One of the key tasks all tots must face, in tandem with parents, is potty training. It’s something we all had to master as toddlers and therefore we know it’s 100% achievable — despite it sometimes seeming to be rather a challenge. Achieving success, though, will improve the quality of life for the child, the parent, and other guardians involved in the child’s care. Learning to master the use of the potty and later the toilet will also be a major boost to self-confidence and independence when the child is at nursery, preschool, and later school. With that in mind, today’s guide outlines our top tips for successful potty training.
First: Some Toileting Milestones
Appropriate timing for starting potty training varies from child to child and situation to situation. That said, the following are rough guidelines for the milestones for many:
- Most tots stop doing number twos at night by the age of 12 months.
- Between 2 and 3, some children become dry during the day.
- By the age of 4, most are completely dry during the daytime.
- By the age of 6, most are avoiding accidents during both the day and nighttime.
- Some children, however, may still wet the bed at night beyond the age of 5.
Children cannot help occasional accidents and may indeed be upset by them. It’s essential, therefore, not to scold them or make a fuss about such incidents.
When Should You Begin Potty Training?
Children become ready for potty training at different times — every child is different in that respect, with some starting as early as 18 months and others not training until the age of 3. That said, the majority of little ones begin potty training between the ages of 2 and 3. There are some signs to look out for that will help parents decide when the time is right and we’ll look at those below.
One of the biggest clues that a child is ready to begin potty training is when they become obviously aware of what’s in their nappy. They may, for example, take a peak when being changed, or make it clear they are not comfortable when in need of a change. It could also be as simple as indicating that they are aware when they’re going to the loo in the nappy. Some children may show this by going somewhere quiet and more private when going. Others may do the opposite and make strong eye-to-eye contact with a parent as if to let them know that something is afoot! Such awareness may be key to starting potty training.
Children may also take a lead from parents/relatives or even other children:
A 2½-year-old, who had begun potty training, recently wanted to sit on the “big boy’s toilet” because he’d seen slightly older children doing so at nursery. This was a toileting turning point following what had been, until then, quite a challenging process. (Anecdote from a parent)
There are some practical considerations too. For example, quite a few parents will begin potty training in the warmer months of the year. At such times, there will be fewer clothes worn by children day-to-day, less, therefore, to wash if an accident happens, and likely a working washing line outside to dry everything on. So, by starting during the summer, you can cut down on the workload and potentially save on water and energy.
Encouragement
Ensuring children understand the language around toileting is helpful, of course. So, it’s healthy to help children learn the various terms involved, whether talking about a potty, wee-wees, or anything else. Learning appropriate words will empower children to ask for what they need, at appropriate times.
Getting them involved when shopping for toileting products may also give them a deeper interest in potty and toilet training. For example, they may like the look of a potty with a dinosaur on it, or perhaps one featuring their favourite TV character. Other children may like the idea of one of those potties that plays a song when it’s been successfully used.
If there are challenges, families can often get some great success using a reward system. When the youngster successfully uses the potty, they could be awarded a sticker on a colourful, fun-looking potty training chart. Such things are available commercially if you do a quick web search. Another type of reward to be used sparingly could be to award the child a piece of their favourite snack when successful. There’s no doubt this works as an incentive for some little ones.
Another method of encouraging toddlers to use the potty is to walk the child to the potty every 30 to 60 minutes to see if they’re ready to go. The length of time between visits can be gradually extended once that’s working. Visits to the potty are also wise before and after bedtime, following daytime naps, and immediately after mealtimes.
Potty Training/Toileting Aids
Various toileting aids may help with potty and toilet training. Examples include:
Potties with designs that are attractive to toddlers e.g. dinosaurs, licensed TV characters etc.- Musical potties where a sing-along song is activated on successful use.
- Portable travel potties — some look like a child’s travel case.
- Clip-on trainer seats, which attach to adult toilets.
- Steps to help children reach trainer seats attached to toilets, also allowing them to reach the sink to wash hands afterwards.
- Pretend toilets and potties that children can use to ‘toilet train’ their own dolls and toys. Such activities can greatly encourage little ones in their own toilet training.
- ‘Pull-ups’, which are somewhere between nappies and pants/knickers. These may be useful early on or when a child still has occasional accidents but no longer wears nappies.
- Interestingly, toilet training-themed videos, books, games and songs can also be useful tools to encourage little ones when toilet training as they ‘normalise’ the process.
More Tips for Potty Training Success
Only start potty training when your child shows signs that they’re ready. (See the When Should You Begin Potty Training? section above for details).- It’s best to start during a quiet time, so there are no distractions.
- Set a potty training schedule and try to stick to it, so you’re consistent in your message.
- Try to ensure that your potty training schedule does not conflict with your child’s existing routines.
- Make potty training fun! (See the Encouragement section above for ideas).
- Let your child choose their own potty at the store.
- Buy more than one so you have one in each bathroom/cloakroom and a travel potty.
- Keep a potty in the bathroom and encourage your little one to use it (or initially even just sit on it) when you pay a visit yourself.
- Reward your child when successful. Sticker books using fun stickers and a colourful toileting chart can work wonders, for example.
- Praise your child and their output – it will encourage them.
- Accidents will happen but don’t make a fuss when they do. Potty training needs to be as stress-free as possible for little ones.
- Last but not least, remember to encourage good hygiene in your toddler, through handwashing etc.
We hope that our potty training tips are useful and help your child transition smoothly. As we said before, success will lead to more self-confident, independent, and happy children. What’s more, it will also improve the quality of life for parents and caregivers.
