POTTY PUSHBACK

Yes, you want to be done with nappies, we get it! However, there are good reasons to be very patient when it comes to this milestone in your child’s life.

- COLETTE DU PLESSIS

Is your child ready? Readiness, and notage, should be the deciding factor.It also shouldn’t matter what season it is, or when his sibling or cousin or friend did it. Your child’s own readiness is what matters. So, how will you know when he is ready?

One of the first signs is that he begins to show an interest in family members’ toilet activities. By all means, let him observe you or help you flush. Experts say you can typically expect this type of interest to occur when your little girl is about 32 months old and your little boy about 36 months old.

Another early sign that the end days of nappies might be approaching are that your child makes an attempt to pull his own pants up and down. Try out pull-up nappies at this stage, or, if you can get them, towelling undies.

A third early sign is that you can set your clock to when your child goes! Pay attention, and you might notice that he always poos at 9.45, for instance. Regular, as the experts call it.

You can stimulate your child’s interest in the potty in many ways. We’ve got some ideas for you:

TALK THE TALK

Help your child to begin recognising the feeling of being wet, getting wet and the sensation before wetting. It is the almost wet sensation that matters most here. So observe him closely, and comment when you see him suddenly freeze and look uncomfortable just after a number two. Ask pointed questions like: ”Have youmade a wee?” or ”Did you poo?” instead of just asking what he’s doing. You could also ask him to come and tell you when his nappy is wet or soiled.

Storybooks about children who use the potty also help, or you can just make up your own stories about the topic.