Published on
Updated
in collaboration with
Geraldine Tarrasona (Midwife)
Baby grows and manages to keep his diaper clean for a few hours? The acquisition of cleanliness is probably not very far away. Here are 10 tips for stopping childbirth, slowly but surely, with the help of midwife Géraldine Dahan Tarrasona.
Watch for the signs that say he’s ready
There is indeed a whole bundle of clues in your child that can invite you to stop diapers, and go to the potty.
- He manages to hold himself back for several hours, even all night, and his diaper is dry in the morning;
- He manages to remove his belongings on his own;
- It identifies and verbalizes this moment”i am peeing”.
Enjoy summer and holidays
Summer is probably the easiest time to start potty training: the child wears light clothes that are easy to remove, or even just underwear. And you usually have more time with him to approach this step with patience. Now is the time, especially if he starts school in September.
Lean on books and stories
Many children’s books, with their favorite characters, exist today on the subject of potty and potty training. Tell him stories and allow him to manipulate these supports, he will probably find inspiration there!
Appreciate him for his progress
Cleanliness is a big step for your child. Value his progress and his discoveries day by day, by verbalizing them, by congratulating him on his successes, and by confirming his status as a big boy or big girl from now on.
Prepare everything you need
To grow, your child needs suitable equipment. Choose with him a potty or a booster seat with a step, and install everything with him in the toilet or bathroom. Everything is now available.
Stopping the diaper: go gradually
Potty training doesn’t happen overnight. To allow your child to become aware of his progress, suggest that he remove the diaper and then switch to underwear for an hour, then two, etc. without pressure.
Choose her best underwear together
“Grown up” panties or underpants with their favorite patterns, that’s a good motivation not to soil them. Suggest to your child to choose himself the underwear he will put on when he does not have his diaper.
Offer him the pot regularly
Do not wait for your child to immediately ask to go to the bathroom to relieve himself, but offer it regularly, especially before and after a nap, before and after a meal, before going out to play, etc. So that he incorporates this as a ritual.
Don’t scold him
In this learning phase, it is above all necessary to eliminate the pressure on the child. “We never force a child to go to the potty and we especially do not scold him if he fails” insists the midwife. On the contrary, we propose, we wait, we do tests with him, and we resume at another time if it is not conclusive. Without stress.
Take your time and stay consistent
Does your child start kindergarten in September? Give yourself time, and don’t start learning just a week before the start of the school year. “It’s all about taking your time to avoid stress. On the other hand, once the impulse is given, we stick to it, and we don’t go back”. Learning can take time, but always manages to find its place.