Tips on Potty Training a 2-Year-Old

Potty training a 2-year-old does not have to be a difficult process. Every child is different, and each child will respond to techniques differently. It is important to try several methods and find the ones that work best for your child̵7;s personality. Patience is also important: If children become upset or feel shamed into using the toilet, it often backfires and they will regress.

  1. Potty Practice

    • Before you start potty training, allow your child to sit on the toilet or potty chair until they are comfortable there. Encourage them to sit on it right before bath or bedtime. It is easier for a child to begin using the toilet when they are comfortable with it.

    Train with Underwear

    • Although diaper training pants are more convenient and less of a hassle to use, they often confuse a child because they may not feel wet. It is easier to switch to underwear, which allows the child to feel it when they wet themselves. Switching back and forth between underwear and diaper training pants, using the latter only at night, may make the process easier.

    Potty Party

    • On the first day of training, throw a potty party for your child. Offer your child plenty of fluids, and plan to stay home for the entire day. Each time the child uses the potty correctly, give the child a reward. You can have him call grandma or dad to tell them about it. You can decorate with streamers and party hats to make this a success and get your child excited.

    Wait It Out

    • It is much easier to train a child that is both physically and mentally ready to potty train. If your child fights going on the potty or seems scared, back off and try a few weeks later. Once a child is truly ready to train, she can be accident-free in just a few days.

    Sticker Chart

    • A sticker chart rewards your child each time that he uses the potty. This is a better reward than sweets, and you can give bigger rewards each time she earns 10 or 20 stickers. You can reward more stickers for bowel movements. Additionally, you can wean off of the stickers more easily once she has become trained in a few weeks.

    Big Kid Underwear

    • Make a production of allowing your child to choose his first training pants. Take him to the store and let him pick out a few packs of underwear to use. This more excited he is about every part of the process, the easier it will be.

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