If you have a boy, encourage him to sit down on the potty for both wees and poos especially in the beginning. We empty our bladder better sitting down and it helps to prevent constipation. There are 40 different skills your baby needs to learn and put together to become potty trained. You don’t need to wait for them to be able to do all these skills on their own before you start helping prepare them. As soon as you see that your child knows when they're going to pee, encourage them to use their potty. If your child slips up, just mop it up and wait for next time. It takes a while for them to get the hang of it. Avoid starting to wear pants when the child is about to change rooms at nursery – that will be a big enough upheaval for them. Reward Charts are loved by children of all abilities, but especially those with additional needs such as Autism, ADHD, ADD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Dyslexia and other SEN requirements Benefits of Potty and Toilet Training Reward Charts include –

Accidents are common during the first few months. Use a waterproof sheet or similar underneath your child, to protect their sleep area. Postponing the potty by a year increases the UK’s use of throwaway nappies by 970 million a year, the research found. Just before nap time, help your child use the potty or toilet, so they are more likely to stay dry. Potty training is essentially the same for boys and girls, with a few minor physical differences. In the beginning it’s usually easier to teach your boy to sit down to wee, while he masters the basics (ERIC, 2010).More children are being toilet trained later, according to the results of a new survey of early years staff by ERIC and National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). You may want to introduce sitting on the potty as part of your child’s normal day when they’re around 18 months to 2 years. Some people choose to start earlier. Try potty training when there are no great disruptions or changes to your child's or your family's routine. It's important to stay consistent, so you do not confuse your child. From the time your child can safely sit up by themselves, they can start sitting on a potty with your help.

Alternatively, there may be an emotional reason. A change of routine or another disruption, such as moving house or a new baby arriving, can often have an effect. Once you've helped to grow your child's body awareness and they begin to develop confidence in what they've learnt, you can then start to build in and give opportunities to practice some more advanced skills. These include:If you think your child is showing signs of readiness, it’s time to get equipped and be prepared for potty training. Get started by putting out the potty or toilet training seat and explaining what happens next.

Try to stay calm and don’t shout or punish your child if they have a soiling accident. Remember: they are not doing it on purpose.

Games

Ask if they feel worried about using the potty or toilet – some children do not want to poo in certain situations, such as at nursery or school. Children are able to control their bladder and bowels when they're physically ready and when they want to be dry and clean. Every child is different, so it's best not to compare your child with others. As to not taking a pup outside for housebreaking related to immunizations I just find that to be very regressive thinking. You don't go to dog parks or have play dates in the street with random dogs, but close to your home (yard space) for the time it takes the puppy to go is really not a big deal. Hiding their underwear. It’s very common for children to act as if they’re not bothered by their poo problem because they find it embarrassing and feel guilty. Some children may prefer to go straight to using the toilet. If this is your child, get a children’s toilet seat and a step stool to help them to feel secure and relaxed. Having feet firmly on the floor or a stool is the ideal position for fully emptying the bladder and bowel.

Encourage your child to sit on the potty after meals, because digesting food often leads to an urge to do a poo. Having a book to look at or toys to play with can help your child sit still on the potty. When the bowel gets overstretched, a child can stop feeling the urge to pass a poo. It also makes it harder for them to fully empty their bowel when they go to the toilet. the gap between wetting is at least an hour (if it's less, potty training may fail, and at the very least will be extremely hard work for you)The increasing age of potty training is of great concern. There is a clear link between later potty training and bladder and bowel health conditions, which are not being identified early and so become more problematic and potentially chronic,” said Juliette Rayner, head of ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity. Encourage your child to be physically active. For more information, read the physical activity guidelines for children aged under 5 years.