Potty Genius Blog
6 Troubleshooting Tips for Common Potty Training Problems
Having trouble potty training? Here are 6 tips for your potty training problems:
by Angie Long
Angie is an experienced freelance writer and mother of two. She has extensive experience working in professional training, including the development and evaluation of training and exam material. She has a background in elementary education. Angie has a 4-year-old who still struggles with potty training, yet her 8-year-old nailed it by two years of age.
Having trouble potty training? Here are 6 tips for your potty training problems.
Potty Training Problem #1: Toilet Fear
Toilet fears are common in toddlers. If you consider it from their point of view, toilets are pretty scary. To them, toilets are big, cold, and loud. Don’t be alarmed if the toilet seems to scare your child. Try to figure out exactly what about the toilet is creating the fear and attempt to address it. For example, if the seat is cold, try adding a padded toilet seat. If they don’t like the sound, wait to flush until your child leaves the room. If the toilet’s just too big, try getting your child used to a potty chair first.Potty Training Problem #2: Your Child is Constipated.
Parents may have trouble potty training because of their child’s toilet fear, which could be due to their constipation. If your child is chronically constipated, going potty might hurt and he may associate that pain with the toilet. If your child is struggling with constipation, examine their diet. Start eliminating junk food as much as possible and offer as many high fiber foods as you can get them to eat. Some examples include:- Beans and lentils
- Broccoli
- Fruit
- Whole grain bread and cereals
Potty Training Problem #3: Resistance to Potty Training.
Resistance is an incredibly potty training problem common. Think about your options and determine which is best for your child’s temperament. You may even want to try a few different methods to warm your child up to the potty. Some suggestions include:- Leave your child’s potty chair in a central location where he can access it if he chooses. Don’t force your child to use it. Just let him know it’s there and let him take the lead.
- Reward your child when he does use the potty. Hopefully, this will get him excited about potty training and encourage him to continue to use it.
- Make potty training fun. Many parents have trouble potty training because the child doesn’t think it is fun. Take your child shopping and let him pick out a potty seat of his own or try using one of the new potty chairs that allow children to play on their iPads. You may also want to let your child pick out some special underwear with his favorite characters so he won’t want to have an accident when wearing it.
