The process of teaching a child begins from the very first days of a baby's life. And it consists not only of various pedagogical methods, but for the most part of ordinary life experience - knowledge of the world by trial and error. That is, the child learns everything that he sees around him. However, there comes a time when the baby has to be accustomed to a special activity that relates exclusively to him. It is on such a topic that I want to stop now. How to teach a child to the potty (Komarovsky and his methodology), what needs to be done, and what actions are best to be abandoned so as not to injure the psyche of your baby - this will be discussed later.
About the readiness of the baby for the pot
While the baby is still very small, he perceives the pot as a toy. This is just an interior item for him. The baby does not yet understand all its significance and necessity. Therefore, do not scold your child if he begins to play with a pot. By the way, it is very important not to miss this moment, because this is a great reason to start accustoming the baby to this hitherto unknown subject. You can try to plant toys on him, try to plant the baby himself. But if the baby rests and cries badly, while you need to leave this venture for a while. Most likely, the baby is simply not ready yet.
It is worth mentioning that if mothers begin to plant their baby on the pot at the age of 8-9 months, and the baby does everything that is supposed to, you can only talk about a well-developed reflex. The kid will write in a pot completely unconsciously. This can be achieved mainly through training (most often if punishment is used). There can be no talk of controlled urination at such a young age. And all because the child’s nervous system is still completely unprepared for this.
More specifically about the numbers
Under the age of one year, a baby potty is not yet a conscious toilet. As mentioned above, it is perceived by the baby, rather, as a toy or interior item. Until the first year of life, a baby can, of course, be introduced to him, but this will practically not affect anything and will only lengthen the time of training. Consciousness, the concept and, most importantly, the first signs of self-control to a baby come about the age of 18 months. For some, this may happen a few months earlier, but mostly later. You need to understand that all numbers are arbitrary. And you just need to know your baby to understand if the child is ready for planting on the pot.
About day and night plantings
Understanding how to accustom a child to the pot, Komarovsky also says that you need to take into account the time of day. If in a year and a half the baby can begin to control the desires of his body in the daytime, then things are not so simple with the night period. At night, children can write even up to 4 years of age. And there is nothing to worry about. After all, the average age of nightly control in children is about 3-3.5 years. Parents should not forget about this.
About child readiness indicators
Often mothers and fathers wonder how to teach a child to potty a year? Is it possible to teach the crumbs such skills? Pediatricians say that there are certain indicators that will tell that the baby is completely ready for planting:
- The pot is not terrible for the child, the baby is not afraid of him and sometimes even tries to sit on it himself, even if he does not lower his pants.
- One of the signs of the baby’s readiness is his ability to walk and sit on his own.
- The next indicator is that the child can tell parents about his desires, the needs of the body.
- The baby understands when adults address him with various requests.
- One of the signs - the child understands the commands of the parents.
- If the child understands the praise and encouragement of adults, he is also partially ready for planting on the pot.
- Komarovsky argues that if the baby shows his displeasure with a full diaper or wet pants, he is also ready for training.
If all these indicators, or at least most of them are present, experts are sure that you can begin the process of accustoming crumbs to your potty.
The time when you should not start learning
It sometimes happens that the child is afraid of the pot, it is uncomfortable for him to be on it. This indicates that the time has not yet come for the first teachings on this subject of the toilet. However, here it is necessary to strictly distinguish between the manipulative behavior of the child and really fear or discomfort. Other indicators that indicate that the first plantings need to be delayed:
- During the nervous tension of the baby or his illness, do not start the process of learning.
- The time of change is not the best hour to get used to the potty. If the family moves, is about to wait for replenishment, etc., this is stress for the crumbs. And training during this period will be completely ineffective.
- And the last point is the lack of the above skills, which indicate the readiness of the baby to plant on a pot.
About choosing a pot
Where should the learning process begin? Of course, with the right choice of the pot itself! What should it be like? Manufacturers today offer a huge selection. It can be a musical pot for children, in the form of a horse or a typewriter, with and without backrest. Dr. Komarovsky advises choosing the simplest one. In this case, the baby will not perceive the pot as a toy. And the music pot does run the risk of developing a reflex to defecate to music, which will turn out to be a big problem. Rules for choosing this toilet item:
- As mentioned above, the pot should be the easiest. The only thing is that you can choose the color that the child likes best.
