If you are getting ready to potty train or have tried and haven't had success, you'll want to listen to this episode.   Mike Fitch, CMHC has been a child therapist for a decade and in this episode he dispels some myths and teaches the do's and don'ts of potty training your tougher-to-train child.

I have a toddler that I'm getting ready to potty train and this episode couldn't have come at a better time.  I feel much more equipped to tackle the dreaded task.

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Mike Fitch, CMHC

Here’s Mike’s favorite “do’s” and “don’ts” of potty training

DON’T be worried if your child isn’t potty-trained at age two!

I love to answer this question for parents because some parents brag that their kids were all potty-trained by age 18 months.  As if they are better parents than you because your four-year old still wears diapers!

It is absolutely common and normal for a child not to be potty-trained until age five.  We really don’t start to get concerned as therapists about a child still wearing diapers/pull ups until they are about six years old.

If you have a child that’s over six and they still aren’t potty-trained, it would be a good idea to seek out professional help at that point.

Quite honestly, the majority of children don't potty train until they're between three to five years old!

I even have some clients that have kids who still have some accidents at night and they’re eight years old.  I tell those clients not to worry unless it’s a really consistent issue. It isn’t uncommon to have night-time wetting through age twelve.  It's just part of the process of aging and some kids have a ability to catch on really quickly and other kids just struggle with it longer.

DO watch for signs of readiness

In order for a child to potty train they need to show signs of readiness in a few different areas:

Physiological readiness-Is the child’s BODY ready to potty train.  A child could have a lot of desire to potty train but if they don’t have the muscle control or the attention span, they might have issues.

Some signs of physiological readiness are:

Your child can stay dry all through the night

Your child is aware of when they are going potty

Your child can concentrate for a period of time

Your child can sit on the toilet with some assistance

Psychological readiness- Your child may have the physical ability to go pottty in the toilet but they may not be mentally ready to potty train.  For some kids, they want to be in charge of when they potty train. For other kids, they have anxiety around toilets. If you’re not seeing signs of psychological readiness, you may want to wait.

Some signs of psychological readiness are:

Your child starts to talk about going potty

Your child expresses interest in wearing underwear

Your child wants to watch other use the toilet

Your child says they’re ready to earn the prize you’ve promised them for when they potty train

Note: if you have a child that is afraid of big toilets, try getting a small training toilet that might be less intimidating.

If you have a child that wants to be in charge of when they potty train, try to find something that would really motivate them to train.  Sometimes all it takes is the right bribe. Which leads us to our next “do”.

DO try to find a reward system that works for your child