Some children respond to both day and night potty training simultaneously, but for the most part day potty training is the most effective to begin with. Then, as your child begins to master daytime potty training you might consider introducing nighttime training. Generally, the following outline of potty training works well for most children.

First, begin with daytime potty training. Introduce your child to the potty, set up a reward system, and begin praising your child for each successful trip to the potty. Keep in mind that your child will have some accidents while potty training and you should just take these in stride. Also let your child know that he is learning and it is ok if he doesnt get it right the first time, but as soon as he feels the urge to go potty to let you know or go on his own. While your child is potty training you will probably want to use training pants or pull-ups. That goes for at night, too. However, your child might feel as he is succeeding with the potty during the day that he wants to wear big boy underwear. He may also refuse to wear pull ups at night. So, here is how you should handle the situation.

Let your child know that he is sleeping with big boy underwear on and that it does not like pee or poo. So, if he wakes up at night it is ok to yell for you to help him go to the potty. More than likely your child will sleep through several accidents and cause some extra sheet washing for you, but nighttime potty training will occur in its own time. Using a plastic sheet underneath your childs regular sheets will help protect the mattress. Remember, to always support your child and praise him for successful potty training. But, if night training is not going very well tell your child that he must wear a pull up until he has seven dry nights in a row. At that point he can start wearing big boy underwear to bed. Many times this will work without too much resistance to ensure that your child gets the hang of nighttime training without having too many accidents!

If you are lucky then your child will be able to daytime and nighttime train at the same time. But, the majority of parents dont find this the best way to go about it. Generally, children will learn to go potty during the day and as they gain confidence then nighttime potty training may begin. You really have to gauge your child and see what is working for him and what is not. No child is the same so dont let stories from other parents, even your own, affect your decisions. Make sure your child is in charge of potty training and you simply support him whenever he decides he is ready to learn to potty train whether at night or during the day.

There are many reward systems out there that work well for potty training. Of course, you will want to take your child into consideration when thinking of the different reward systems out there because you want to use one your child will be responsive to.

Parental Praise
One of the best reward systems for potty training is parental praise. Many times parental praise on its own works wonders with potty trainings and other types of reward systems are not needed. However, if you do find that parental praise is not cutting it alone you might want to add a reward system. You must keep in mind, although, that even if another reward system is implemented it should never take the place of parental praise. Your child needs your support, love, and encouragement at all times and especially when potty training so keep this in mind. Try really encouraging your child to begin with and if you see this is not working alone then consider one of the following reward systems.

Stickers for Gifts
A great reward system for potty training that has been successful with many different potty training children is the stickers for gifts system. With this system you only need to buy a calendar, or make one, and some stickers to begin with. Make sure you hang the calendar in the bathroom or wherever your child uses the potty. You want to make sure that your potty training child will be able to see the calendar and his/her progress each time he/she goes potty.

After each successful visit to the potty you want to make sure you and your child put a new sticker on the calendar. You might consider giving two stickers at first if your child has a BM in the potty as this is sometimes the more difficult part of potty training. The sticker system you come up with will depend on your child. You might want to start off with a very easy prize like the first 3 stickers your child earns he receives a reward. This reward should be something that he really loves, but try and stay away from food. Perhaps a trip to the pet store, a playground, or picking out a new book will work for your child. Then, make the next set four or five stickers and so on and so forth. You cant get into giving your child a big reward for each potty event so be careful about starting out that way. Be sure to explain the reward system to your child as well. And always engage in parental praise after a successful trip to the potty. Your child needs to know he/she is making your proud!

Small Toys
Some parents find their children need immediate gratification after using the potty. For these parents having a container of small stuffed animals, little toys, mini books, and maybe even big girl or boy underwear on hand will work wonders. After your child goes to the potty he/she gets to choose a prize from the container. The only drawback to this is that sometimes your child will try and go potty more often than he/she needs to in order to get a prize. Make sure you talk to your child about this up front and having guidelines and rules ahead of time so everyone is on the same page.

Many parents fear potty training because they want to ensure their children learn how to use the potty as soon as possible yet they dont want to fail. As a result some parents result to bribing their child to use the potty. This might work for some but more than likely will cause more problems in the future. An award system, however, does work and is a little more matter of fact than bribing. You can talk to your child about using the potty and that is what grownups do. Explain that accidents might happen while your child is learning and that is ok, but for every successful use of the potty your child will win a sticker. You want to keep track of this on a calendar so your child has visual stimulation of progress and the eventual prize. You may need to start low with three stickers or even two so your child receives an immediate prize and then gradually move the sticker count up. There are some great techniques to offer rewards to your child for using the potty, but try to avoiding bribing completely.

