CLEVELAND — One of the most important milestones in your child's life is potty training. Let's admit, it's not the easiest process for most kids. In today's Mom Squad, experts weigh in on guidelines you can follow, and remind us, not every child is going to be the same.
How do you know when your child is ready for potty training? Well, it's different for every kid.
“You just you never know how it's going to be. You can pay attention to your child and get equipped," said Jessica Toh, co-founder of Huckleberry Care.
Pay attention to certain signs that your child might be ready to say goodbye to the diapers.
“Break them down into two categories: Developmental perspective solely and then some 'potty specific' signs you might observe,” says Allison Jandu, a potty-training and parenting expert.
Developmental signs like sitting, standing, and walking on their own will tell you it might be time.
“Mainly from a safety stand point, because we want them to be safe, we want them to get to the potty safely independently," Jandu said.
Then comes the "potty specific" signs:
“They may start to show some awareness about what's happening with their body by asking for a diaper change when theirs is wet or dirty or feeling uncomfortable in a dirty diaper. They may try to start to hide when they're starting to have a bowel movement,” says Jandu.
One thing's for sure: It takes time, and it's not all at once. You want to start slow. Introduce it to them through reading books, watching YouTube videos, even doing pretend play with your kid's toys, all focusing on the potty.
But if you need the extra guidance, the Huckleberry Baby and child app is there to help. It sets reminders for when to sit on the potty and also tracks patterns for your child.
But the biggest reminder: Potty training isn't one size fits all.
“You don't have to, like, freak out that your child's coming up on two and a half and you haven't done the potty training yet,” says Toh.
Toh says a survey done by Huckleberry revealed something interesting: The older a child is when they potty train, the more likely it is that they will need an incentive, like a toy a sticker, or a treat, a reason to use the potty. Whereas younger children are motivated just by seeing their parents happy.
You can watch the entire episode below, on our WKYC+ streaming channel or on the WKYC YouTube channel.
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