Potty Training Schedule

Getting started with a potty training schedule and gaining early momentum is far easier when you have a well established routine.

The more consistent your rhythm, especially in the beginning, the more you will exponentially increase your opportunities for success.

Here is a list of times to put your child on the potty each day. Use this training schedule to help you get started right!

• When he or she rises first thing in the morning
• Whenever the potty timer goes off throughout the day
• Right before rest time
• Immediately after rest time
• Prior to leaving the house
• Immediately after arriving back home after an outing
• The last thing before going to bed at night
• When your instincts say it’s time based on your child’s patterns

Starting out with this schedule for toilet training should get your child going #1 and #2 on a regular schedule in no time, but even if it doesn’t, it’s okay. Allow your child to sit on the potty for a couple of minutes at a time. If nothing happens, tell them it’s okay and that they can try again later.

In the beginning, you will want to use the timer. Set it to go off every 30 minutes or so. Once your child is remaining dry for longer periods of time, you will want to add 15-30 minutes to the length.

Never make your child feel unsuccessful when they are unable to eliminate, yet make sure you offer them praise each and every time they do. Sing a song, do a dance, act as though you just won a radio contest with free tickets to Disney World. Give your child hugs, high fives, and stickers for their potty chart. Make them feel success.

In the beginning of your new potty training schedule, it is a best practice to make going to the potty as inviting as possible. If you want your child to feel comfortable, they need to be sure that you are comfortable as well. Whenever you (or any member of the family) needs to use the restroom, try to announce it.

This demonstrates to your child that not only does everybody need to go, but it is something that takes place all throughout the day.

If your child accompanies you to the restroom every time you go, they will be far more likely to have an accelerated training. Children learn by example and there is no substitution for strong, consistent modeling.

At first you will need to remain ultra observant of your child’s rhythm if you wish to best understand it. After about a week, you should have a general idea of your child’s patterns, at least in regard to when and how often they will need to go.

Once you have internalized this potty training schedule, it is only a matter of consistent practice to move them to the finish line.

The end result is to have your child know when they must go potty, control their elimination, and do it on their own. Of course this will not all happen in an instant.

You might want to accompany your child to the restroom in the beginning, and even stay with them the entire time, but as they grow increasingly able to use the potty themselves, you will need to gradually remove yourself from the routine. Of course you can remain right on the other side of the door, but the goal is to get your child to feel confident in their bathroom routine so they can do it by themselves.

Now for the shocker: Even with the best toilet training schedule possible – YOUR CHILD WILL HAVE ACCIDENTS!

It is a rare child indeed that gets through potty training without a single “oops!” Though accidents can feel discouraging, they don’t have to. Understand, potty training is no different from any other life skill learned; we first must fall so that we can best learn to stand.

In the next post, we’ll discuss night time potty training as well as what to do in the somewhat inevitable event of an accident.

Potty Training Power…AWAY!!!