Whats the Best Reward?
The reward for you is that your child will be potty trained so take your time and be patient. The day is coming! Give your child a sticker with each successful use of the potty and explain that when a certain amount of stickers are achieved your child wins a prize. This prize should be something like a new book, a trip to the pet store, an afternoon at the park, baking with mom, an overnight with grandma, and other similar ideas. Try not to encourage your childs bad eating habits by offering candy. This will result in your child trying to use the bathroom every five seconds just to get a piece of candy. You might need a jar of small toys at first to help the potty training process along, but be careful in the reward system you set up. You want something that will work well during potty training but not something your child will rely on forever.

What the Doctors Say
There are many doctors that believe the reward system is worthwhile and works very well while there are others that say children will learn to use the potty when they are good and ready. So, where does that leave you? It leaves you choosing sides with different doctors or else using a potty training formula that works for your child. Not all kids are the same and what works for most couples might not work for you. Just keep this in mind and be patient. You may have to change your tactics several times in order to find the best system for your kid, but in time you will and your child will be potty trained. Just be patient, kind, and allow your child to take their time while always being supported. The day will arrive when you no longer have to worry about diapers, but take one day at a time until you reach that point.

Lots of first time parents approach potty training as a skill that can be taught fairly quickly. In fact, many parents want to know if potty training can be accomplished in one week. The general response to this question is no, although there may be some toddlers out there who are physically and psychologically ready to be fully potty trained in one week.

In general, while toddlers are showing interest in using the potty their bodies are still growing and are not 100% effective at letting them know when they have to go to the bathroom. The result of this is accidents and a child who is learning to use the potty but who is not there yet. Most children take about eight months to be fully potty trained so the hope of dedicating one week to potty training really is a bit off.

Also, most children learn to day potty train really fast. In fact, you may be able to fully train your toddler to use the potty during the day in a weeks time and have positive results. The problem will arise with nighttime training as this is more difficult not to mention children are generally older when they are fully nighttime potty trained. If you can achieve full nighttime potty training in one week then there are probably lots of parents out there who want to know your secret!

There are of course children who develop quicker than others and the result is that they are capable of being fully potty trained in a short period of time. However, if you buy a program on one week potty training or read an article on the Internet explaining how it is possible and then it fails for your child dont blame it on your child. Instead, blame the failure on yourself for believing a normally long process could be achieved so quickly and easily.

Always keep in mind that children should be the ones who initiate the potty training process. If you wait until this period of time then you will certainly see that potty training is achievable in a much shorter time period than if you were to try and start potty training when your child is not ready. Just keep in mind that potty training is a long process that requires a lot of love and patience eon the part of the parents and the child. Then, if you are able to achieve full potty training in one week good for you. If not, you werent really expecting fast results anyway and you are not let down and wont take out any aggression on your toddler.

Potty training is not an easy task and more parents are realizing that potty training is most successful when initiated by the child. So, more parents are waiting for the child to become interested. The years pass and before you know it you have a four year old who is not potty trained. With many other children being potty trained at two or three you might wonder if your four year old should be potty trained by now. The following information will help you get a good idea about potty training and at what age you should be worried.

What Age is Best for Potty Training?
Once upon a time parents believed their children should be toilet trained by a specific age or else there was a problem. Unfortunately, this practice actually caused more problems and accidents with children who were not ready to be potty trained. Today, doctors and parents realize that children will show interest when ready to potty train and this usually occurs around two to three years of age. Each child is different and should never be pressured to use the potty. Of course, it can be difficult for parents not to pressure their children to learn to use the potty early especially if they are receiving pressure from their parents or that preschool is about to begin and potty training is required.

By the age of four most children are potty trained during the day while nighttime wetness may still occur. However, if your four year old is not yet potty trained this is not necessarily a problem. It might just signal your four year old is maturing slower than other children. Although, if your four year old child does not begin showing interest in the potty soon or is not responsive to any incentives offered to use the potty then perhaps you should take her to a doctor.

This is not to say your child has a problem, however there could be some underlying factors keeping your four year old from the potty. This could be too much pressure from the parents, a fear of the potty, constipation, a cautious personality, fear of failure, or even physical problems. So, at this age you want to offer your child incentives to use the potty and always be very matter of fact. You dont want to criticize your child ever when potty training but always offer support.

Whats Next
If your four year old is not potty training and you have been trying for a while then consider taking a break and then reinitiating potty training with a new concept. Or, if you have just been waiting for your child to decide to use the potty and this hasnt happened yet then perhaps you want to suggest it. You could buy a fun new potty decorated with Dora or another favorite character of your childs and then say the potty is hers/his and waiting for them to try it out. You may also offer rewards, praise, and encouragement but never reproach your child for accidents or be forceful. Potty training should be taken one step at a time and in a very calm manner. If you arent pressuring your child then you wont have power struggles and will likely find potty training more successful.