Fun video from the popular Family Guy series, featuring Roy Schneider.

Instructional Video On Toilet Training…

Your first goal during potty training is to help your child stay dry through the daytime hours.  Nighttime dryness will come a little later since they won’t be in control of their bodily functions while they’re sleeping.

A routine will help in making your child more confident and comfortable during potty training.  In fact, having your child on a schedule before potty training time can actually make the transition easier.  
By the age of one, your toddler should be on a regular schedule of eating, sleeping, playing and having diaper changes.

These regular diapering times will prepare your toddler for a regular potty schedule in the future. This doesn’t mean that you have to maintain a rigid schedule for years, but your toddler should know that he or she has a regular, natural pattern to each day. This sets your toddler up to succeed when the time is right for potty training.

Make frequent trips to the bathroom.  You can’t force your child to urinate or produce a bowel movement, but you can encourage him to practice. Have your child sit on the potty for 2 to 4 minutes every hour or so. Schedule these sittings close to times your child usually has a bowel movement or urination, such as just after a meal, snack or nap.

Remember that you cannot control when your child urinates or has a bowel movement.

You really need to know when it’s time to stop.  Don’t expect performance at first. If your child can’t urinate or produce a bowel movement after 2 to 4 minutes, it’s time to try later. If your child protests strongly when you suggest s/he return to the potty, don’t insist. Such resistance may mean that it is not the right time to start training.

Let your child learn from you and those around him or her.  Children are often interested in their family’s bathroom activities. It is sometimes helpful to let children watch parents, older brothers and sisters, trusted friends, and even relatives when they go to the bathroom. Seeing these people use the toilet makes children want to do the same.

Make sure your child is an active participant in getting himself or herself dressed and undressed.  Let your child practice lowering and raising their underwear or training pants sometimes, or putting them on and taking them off.

As far as the bathroom is concerned, take steps to keep the door from closing or locking.  To prevent children from locking themselves in the bathroom or closing the door on their fingers, put a towel over the top of the bathroom door. This will stop it from closing.

Potty training boys can be much easier than potty training girls.  Have them try sitting on the toilet before making them stand.  This will minimize sprays and dribbles on the walls and floors – not to mention all over the potty chair!

You should take steps also to respect your child’s feelings and privacy.  Even though they are little people, they do have these feelings.  Potty training focuses on the most personal and private parts of your child’s body so proceed in a dignified respectful manner. Some children need privacy and will not go if anyone is looking or is in the bathroom with them. Respect this.

Expect some fooling around by toddlers. For example, when they go through the phase of saying "no" to everything, their "no" does not always really mean "no." In short, if you ask your toddler if s/he needs to go potty and are met with a resounding "no," this response may sometimes have little to do with your question. This is all part of learning to read your child and becoming familiar with all forms of communication.

In the beginning phases, take your child to the bathroom every hour and then after meals, snacks, and sleep. The obstacle a lot of parents face is that they get into the habit of asking their child if they have to use the potty. Instead, try telling them and then take them. Initiating is often the last step in the process.

Remember that this is probably not going to be an overnight process.  Be patient with your child and back off if it really doesn’t seem to be working.

We agree with experts that a reward system is almost necessary during this important time.

Sometimes, your child is simply not able to gain control of his or her bowels.  Much of this might have a lot to do with his or diet.  If you alter the diet, you may have a better chance of helping your child be able to poop effectively on the potty.

Here are some dietary changes that you may want to look at:

