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A Hard Habit to Break
Part Two From Diaper Donned to Toilet Trained
By April E. Clark
In the study, researchers confirmed the old wives' tale that girls are easier to potty train than boys. "The average age when toddlers started toilet training was 23 months for girls and 25 months for boys," Dr. Schum says. "The average age when they stayed dry during the day was 33 months for girls and 36 months for boys. So parents should not get discouraged, as the process takes about 10 to 12 months."
Konnie Krahn-Prosence, a mother of one and a nutritionist from Glenwood Springs, Colo., remembers that her son, Luke, was "all boy" when it came to the potty training process. "I think boys can kind of care less when it comes to peeing their pants when potty training," she says. "I think that in general, girls are more particular and boys are just too busy playing with their trucks like Luke."
To fill the mother-son gender gap, Krahn-Prosence enlisted the help of her husband, Matt, to assist with potty training. "Role modeling was very important when Luke was being potty trained," she says. "I didn't really have the equipment to show him how to pee, but he would follow Matt in there to see how Dad did it, and that was pretty cool for him to see."
Time Tested Tips
Krahn-Prosence also recalls how much easier it was to train Luke when he felt in control of the process. "My biggest tip to parents when potty training is not to dress their toddlers in overalls or clothes with lots of buttons," she says. "You need easy-up, easy-down pants so the toddlers can do it themselves. Also, Luke liked his potty chair next to the toilet where it would always be ready. We had one upstairs and one downstairs so there would be less accidents. We even had potty chairs that turned color in the bottom when the temperature changed and he really like that effect."
Along with training aids such as special potty chairs and colorful children's books on potty training, Nicholson says that a simple sticker chart may motivate a child to succeed. "Set up a sticker chart and give your child a gold star or another type of sticker every time he uses the toilet," she says. "A child this age doesn't have number concepts, so put boxes on a piece of paper and put a sticker in each box. Start out with two or three boxes on the paper and give the reward. Use five boxes, 10 boxes or more until the chart is no longer needed. Put the paper on the fridge for everyone to see and remind him about what a good job he is doing."
No matter if it's a gold star sticker, a high-five or just an old-fashioned hug, experts agree that positive reinforcement is the key to accomplishing one of the most challenging parenting requirements of all time. There's no doubt that the millions of toddlers on the road to potty training this year agree. Their smiles prove it.