How to Potty Train a Difficult Child

Potty training requires a lot of patience and time. According to the website keepkidshealthy.com, children potty train at different ages ranging from between 18 months and 3 years. Children also train at different paces and using different tactics. When potty training a difficult child, it is important to stay focused on the goal, keep a positive attitude, and to be prepared with plenty of underwear.

Things You'll Need

• underwear
• spare clothes
• rewards
• potty chair

Instructions

1. Look for physical signs of readiness before beginning to potty train. If the child is simply not ready, it will be a waste of time and headache. According to Vincent Iannelli, M.D., writing on KeepKidsHealthy.com, signs of readiness include: staying dry for two or more hours at a time, facial expressions during urination or bowels, squatting and what the child says.

2. Look for psychological signs of readiness. Iannelli mentions a few signs that indicate your child may be ready to potty train, which include: a demonstrated discomfort with dirty of wet diapers, ability to follow instructions, ability to communicate when he needs to urinate or have a bowel movement, or asking to use the potty or wear underwear. Once the child is "ready," regardless of how difficult he is, the process will go more smoothly.

3. Start exposing your child to the potty chair. Some parents choose to allow the child to sit on the potty right before bath time, allowing the water to help stimulate urination in even the most difficult child. Seeing that he can pee on the potty can be a positive reinforcement for the child.

4. Allow the child to wear underwear. Do not use pull-ups during potty training. Pull-ups act much like a diaper and do not let the child feel wet if he has an accident. Wearing regular underwear will not only be an incentive for the child to potty train, but also helpful. If the child wets his underwear, the consequence of wet pants will be motivation to use the potty in the future.

5. Praise the child each time he uses the potty. According to Iannelli, establishing a reward or incentive for potty usage will encourage children by providing them with anything from a lot of attention and praise to a sticker on a reward chart. It is important to provide positive reinforcement to a child, especially if he has shown resistance or has been difficult to potty train.

6. Have the child participate in the clean-up of accidents. Child participation in picking his new clothes, taking the wet ones to the washing machine and cleaning up the mess will help the child to understand the consequences of accidents, making him try harder to avoid that situation.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not punish your child if he is being difficult with potty training. Punishing him or yelling at him will only prolong the potty training process. According to Iannelli, you may tell the child you disapprove of his unwillingness to use the potty.

• If potty training resistance lasts past 3 1/2 years old, consult a doctor for additional training methods or to assess whether there is an underlying problem.

• According to Iannelli, there are many reasons that could cause resistance to using the potty and a difficult time training the child, which include: being scared of the potty, the parent pushing the child too early, prior punishment for not using the potty, a stubborn child dealing with power struggles, or even rare medical conditions.

References

• Keep Kids Healthy: Potty Training Resistance in Children