1. Decrease milk products (milk, cheese, ice cream, etc.).1f a doctor recommends eliminating milk products for any length of time, a calcium supplement will probably be recommended.
2. Decrease or eliminate apples, bananas, rice, and gelatin. These are binders. Opt for peaches, instead.
3. Chocolate is a constipating food especially when consumed in quantity. Some medications are, too.
4. Increase whole-grain breads, cereals, muffins, and any other bran foods. Try adding bran to other foods. If your child will only eat bran cereal with milk, and you’re trying to cut down on milk, dilute the milk with water first. Offer graham crackers rather than soda crackers. Roughage, such as lettuce and carbs helps.
5. Possibly decrease fluid intake (milk, juices, sodas) to increase a child’s appetite for bulkier foods. However, remember that fluids are important if you are dealing with constipation and shouldn’t be drastically reduced. Encourage your child to drink water.
6. Try prunes — the old stand-by, and dried fruits (if you can get your child to eat them!). Prune juice can be mixed with a small amount of milk. Encourage your child to eat fruits and vegetables with skins on, seeds, and berries for the fiber value. Fruit nectars are good, too.
7. Expect to wait two weeks or so before seeing a noticeable change in bowel movements after starting a new diet. Don’t resume bowel training until such a change occurs.
8. Very loose stools can also inhibit bowel control but are often a sign of other problems (infection, milk allergy, etc.) indicating that a physician should be consulted. Food allergies causing chronic diarrhea can also cause "wear and tear" making it difficult to have bowel movements.

A diet change may be recommended, but it should be done in conjunction with medical advice. But first just try eliminating apple juice–and other sweet juices — especially if your child drinks a lot, to see if that helps firm them up.

For some children, they can naturally have problems letting go of their feces.  They can often feel like it is something they have made and they don’t want to see it go down the drain – so to speak.  Take heart and listen to what your child is telling you and how they are telling you what they need to express.

Often, your child can benefit from a routine when it comes to potty training.

Praising words can serve many functions for your toddler.  It can boost their self-esteem, raise their confidence, and be a huge motivator for them.  It can also promote an atmosphere of comfort for them.  
Dole out the praise as often as you can – not just during potty training. 

Some people feel you shouldn’t make a HUGE deal out of using the potty, but when you’re trying to reinforce a positive behavior, it has to be up to you.  We made a REALLY big deal every time Conner went on the potty.  It worked for him.

Give physical reinforcement in the form of hugs while you’re giving out that praise.  Clap and say words like "Good for you", "What a big boy/girl", "You went on the potty – YAY!" and such.

Don’t just congratulate your child for going on the potty; praise them when they stay dry too.  Check his/her pants every hour or so and let him/her know how great it is that s/he’s stayed dry.

Some parents have created elaborate song and dance routines to let their child know how pleased they are.  Kids love to be silly, and many adults like to be silly too.  Use this time to explore your own inner child when potty training is occurring.

Praise for jobs well done should be second nature. It’s just too easy to see the "bad stuff" children do when in reality they’re doing a lot more "good stuff" then we give credit for. When it’s time to introduce the potty to your toddler, give it a sunny spin. Make it sound wonderful to be old enough to sit on the potty chair.

Accidents are going to happen.  If your child has an accident, don’t make a big deal about it and don’t get angry.  If you do this, it will chip away at their morale and could start making them feel like they really can’t do the job they’re expected to do.

If your child has an accident, just help them get cleaned up and forget about it.  You may want to say something encouraging like, "It’s alright, and you’ll make it to the potty next time."

Praise your child even if he or she just goes and sits on the potty but doesn’t go.  This will likely occur early in the process, and is a positive behavior that should be acknowledged.

Another important part of potty training is teaching your child about good hygiene.

Some people don’t agree with using rewards as a potty training aid.  They feel like they shouldn’t be given a treat for performing a task that they should be performing anyway.  However, it has been proven that using some type of a reward system will help reinforce behavior and bring about desired results.

Rewards don’t have to be anything huge and amazing.  Remember, you’re dealing with a little person here who thinks it great fun to spin around and around to get that dizzy feeling – they’re easily impressed – especially if you are with them.

Parents who’ve been through potty training successfully report using all sorts of different methods that work.  Your reward system will have to fit your child’s personality and contain incentives that will be important to them.

We mentioned before placing a potty chart on your refrigerator or in your bathroom.  When your child successfully goes on the potty, let them place a sticker on the chart.  If they reach a certain amount of stickers, give them a small prize or a special trip.

Instead of a chart, make a picture of a road leading to a specific place ala the game "Candy Land".  The idea here is to make it down the road by going on the potty.  When they get to their destination, a special treat is given.  Involve your child in making this poster.  It can be a really cute way to teach your child about staying on track while trying to reach a goal.

