Somewhere between 18 and 36 months old (usually), both you and your child will be ready to begin the toilet training process. In the previous Issue 335, we discussed the readiness signs to look for (read it online at www.challengenews.org/showstory.php?i=2011/may&s=story_3).

If you are able to, it’s a good idea to set a start date and then clear your schedule as much as possible. It’s important to be home as much as you can to improve the chances of success. Remember that every time you put them back in a nappy, the process is prolonged. Obviously there will be times when you need to go out. There is still shopping to be done, siblings to be picked up from school and people to visit. Try and limit outings as much as possible and get people to come to you. We would still put our little ones back in a nappy for nap time and night time initially as you don’t want to be changing bed sheets every day. Other than that, we want to give our toddlers every opportunity to got o the toilet.

Once you decide, don’t turn back! If a child senses that you are not fully committed to this process, they will not be as committed themselves. Mark a start date on your calendar. Make the build up to that date exciting. Go shopping for ‘big boy’ or ‘big girl’ underwear. Buy some treats. Drop some carpet cleaner into your shopping trolley, just in case! Buy some food that is higher in salt like potato chips and some juice. We wouldn’t normally recommend buying salty food and too much juice but I’ll explain why in next month’s article! Finally, take a photo of them standing in their new underpants. They will love it now and it will be a great thing to bring out at their 21st birthday party!