, but there’s no one perfect solution.
The right solution will come to you and if it stops working you can try an alternative. Don’t get frustrated if something doesn’t work. Allow room for error and keep an open mind to new ideas that might pop into your head.
Remember, you know your child better than anyone else. Let them show you what works best for them.
3. Buying Too Much Stuff
Give things time to work before you add new ideas, tricks or rewards. Giving each idea time will help you know what’s working and what’s not. Add too many things too quickly and you won’t be giving yourself (or your child) enough time for trial and error.
Nowadays everything has a distracting feature. Potty chairs play music and light up, diapers are redesigned every month it seems, and there are even potty seats that have a place for an iPad.
All of these things are meant to help your children by making potty time fun and easy, but sometimes all they are is distracting. Keep things simple and try one new thing at a time.
4. Forgetting About The Child’s Individuality
Everyone learns differently. Potty training mistakes include forgetting about your child’s individual personality and their special way of learning. Don’t forget that personality is key.
A child’s temperament affects the whole potty training experience. Confident, type-A children might thrive on the challenge of potty training and won’t need much hand holding.
Introspective toddlers who tend to worry will do best when they are given frequent praise and encouragement. Happy and positive children might start to see potty training as boring, mundane and restrictive. These types will need potty training to be fun and exciting.
And lastly, the laid-back, careful and peace-loving children won’t be in a big rush. This slow and methodical type needs more motivation than all the other personalities. A set schedule works best for them.
5. Losing Your Patience
Don’t lose your patience and don’t take things personally. Your children will make mistakes while potty training. They might even do things you will become convinced are meant to drive you nuts.
They’ll refuse to listen, run and hide, make messes right in front of you, refuse to go, etc. They will sit on the potty for ten minutes and then have an accident as soon as they walk out of the bathroom.
They will create more dirty laundry than you can keep up with. It’s likely they will even regress. So practice patience and try not to take things personally. They will learn and you won’t have to buy diapers forever. Just give the process time.
These may not be the exact problems you’ll encounter while potty training your child, but they’ve hopefully at least given you some ideas on how to handle things that pop up.
Ultimately, just remember that all children are different. Some will learn fast, some will learn slow, but all will require your patience.
A mom named Carol experienced a lot of the same problems you’re going through with her own child. Her child was very stubborn and not cooperating, but she was still able to get them successfully potty trained. Watch this video where she explains how.
BTW, if you found this article helpful it would be great if you could pin it! Thanks a bunch!
