If you re the parent of a toddler, the good news is, your diaper days will soon be over. The bad news is, it won t happen overnight. Sometime after the age of two, children will start to show signs that they re ready for toilet learning. And while this is a happy moment for the diaper weary parent, be prepared.
Toilet learning doesn t happen overnight.
It takes time and lots of it says Ruth McCamus, past Family Clinic Supervisor at Toronto s Hospital for Sick Children. We don't really expect kids to learn the whole toilet training process until they are about four, so if you start when they are at two and a half, it may take about a year and a half before they are comfortable with the process. McCamus says the best way to begin is by putting out the potty, and simply encouraging your child to try it. Once a child has learned to remain dry and diaper-less during the day, most parents expect nighttime dryness to follow shortly thereafter. However, many three and four year olds don t remain dry at night until long after they ve managed daytime toilet learning.