Toilet Training popularly called Potty Training is an exciting milestone for Parents. Every new parent wishes how wonderful it would be to not have to change any more diapers and clean up every nature’s call for their bundle of joy. As exciting as it is, it can also be extremely stressful and chaotic for both parents and the child. Many babies are scared to let go of the diaper and try this new way. Parents have high expectations and the power struggle could lead to waterworks, screaming and shouting. How do we minus the stress, you ask? It’s simple, go through these 5 simple steps and see how easy it really is.

1. Always start with clear and honest communication. Explain to your little one, how much fun it will be to go in the bathroom, just like everyone else. If they need to pee or poop they should tell mommy or daddy and we will go straight to the bathroom. Select a comfortable cloth nappy or cotton underwear to wear at home while training.
2. Let them explore the new toilet seat. Practice sitting on it before GO time. This makes the seat and process a little more familiar and eases the anxiety that comes with the new process. Talk about how easy and comfortable it is.
3. Inspite of steps 1 and 2, accidents are bound to happen. Your little one is bound to forget or may intentionally not comply for various reasons. The most important thing to remember here is, respond don’t react. Try responding to their confusion or stress by saying “I know this is difficult and a big change. It’s okay. Remember what mommy said, we are big enough to use the toilet now. Let me show you”.
4. Move them to the bathroom first. Clean up baby in the bathroom. Ideally have them sit on the toilet seat and use the hand shower (I prefer water vs. wet wipes as it is environmentally friendly and equally, if not more, hygeinic in my opinion) to clean them as if you would if they had used the toilet.
5. Have someone else clean up the area while you are with baby in the bathroom. Or if you must clean up, ensure baby is safe under adult supervision. Stay calm and know that it is a big milestone and baby steps well help us succeed without stress. Every incident is part of the learning process and moving you one step closer to your end goal. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 with baby when you both are in a calm and relaxed state of mind.

Case Study – Baby Aaliya learns to use the toilet 

Aaliya’s mom was all excited to train Aaliya to use the toilet. Aaliya was 2.3 years and could speak well. Mommy explained to her what was expected. Aaliya seemed to get it. However, Aaliya was very comfortable using the diaper. Mommy had decided to switch her to cotton underpants at home. Aaliya landed up urinating and made a mess in the living room. Mommy reacted by getting worried and screaming for help to their house help. Aaliya saw mommy get worked up and both mommy and helper were figuring out how to clean the mess. Aaliya started enjoying the mopping and wanted to play in the bucket of water. Mommy got more worried and snatched Aaliya away from the bucket. She said words like “bad baby” “not good” etc. Aaliya was enjoying this reaction and game. She said “no toilet” in retaliation. Mommy got really frustrated. This repeated 4-5 times before mommy decided to give up and went back to diapers. After some coaching, Aaliya’s mom decided to try over and this time she followed the 5 step approach. She started by explaining what was expected of Aaliya clearly. She showed her the toilet seat. She practiced sitting on it before Aaliya needed to use the toilet. Mommy knew Aaliya usually passes her stool at 10am after her breakfast. She knew Aaliya moved towards the corner of the bed and makes a disctinct expression. Mommy took Aaliya to the bathroom and had her sit on the toilet around that time. She encouraged Aaliya and she did potty in the toilet. Mommy praised her alot and said how proud she was of Aaliya. Next time Aaliya had an accident as she was too busy playing. She had peed all over the carpet in her room. Mommy didn’t react negatively. Instead she stayed calm and said, “It’s okay” let’s clean up” and “next time please tell mommy so I can take you to the bathroom”. Mommy immediately took Aaliya to the bathroom. Made her sit on the toilet and explained this is where we need to pee and potty. She used the hand shower to wash Aaliya. Changed her clothes. While mommy was cleaning Aaliya up she requested Daddy to please clean up the area and put the carpet for a wash. Mommy then explained to Aaliya calmly how proud she was of her using the toilet to potty and she was sure she will let her know the next time she needs to pee. She made her sit on the seat again. After a few hours Aaliya came to mommy and said “Aaliya needs to pee pee”. Mommy was so happy and there was no going back. A big milestone had been crossed!

Pro-Tip –  Use a no frill toilet seat that can be placed on the adult toilet seat. White ones that are simple make for an easy transition for the future and look nice too especially if you are sharing the bathroom with the little one. Independent plastic pots or seats where the mess is collected are not advised for 2 reasons : 1. they need sanitising every time and are not the most hygeinic. 2. they need another step of learning and transition to the real deal adult toilet in the future.

Happy Parenting!