June is Potty Training Awareness Month
PULL-UPS has some parent-friendly ideas this month: They have implemented a totline at 1-877-4BIGKID that features free live advice from potty experts every Saturday in June. In addition, PULL-UPS has partnered with familytravel.com to develop a list of cool places to visit this summer with small children (i.e. information on story hours, special toddler swim classes, coffee shops for tots and moms, etc. at certain cities).
There is an almost-endless array of products available to help provide kids with the nudge they need to make potty training a success. One new product that has caught my eye is PottieStickers, which features a portable (yup, you can tote them), scene-design style sticker incentive sticker. I like the product because a portion goes to cancer research, and it has won numerous awards for its cleverness and overall appeal.
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Are They Ready for Toilet Training?
A child’s readiness for toilet training is very individual. Although there are some general guidelines, children progress at their own rate and rushing them often proves to do more harm then good.
Prerequisite Skills
There are some specific skills a child must have before they are ready for this big step.
Physical Skills
They can recognize the feeling of urgency.
They can control the urge to go.
They are able to pull pants up and down with minimum assistance.
Emotional Skills
The child wants to please adults.
The child wants to be a “big” girl or boy.
The child likes to imitate others.
The child can follow directions.
Communication Skills
There are basically three steps that will show you a child is ready to start potty training.
The child can communicate that he or she has already gone or messed their diaper.
The child can communicate that they are in the process of eliminating.
The child can predict and communicate that they need to go to the toilet soon.
Copyright 2004 ~Joni Levine