One of the biggest mistakes a parent can make when potty training their child is to wait too long to start. Many moms and dads tell me that they expect their child to show signs of readiness before they start. Some moms still say that when the child is 3, 4, even 5 years old. I personally believe that 96% of all children are ready at a much younger age.
I get a lot of moms and dads who say that their child doesn’t speak well or that they don’t understand everything that is said to them. Let me say that your son does not, I repeat, does not need to know how to speak well. He or she doesn’t need to be able to say, “Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom because I need to use the potty.” Baby talk works just as well.
Now, knowing that your child doesn’t need to speak well to be ready for potty training, what are some of the signs of readiness? Well, first you need to make sure that your child does not go to bed with a bottle or cup. This is very important. Besides the fact that it is very unhealthy for a child to sleep with a bottle, children who sleep with bottles or sippy cups cannot wake up dry in the morning, it is simply impossible and will make the potty training process difficult. The second thing is to give your child a simple test. Our Potty Training Guide provides details on this simple test. The guide will tell you how and when to take the test. Children as young as 16 months can pass the test and are ready for potty training. Is your child ready?
