How should toilet training be done in babies?

Babies, who cannot control their bladder and bowel muscles at birth and in the following period, initially need to wear diapers. Babies who gain the ability to use the toilet independently around 18 months of age require patience and compassion when providing proper toilet training. If you want to toilet train your baby, it’s crucial to emphasize that a patient approach is essential.

When should toilet training begin?

Babies begin to gain control over their bowel and bladder muscles at 18 months of age. They cannot yet control these muscles at birth or in the period following. Therefore, toilet training during this time is inadvisable.

You should wait until a baby is at least 18 months old before starting toilet training. Toilet training can easily begin for babies between 18 months and 3 years old. The most suitable time is considered to be between 24-48 months. During this period, your baby’s ways of communicating their needs to you also increase. This allows you to adapt to your baby’s toilet routine much faster.
It is important for babies to complete toilet training by the age of 3. Babies between 18 months and 3 years old have shorter attention spans. However, after the age of 3, children’s attention spans lengthen, and they show a more intense interest in their surroundings. In this case, toilet training can become much more difficult.

Parents need to be patient when toilet training babies. During this period, children may exhibit behaviors such as holding back stool or urine, withdrawal, intentionally wetting themselves, or irritability.

If you are not patient and dedicated, and instead approach your child with a persistent attitude, you may find the toilet training phase quite difficult. You should create a toilet training schedule and ensure your baby adheres to it to develop toilet habits.

Signs that your baby is ready for potty training.

You can easily tell when your baby is ready for toilet training by paying attention to a few details.

These are:

• If your baby’s diaper stays dry for approximately 3-4 hours,
• If your baby can sit in the same position for about 5 minutes,
• If your baby doesn’t become fussy when they soil their diaper,
• If your baby wakes up with a dry diaper,
• You can start toilet training if your baby understands and tries to follow commands.

These key points are physical cues that indicate your baby is giving up diapers. By observing these, you can understand the best time to toilet train your baby.

What are the important points to consider during toilet training?

If you’re going to start potty training your baby, you should carefully consider some important points. First, you should get a potty suitable for your baby. A potty will allow you to provide more effective potty training compared to child adapters that you would attach to toilets. Also, potty training, which is closer to the ground, is a safer and more secure method for your baby.

Initially, practicing with a potty is the best method. You may need to place the potty where your baby can see it, or occasionally practice sitting on it while they are clothed. You shouldn’t let sitting on the potty become a chore; such an approach will cause your baby to dislike it.

Try to observe your baby’s toilet habits by paying attention to their body language. Making toilet training seem like a game will make it easier for your baby to get used to the potty.

How to Dress a Baby During Toilet Training?

When potty training babies, you should make sure to dress them in comfortable clothes. The choice of clothing plays a big role in making it easier for your child to get used to the potty. Wearing clothes without zippers or buttons will make it easier for your baby to use the potty independently if needed. For this reason, clothing types that babies can easily open, such as bodysuits, should be preferred.