Is It Time for Toilet Training?

True or false: The best time to teach your child to use the toilet is when he starts saying "no" about other things.

If you said "false," you're wrong. Saying "no" to some things does not mean that he will say "no" to the potty. In fact, the opposite is true. By saying "no," your child is showing independence and a desire to learn new things, says Joseph F. Hagan Jr., M.D., a pediatrics expert in Burlington, Vt.  "Make a potty available, show your toddler how it works, then offer gentle encouragement. Pressuring your child or lavishing excessive praise on him will seem like coercion. That sets up a battle for control."

The worst thing parents can do is induce shame in their child, adds Heidi M. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., a Pittsburgh pediatrician. "The child will make mistakes. Parents have to take that in stride."

What to do

Here are some recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Your child should be able to do these things before you introduce potty-training:

• Sit, walk, dress (with help), and undress himself.

• Understand and respond to instructions.

• Imitate others.

• Demonstrate independence.

Here are tips to make potty-training go more smoothly:

• Introduce the potty as your child's property.

• Put it in a convenient spot.

• Let your child sit on it clothed before he needs to use it.

• Let your child see you using the toilet.

• Explain the potty's purpose.

• Take him to it when the need to use it is most likely.

• Let him go without diapers when he shows daytime dryness. Nighttime control takes months longer.

Give it time

It may take up to a couple of years before your child uses the toilet exclusively.

The AAP says children may show signs of readiness at 18 months, begin training at 24 months, and have daytime control by 30 to 36 months. Most children will complete nighttime training by the time they are 36 to 48 months old. Still, it is normal for some 3- and 4-year-olds to have accidents.