Is Your Child Ready to be Potty-Trained?

Do you know how to tell if your child is ready to be potty-trained?

If you struggle with potty training, Momma, then you are in the right place!  Potty training is a struggle, for sure. But if your child is ready to be potty-trained, then it can go so much more smoothly!

It can be one of the most trying times a momma goes through – and one of the messiest!  But it doesn’t have to be so hard.

If your child is ready to be potty-trained, then you don’t have to work so hard to convince him or her to do it!! And that is half the battle, right there.

In this blog post, I will walk you through ten ways you can tell if your child is ready to be potty-trained. 

This post is the second part of a three-part series on potty training your child.  Before worrying about whether or not your child is ready to be potty-trained, you really should take time to run through whether or not you are ready to do the potty training!  😂  🤣 

Because if you aren’t ready, then it’s just not gonna happen.  So, to see if you are ready for this whole potty-training business, check out this post; the first in this series.  This post lays down the foundation of potty training.

It holds the secret to making potty training successful. Moms often mistakenly think that potty training isn’t working – when in fact, it is usually mom that isn’t working.  😂 🤣

Go back, learn how to make sure you are ready to do the potty training, and then come on back here. I’ll wait.

Hey!  😁  Welcome back!!

Once you are ready to train your child, you have to be able to tell if your child is ready to be potty-trained.

My Story – And Why You Should Wait Until Your Child is Ready to be Potty Trained

I wasn’t ready. 😁 And even though I knew, this, I went ahead and started anyway.

The commitment was just too much for me at the time! My heart wasn’t in it, my head wasn’t in it, and we failed. Miserably.  I think, looking back, I was so happy to finally get a little bit of freedom – the twins were learning how to play on their own now, and giving me a little breather – and I was so tickled by that, that the last thing I wanted to do was break it all up to run everyone to the potty!!

Turns out my Little Man A was not ready either!! I had hoped that he would just follow along, because his twin ready. You know; I thought once he saw his brother doing it all, he’d just follow suit.

We struggled for about a month, trying to get it all figured out. But, Little Man A was just not ready. Momma was not ready. And Little Man B was rearin’ to go! After a month of soaked carpets and wet underwear, I waved the white flag.

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I gave it a rest and we tried again in another month. That was all it took!! My Little Man A was ready. And I was ready.

And training was a breeze. They both got it almost immediately. Sure, we still had a few accidents. But we had more successes than we did mistakes. And we had some happy, proud little boys. They were thrilled to be out of those diapers! (Can you imagine?!? You think a pad is horrible….imagine a diaper!) 😱

Why Should You Wait for Your Child to Show Signs that He is Ready to be Potty Trained?

It will make the whole training process go so much more smoothly. (Who knows – maybe you could lay claim to training in a day!) If you wait until your child is ready to be potty-trained, then your child will work with you during the potty-training process, not against you.

The motivation for learning how to go on the potty needs to come from within the child, not from mom or dad. The child needs to want it. For his or her own reasons. If your child wants to learn how to go potty in the big potty, then she is motivated to learn! And that’s what we want.

And that’s why we wait for our children to show us that they are ready to be potty-trained. Because then they are motivated to do it.

How Old Should My Child Be, When I Start Potty Training?

Moms often ask “when is the right age to potty-train”. And I can tell you, there is no certain age that is the golden age. What’s important is that your child shows signs that he is ready to be potty-trained, not that he reached some pivotal age marker.

However, most children are potty-trained around two or three years old. I have heard of children being trained as early as 18 months and some as late as four years.

And yes, I am aware that some people start “potty-training” their infants. I personally think this is ludicrous. Of course, I am old school.  😂 🤣

After six kids, I kind of have this notion of ‘why make more work for ourselves’!

There’s no need to “potty-train” an infant, so why make that extra work for yourself? They cannot get up and walk to the bathroom, or even sit on the potty by themselves. You have to do it all for them. So why not just slap that diaper on?

But that’s me……

1. He hides when he fills his pant.

If your child is running and hiding in his bedroom, behind a door, behind a couch, under the table….this shows that he is aware of the need to go, and he values some quiet time to get his business done.

He is in-tune to the sensations signaling a full bladder or a need for a bowl movement.

*Hint* Catch him as he runs to hide and gently encourage him to use the potty instead.