Of course, candy is a big winner when it comes to potty rewards.  We gave Conner M & M’s each time he would go and this seemed to work quite well.  Other parents use Skittles, small size candy bars, gum, and suckers.  It doesn’t really matter what you use as long as your child really desires it!

If you are unsure about what will work as an incentive, ask your child what s/he would like as a reward. They know what they like the best and if they want it bad enough, they’ll sure work hard to get it!
My son will be mortified to know I’m going to share this, but to illustrate how subjective rewards can be, I want to tell you what worked for us when potty training him. 

When he was small, back in the early 90’s, his idol was Pee-Wee Herman (I know, I know!)  He watched "Pee Wee’s Big Adventure’ and "Pee Wee’s Big Top" over and over again until I thought I would scream if I had to hear that guy’s laugh just one more time.

My mom was shopping the clearance aisle of a discount store when she spotted a talking Pee Wee Herman doll.  Now this doll was a little disturbing looking, but very life-like and uttered Pee Wee’s famous catch phrases when you pulled the string on his back.  My son was enamored.

We let him have the doll to play with for just a day before we put him up on a shelf in the bathroom.  We told him that when he went potty like a big boy, he could play with Pee Wee for a half hour.  That was all he needed.  Two days later, he was fully trained.

So Pee Wee taught him to "pee pee".  Sorry, I just couldn’t resist!

Gradually phase out the rewards as your child’s visits to the bathroom become routine. If you continue to use rewards once they have mastered the task, they’ll start to expect them and may go more often than they really need to.

Keep in mind that rewards don’t always work.  As we’ve said before, every child is different and you have to find what works with yours!

Rewards are great, but the ultimate reward for a toddler can be your approval.

Your little man is sitting with you, watching TV. You take a drink of pop, so does he. You grab a couple of chips, so does he? You get up to use the restroom, so does he? Could it be? Is he ready to start potty training? He just may be. There are a few things to remember if you are ready, or think you are, to train your little boy.

The first thing to consider is if he is ready or is simply wondering about what daddy does in the bathroom.  Pushing him to train just because you are ready isn’t going to do any good at all. Most children will be ready between eighteen months and three years of age. Of course, this is a guideline. Your little one may be early or later than these ages.

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Potty Train Your Child In 5 Hours Or Less

How do you know if he is ready? Well, does he stay dry for at least two hours? Does he make a specific face when he needs to go? Does he get restless? Moreover, the big one- does he ask to wear big boy underwear? These can all be signs that he is ready to learn.

There are several thoughts as to how to speed up the process of training.  Using diapers that pull on and off like underwear, but have the benefits of diapers. Maybe you should try training pants that look like panties, but act like diapers, pulling moisture away from his skin. Should you go straight to underwear and let him know what being wet feels like?

The answer is different for every little man. If he shows interest in wearing in his own underwear, by all means, let him. Take him shopping; let him pick out his own designs. He may think the ones with trains are the coolest when you would have picked out a super hero for him.

One of the best ways to get him to use the potty is by giving him plenty of choices. While in other situations, choices may not be a good thing; here it may be what gets things moving. Let him, chose if he wants to use the big potty, or the little one. If he wants underwear or pull up, type diapers with his favorite character. He may change his mind several times during the course of making the decision, or even through the day. Let him.

Watch for fidgety moments when he is playing. Ask him if he needs to go. If he responds that he doesn’t, give him a few more minutes. Then check again. This time, you may want to tell him now it is time to go instead of giving him the option.

A question that is unique to little boys is the ever present: should he sit or stand? This again is a matter of personal decision and preferences. It may be preferable to let him start out by sitting then move to standing. This may help relieve some confusion when it comes to bowel movements.

Dress him in loose fitting clothes so he doesn’t have to mess with buttons and zippers. Also, be sure to teach him how to wipe, wash up, and flush when he is finished.

The main thing to remember is to have patience with him. While it’s second nature to us, he needs to learn how to tell when to go potty.