An Outstanding Childcare Service in Central Lancashire
We are an outstanding nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley
We are an outstanding nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, near Chorley and offer babies and children under five the very best start in life in a warm, nurturing, home-from-home environment. We also support a range of Government-funded hours and childcare schemes for eligible families. If you’d like to explore a possible childcare place for your child in perhaps the best nursery in Central Lancashire, please get in touch:
As well as being perfectly located for babies and children under five in Clayton-le-Woods (PR6) and Chorley, Little Acorns Nursery is also convenient for those requiring childcare in nearby towns and villages. These include Clayton Brook, Clayton Green, Thorpe Green, Pippin Street, Buckshaw Village, Whittle-le-Woods, Farington, Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall, Euxton, Leyland and Penwortham.
As we discussed in our recent post 
Designate an area in your home for play. It doesn’t need to be elaborate — even a corner with a few age-appropriate toys, books, and art supplies may be sufficient. Ensure, of course, that the space is safe and free from hazards before your child embarks on their play activities.
Outdoor play also offers a wealth of learning opportunities. It promotes physical health, stimulates the senses, and allows for unstructured exploration, which all contribute to holistic development. Take your child to the park, explore nature, or simply play with them in the back garden if you have one. Outdoor activities will also foster an appreciation for the natural world. Indeed, we wrote a whole post about 
Reading is a wonderful way to support learning through play. Choose age-appropriate books, of course, and be sure to engage in interactive storytelling. Ask and encourage questions about the story, encourage your child to predict what might happen next, and ask them what they might do if it were them in the story. Books and reading teach children so many things and, like pretend play above, truly encourage their imaginations and get their creative juices flowing. 
Arrange play dates with other children or involve siblings in play activities at home. Social play helps children learn essential social skills like cooperation, sharing, and conflict resolution. It’s also a great way to make new friendships, learn from each other, and become a closer member of friendship circles.
By mid-November, autumn is in full swing and leaves are turning a myriad of different colours. Scenes of green, yellow, red and golden trees can be breathtakingly beautiful and the air is often crystal clear at this time of year — that’s great for photos! The autumn season also brings with it a treasure trove of fascinating natural things that children can discover if they take the time to look. Indeed, an autumn nature hunt is the perfect excuse for little ones to spend some time outdoors, where they will also 
Ensure children, particularly the very young, receive appropriate adult supervision at all times. Although fascinating and fun, the outdoors holds many hazards for the unwary. Therefore, children will need to be closely monitored by a responsible adult in order to safeguard their well-being.
Today’s flower-growing children’s activity follows on nicely from last month’s 
It’s possible to sow wildflower seeds from March right through to mid-October or, at a push, early November so long as snow or frost is not forecast. Those sown closer to March and April will generally flower in late spring/early summer. Those sown very late in the year will flower the following year, from spring onwards. Any sown up to and including the middle period, for example during July, should still flower in the same year — wildflowers usually bloom some 60 to 80 or so days later if they’re timed to grow in the same year as they’re sown.
There are several ways for children and families to source wildflower seeds. The most obvious way is to buy them commercially, in seed packets. These are available from any number of different outlets including nurseries, supermarkets, 
If you buy your child commercially-available wildflower seeds, the information on the packet will often say if the resulting flowers are bee-friendly, butterfly-friendly, good for pollinators, and so on. So, if you’re sourcing seeds that way, much of the decision-making criteria around which actual flowers to grow is made clear and therefore the choice is easy.
By their very nature, wildflowers are generally not very picky in regard to the type of soil they are happy to grow in. Therefore you/your child will have a greater choice of where to sow the wildflower seeds. A fairly clear sunny area is good, whether that’s garden beds, flower pots, window boxes, grow bags on a balcony, or even the lawn itself if you want a wild ‘meadow’ type lawn. Whatever the choice, it’s best if it’s somewhere that won’t be disturbed by you/the family though, as you wouldn’t want the wildflowers trampled once they do arrive.
With regard to sowing the seeds, follow any seed-specific instructions on packets in relation to timing and spacing. If you’re using self-harvested seeds or there are no instructions, simply sprinkle the seeds so they’re spaced, fairly evenly, i.e. not too densely sown. This will avoid the wildflower plants having to compete with one another once they start growing. A tip is to sprinkle from a height as this will naturally scatter them more widely. Once scattered, your child can help* to pat the soil surface down, either by hand or using the back of a tool like a spade or a trowel, so that the seeds are secured in the soil. Children can even ‘walk’ them in if they prefer. Once complete, ensure that you/your child keep the soil damp over the coming weeks. The preparation stage really is as simple as that!
Today, we look at how early years childcare providers like Little Acorns Nursery can help children under five if they have special educational needs and disabilities. This is often referred to as ‘SEND’ or in longer forms like ‘SEN and disabilities’. Let’s explore the topic to get an overview of some of the help available.
Actually identifying an area of special need or disability is, of course, the first, crucial step in being able to help a child. If an area of special need is suspected, early years providers can work with parents and sometimes other professionals, for example health visitors, speech and language therapists, paediatricians and so on. Involving such professionals will help with any diagnosis.
This is important. Early years providers can create an inclusive environment that welcomes and supports children of all abilities. Encouraging the inclusion of children in social groups and in the making of friends, for example, is of huge benefit to children’s well-being. Childcare settings can also provide special equipment or adapt the environment to make it more accessible for children with specific physical needs.
Early years providers like Little Acorns Nursery adapt the individual learning and development plans and activities to suit each child. In this way, they’re custom-designed to meet the needs of every child individually, including those with special needs. This is done as a matter of course as part of 
Later, each child will similarly have an ‘EYFS profile’ completed during the final term of reception year. However, as we’re focusing this article on children under five, we’ll not go into detail about that here.
It may be useful for parents and carers to note that local authorities have a duty to publish what’s known as a ‘Local Offer’. This outlines the help available in the area for children with SEND, including how to access that support.
