If you are preparing your toddler for toilet training, you can:  

• teach your child words such as wee, poo, wet, dry, and toilet to communicate their needs better when the time comes 
• explain and show them what “needing to go the toilet” may look like 
• familiarise them with sitting on a potty or toilet for two to three minutes at a time, even if they don’t necessarily go 
• go to the toilet in front of your child and explain what you are doing if you feel comfortable 
• ensure your child has access to an age-appropriate place to go to the toilet, such as a potty that you can move around easily or a special seat and step for the regular toilet 

Your child may express their readiness to start toilet training in various ways. It is important that you don’t start toilet training prematurely. Starting toilet training before your child is ready may cause frustration and upset your child because they feel they are disappointing you.  

So, how will you know if your child is ready or if it is too early? Here are a few ways they may indicate that they are ready to begin. They may: 

• start to hold their private areas or cross their legs
• say they are doing a wee or poo
• have a dry nappy for two hours or more 
• have regular times of the day when they poo 
• show interest in the toilet 
• be able to follow one-part instructions 
• be able to pull their pants up  
• be able to sit in one position for up to five minutes

If possible, begin toilet training at a time when you will be home often with your child, and there aren’t any big changes coming up. Your child will benefit from consistency. Make the potty or toilet easily accessible.  

Boys can sit or stand when learning to wee. If standing, they will not have developed their aim yet. Be patient and guide them. To simplify toilet training, you can get them to sit down until they are comfortable and then progress to standing. 

Get your child to wear clothes that are easy to remove. This will help you and your child quickly go to the toilet when they need to go and minimise accidents. Summer may be a useful time when clothes may be lighter and looser.  

Learn to recognise your child’s toilet signals or cues, such as holding their pants, crossing their legs or being quiet. If your child says they need to go to the toilet, try to take them straight away. Young children are still developing their ability to “hold it”.  

When toilet training, check if your child needs to use the toilet often. Remind them before and during activities. Your child is often busy with an activity, so may avoid going to the bathroom for fear of missing out. Try asking your child every couple of hours, before naps and bedtime, and before outings. 

Accidents will happen. If your child doesn’t get to the toilet on time or creates a mess, reassure and comfort them as they are still learning to control their bowels and bladders. Not making a fuss about it will help make your child less anxious. If accidents happen, try gently saying: “Oops, you have an accident. Let’s change your pyjamas and get back to bed”, or “It’s OK, it happens, it’ll happen less over time”.   

Praise your child for the positive steps they take and celebrate small wins along the way. This includes efforts and attempts for trying to go. You may like to reward their success by letting them flush the toilet. Give your child no more than five minutes to “try” to go to the toilet. Anymore, and they may think they are being punished.  

Encourage your child to eat a healthy diet rich in fibre and drink lots of water to avoid getting constipated. Constipation can be upsetting or painful for your child, which could make toilet training more difficult.