2. He tells you when he has gone potty in his diaper.

If your child can voice or signal that he has a full diaper, he is telling you that he does not like that wet or icky sensation against his skin. He is asking for a diaper change. This tells you that he has motivation for learning – he will want to avoid the icky sensation of going in his diaper.

*Hint* Try to learn his signals. What does he do right before he goes in his diaper? Intervene right at that point and take him to the bathroom instead. That way he can avoid the icky sensation.

If you don’t make it, and he has a bowl movement, shake the poop out of the diaper and into the potty to signal that that is where the poop can go, instead of in his diaper. Then let him flush it down. He’ll connect the dots.

3. She asks about the potty and shows interest in how it works.

If your child shows curiosity about the potty, she is telling you that she wants to start using it. She might ask how it works or what goes in there. She might want to flush it. Answer all of her questions matter-of-factly. Don’t oversell it or act shameful about it.

*Hint* Offer her the chance to “try it out” while she is asking questions, just by letting her sit on it.

4. She watches others go potty.

If your child is following you into the bathroom and wants to see exactly what it is that you are doing, she is showing signs of interest. She is curious and may be more of a visual learner.

She may try to peer under your butt while you pee, just to see exactly what goes on down there.

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Don’t worry. That is normal and okay. Don’t make a big fuss about it. You don’t want to embarrass her or make the bathroom experience a shameful experience. Just view it as part of nature and let her do the same.

*Hint* Capitalize on your child’s curiosity. If your child is a boy, start sending him into the bathroom with dad or a big brother. If your child is a girl, take her when you go potty.

Answer all of her questions and don’t be shy. This is a learning experience, not a time to be modest.

5. He undresses himself.

This is a crucial skill necessary for bathroom success. When your child can do this successfully and, even better – dress himself back up again, you will know that he is soon ready to be potty-trained.

*Hint* Let your child dress and undress himself as much as possible. Encourage changing clothes in the bathroom, because then it is easy to slowly incorporate using the potty as well. It will all become part of his changing routine.

6. He can take off his diaper.

If your child is pulling his diaper off regularly, it is time to train him. He is telling you that he does not like the feel of that diaper on his butt. He is also telling you that he has mastered the ability to undress himself!

And really, you don’t want him running around naked all of the time.

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It’s time to start training!

*Hint* If your child is pulling his diaper off, put him in underwear.

7. He has a regular elimination schedule.

If you notice that your child pees and poops at set times during the day, this is perfect! It will be so much easier to potty-train him because you can anticipate when he needs to go.

*Hint* Put him on the potty about five minutes before you know he is due to go. That way he will ‘accidentally’ go in the potty – and be thrilled with himself!

8. She can stay dry for longer periods of time.

If you notice that your child can stay dry for longer in between diaper changes, this is also good news. It means her muscles are getting stronger and she will be able to ‘hold it’ until she can get to a potty. This is a crucial skill for potty training!

*Hint* If you are ready to potty-train, put her in underwear during these dry periods. Some kids love the feeling of underwear and will do anything in their power to keep from having to wear a diaper again!

9. She wakes up from naps dry.

Your child will need to be able to stay dry during nap time and during the night when you start potty training. Staying dry during the night is a difficult feat and takes months to master. But nap time is usually pretty easy. If she is staying dry already, before you’ve begun potty training, it could be a sign that she is ready. It will also make training easier.

*Hint* Once you start potty training, put your child down for her nap in underwear if she is already staying dry during her nap. Sure, you may have an occasional accident, but that’s all part of the experience. 🤣 😂

10. He can follow simple instructions.

Your child will need to know how to stop what he is doing and go potty. He will need to know how to pull down his underwear, wipe his tooshie, flush the potty and wash his hands. He will need to be able to follow instructions to be trained. If he is showing that he can follow simple instructions in other areas of his life, than it might be time to graduate to the bathroom.

*Hint* Start with something simple, like teaching him how to wash his hands.

Your Child Does Not Need to Show All 10 Signs of Readiness, to be Ready to Potty-Train

Every child will show that he is ready to be trained in different ways. Some children may take their diaper off and get themselves dressed or undressed. Others may wake up from naps dry or have longer periods of dry times in between diaper changes.

It is not necessary for your child to show all of these signs before they are ready to be trained. But they should show a few of them. A good rule of thumb is to shoot for at least three or four. The more signs they show, the easier it will be to train them.

Is your child showing some signs, but you still aren’t sure if he is ready? Email me! I’m there to answer all of your potty-training questions!