Potty Training - What’s the Right Age?
Potty Training - What’s the right age to start?
New mothers are anxious, wanting to be the perfect mother. From the day your child is born, you fret over every developmental stage. Is your baby eating right? How about all of those percentiles of growth and achievement? Has your baby started talking at the statistically correct age? What about the right age for potty training?
By the time your baby becomes a toddler, you’re swept away with the terrible two’s. At the same time, you’ve already changed a million diapers. You need to focus on potty training, which should naturally fit in to this period of time and appropriate development. Your pediatrician says the time is right, but baby seems to have a different take. Your baby is out of sync, seeming not to care one way or the other about dirty diapers. So what’s the ‘right’ age for potty training?
There is no pat formula for child development. Every child is truly unique. While one child may find it intolerable to have a wet diaper at the age of two, there is another who can shine it on for reasons unknown. The right age for potty training is really at the child’s behest. If you try to rush this process, the results will be counterproductive. While you’d like to dispense with the diapers, an aggressive approach which adheres to a specific age for potty training may only prolong the diaper routine.
Some children may refuse to speak until they’ve gathered a vocabulary sufficient to express themselves. The silent baby may suddenly break out, with a huge list of words pronounced and used correctly. This is not uncommon. Children sometimes need to save up their thoughts and desires before they show them off to you.
So, when can you recognize the right age for potty training? The right age is when your child is ready. This requires some patience on your part. However, your patience with this basic function sets the stage for a whole new developmental stage for your child.
Don’t worry so much! The age for potty training is quite flexible. If your child is off by several months, according to national statistics, take heart in knowing that your baby is indeed, unique. He or she will soon enough dislike that wet diaper.
The right age for potty training largely depends on your child’s readiness. Don’t spend a lot of time pushing the issue. You can encourage your child to start potty training, but make it more of an invitation than a demand. Take your child with you when you purchase the potty seat. It’s helpful if you let them pick the one they like best. Praise them on their choice. Whatever you can do to make the idea seem more like their idea than yours should move the project forward.
Potty training can become a pivotal issue in your relationship, a matter of control. Let your child move at his or her own pace. The right age for potty training is a milestone. Treat it as such.
