Potty training > Potty Training - To Train or not to Train?

Potty Training - To Train or not to Train?

I have always found the notion of toilet training a toddler to be a bit much. I didn't feel right about pushing my girls to do something I felt would eventually come naturally. At three years old, both my girls were potty trained ... not because I read books and raced them to the porcelain each time I suspected they should go. They knew what the potty was for.

They knew when they had to go. They'd figure it out on their own! Well, by golly, they did! Sure, we went a little stupid each time they were successful users of the throne and they got rewards and accolades just like the kids who were put through a regimen of potty training tactics fit for Patton's soldiers. But we never made it a big issue in our house and, consequently, it never became an issue. I've known parents who felt they had to potty train their babies at two or even younger to enroll them in preschool. We, instead, found a great preschool that accepted kids in diapers.

Their philosophy was that the children who were still in diapers would naturally learn to go on the potty by watching the other kids go. I suppose it worked. I never really gave it much thought. Potty eureka just sort of happened around here on its own. I've heard that little girls are easier to potty train than little boys.

Any readers out there care to comment? We'd love to hear from you, especially if you've trained both a boy and a girl. As for bed wetting after four or five years of age, some kids just can't help wetting the bed at night. It seems these precious ones are not emotionally unstable, torn apart by low self-esteem or any other old-wives-tale rationale. They simply do not have the capacity to hold their urine and they are deeper sleepers than most. If you have a child who cannot stay dry at night, there is a remedy.

Please talk to your child's pediatrician..

Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters. She maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com ? http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne?s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

10 Ways to Make Toilet Training Fun & Exciting

Blue & Yellow Make Green - Put a few drops of blue food coloring in the toilet and show your child that the color turns green when he or she pees in the potty!Toilet Targets - Purchase or make toilet targets to teach your child to aim. Musical Potty Chair - Musical potty chairs, such as the Tinkle Toonz, play a tune when your child uses the potty!Potty training Doll - Anatomically correct drink & wet dolls, such as the Corolle or Aquini dolls, help make toilet training fun and easy. This method is recommended by Dr. Phil.Potty training Watch - Make potty time reminders fun and exciting with the VibraLite toilet training watch. The VibraLite watch, which comes in purple or blue, can be set to vibrate every 30 minutes as a fun reminder that it's potty time!Books, Videos, & DVDs - toilet training bedtime stories,videos and DVDs are a fun educational way to introduce toilet training to your child.Charts & Stickers - toilet training charts and stickers are great motivational tools.