- The presence of a backrest does not hurt. The baby should be comfortable sitting on his "throne."
- It must be remembered that the legs of the crumbs should be at right angles (or the knees can be slightly raised). This is very important, because otherwise the baby risks making hemorrhoids or fissures of the rectum, constantly pressing her legs on the diaphragm.
- The pot should also be as stable as possible. The baby can spin around while sitting on it, and if it falls several times, it may completely refuse to sit on it.
Stages of potty training: familiarization
So how to teach a child a potty? Komarovsky advises not to rush, but to divide the learning process into several important stages. The first of them is familiarization. So, it’s good if mom goes with her child to buy a pot. The baby will be able to choose exactly what he likes. You just need to remember that you should not doubt the choice of the baby. So, the pot is bought. Now it needs to be placed in a child's room in a conspicuous place. We must try to explain to the child what it is and what this subject is intended for. It is best to illustrate your stories with pictures from books or an example of planting your favorite soft toy on a pot. Do not immediately try to put the child there. Let him get used to the new resident of his room.
First plantings
It is worth remembering that if the child does not sit on the potty, do not insist on it. You just need to forget about this science for a few days and get distracted. And after a while try again. So, the first planting should be carried out in the hours most convenient for bowel movements: after sleep or half an hour after eating. In this case, the result will be visible to the child. And, of course, do not forget that the baby should be praised after what has been done. Encouragement by children is perceived very positively.
If for the first time the child does not want to take off his pants and sit on the pot, you can not demand this yet. Well, if the baby at least sit on this subject. This period generally takes from one week to 10 days.
Conscious hikes
We understand further how to teach a child to a potty. Komarovsky says that if the baby is no longer afraid of this interior item and calmly treats it, you can plant it more often. About every 2-3 hours. Often, mothers call this period “catch the popis”. That is, parents are just trying to catch the moment when the child may want to defecate. This must be accompanied by questions about whether the child wants to write. They need to be formulated in a form convenient for their crumbs. This stage also lasts approximately ten days.
However, you should not be fully attached to the numbers. After all, all children develop in different ways, each baby requires a certain time for learning. For some, the whole learning process can take a month and a half, and for others, for as long as six months.
About training and quick learning
Some parents are sincerely convinced that it is possible to accustom crumbs to the pot very quickly. Especially after reading articles "teach a child to potty in 7 days" or the like. You can, of course, do this. However, only intimidating his baby. Yes, many parents boast that their children already ask for a pot every year. However, they will never tell anyone at what cost they achieve this. If you beat and scold the child after each urination in your pants, keep the crumbs for half an hour on the pot until you see the result, you can quickly learn, of course. But is it worth it to scoff at your child, distorting his psyche from an early age? What to do in this case - only the parents of the crumbs decide.
How not to discourage the baby from going to the potty
There are three main taboos that all parents should remember:
- You can not insist and force the child to sit on the potty if he does not want to do this.
- It is strictly forbidden to keep the baby on the pot forcibly.
- You can not scold the baby for peeing in his pants. At first, it will be very difficult for a child to control the urge of his body.
If the parents made at least one of the above mistakes, they risk discouraging the baby's desire to land on the pot. You also need to remember that this behavior of the child may be the most common protest against the violent actions of adults. There will definitely not be any sense from this.
About diapers and a pot
How much is a pot for children? Its price depends on many factors. The cheapest of them costs about 100 rubles, and there are no upper bounds on the cost. But, having bought this toilet item, you need to remember that there is no need to abruptly refuse diapers. Moreover, pediatricians argue that wearing them does not affect the process of accustoming to the pot. For the first time, diapers will be needed for night and daytime sleep. It is also difficult to do without them on a walk. But gradually you still have to give up diapers, but only not to the detriment of the child.
As a small conclusion, I want to say that whether a child has a pot with a back, in the form of a horse or a musical one, the entire learning process depends only on the parents. It must be remembered that it is important to be patient and calm. You must also be consistent in your decisions. That is, deciding to teach your baby, you need to do this regularly, without arranging yourself or a tiny vacation for a day or even a week. And most importantly, the whole process in a child should be coupled with a good mood. Only in this case, the result will not be long in coming, and the learning process itself will take place without the tears of the child.