Nanny To The Rescue: How Can I Tell My Baby Is Ready To Be Potty-trained?

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Our in-house nanny answers your baby, toddler and preschooler questions…

Q: What age is it appropriate to start my baby on potty training? Are there signs I should watch out for to decipher that he’s ready for the potty?

Most children are ready between 22-30 months old. However, potty-training success depends more on physical and emotional readiness than a specific age. Starting the process too early may make it take longer to train your child.

He may be ready if the answers to all or most of the questions below are positive:

-Does he seem interested in the potty chair, toilet or wearing underwear?

-Does he possess mastery of basic motor skills?

-Can he understand and follow basic directions?

-Does he tell you through words, facial expressions or posture when he needs to toilet?

-Does he stay dry for periods of two hours or longer during the day?

-Does he complain about wet or dirty diapers?

-Can he pull his pants down and back up?

-Can he sit on and rise from a potty chair?

If your answers are mostly negative, you might want to wait a little more.

Q: My 5-year-old son who has been potty-trained for over two years has started wetting his bed. Is this normal?

Bed-wetting is not unusual for children this age and often times, they outgrow it. Boys are usually more prone to it than girls.

Notwithstanding, get a paediatrician’s evaluation and advice.

Meanwhile, be supportive, discourage late meals and heavy consumption of fluids in the evening, and wake him up at regular intervals during the night.