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Potty training is a significant milestone in a child’s development, but knowing when to start can be challenging for parents. Although there is no set age that toileting is successful at, most families find themselves gearing up to teach potty use around ages 2-5 years old. More importantly than age are signs of developmental readiness. Recognizing these signs can help make the transition smoother for both you and your child.
Physical Signs
- Mastery of the fine and gross motor skills needed to complete a toileting routine.
- Although it is second nature to many of us, using the restroom has a lot of steps! Your child must be able to remove and replace their clothing with minimal assistance. They must also be able to access the toilet. As adult toilets can be difficult to climb onto and balance a small body on, there are several products that can be used to make this easier: step stools, training toilets, toilet seat adapters, and toilet training seats with stairs.
- Length of time between soiled diapers.
- Start notating how long your child is dry between diaper changes. This will give you an idea of how long your child “holds it” before eliminating and also gives you a baseline of how often your child may need to sit on the toilet once you do begin a toileting routine. Depending on liquid intake, 1-2 hours of dryness is expected when looking for signs of readiness. If you are working on toileting within your ABA program, your Behavior Management Team may also request you take data on the length of time between eliminations in order to customize your child’s toileting plan.
Behavioral and Cognitive Signs
- Shows discomfort or otherwise notifies you that they are soiled.
- You know your child best, and this may look different for each child. Some children may tug at their diaper or may bring you a dry diaper to indicate they need to be changed. Children with vocal communication skills may tell their caregivers they have eliminated or indicate they are about to eliminate (e.g. approaches caregiver and says “peepee!”)
- Ability to imitate and understand directions.
- Young children tend to acquire life skills by copying the actions of others. When we teach toileting skills, often adults will model the desired behavior by completing the action themselves, using dolls, or books and other visuals. Understanding directions such as “let’s go potty!” or “sit down” are key for the child to anticipate the toileting routine. If your child does not respond to verbal cues but demonstrates other readiness signs, you can explore images or hand signals as alternatives to vocal directions.
- Has a form of communication.
- In order to independently initiate using the restroom, your child will need a reliable way to communicate it’s time to go! This can be a vocal request, a hand sign, or using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECs) or Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
Parent Steps for Readiness
Typically, when it comes to toileting training, we spend a lot of time ensuring our children are ready to learn how to use the toilet, but you might be surprised to learn that parents need to be prepared as well!
- Have positive reinforcement items/activities readily available.
- When selecting reinforcement options for your new toileting plan, you want the items to be highly desirable for your child but not accessible outside of the toileting routine. Reinforcement should be something that can be delivered often and immediately following successful elimination in the toilet (e.g. fruit snacks instead of a trip to the park later in the day).
- Be ready to make it fun!
- Many children do not enjoy sitting on the toilet. Having books, bubbles, singing songs, and other small activities available can make the process much smoother.
- Understand it’s a time commitment.
- When you first begin a toileting plan, you may have to watch your child very closely to monitor for signs they need to eliminate. Many families choose a long weekend to begin so they can comfortably be at home and have an easily accessible restroom.
- Stay consistent and understand accidents happen.
- When you first begin a toileting plan, accidents can feel discouraging. It may take several tries before your child eliminates in the toilet- that is normal and okay! Reach out to your Behavior Management Team if you need encouragement or feel the plan needs to be adjusted.
Recognizing the signs of potty-training readiness can help you and your child embark on this important milestone with confidence. By waiting until your child shows these signs, you can ensure a more positive and successful toileting experience. Remember, patience and encouragement go a long way in helping your child achieve this new level of independence.