Tips to help potty train your toddler

This story was originally titled "Pottytime" in the January 2006 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue! 

Most children begin toilet training at age two or three, but there's no magic age. How do you know when your tot is ready?

Dr. Cheryl Mutch, a pediatrician in Vancouver, says to look for the following signs.

Your toddler:
• tells you when he needs to go;
• dislikes wearing a wet or dirty diaper;
• understands what a toilet is and how to use it; and/or
• can walk to the toilet, pull down his pants and sit on it.

Tips:
• As soon as your child seems ready, switch to cloth diapers, diapers with a liner or pull-ups; they make toilet-training faster. Disposable diapers are very absorbent, so if your child uses them, he may not know when he's wet.

• Encourage your child to use the potty, but don't push.

• Try stickers such as PottieStickers (priced from $9.99 to $14.99 depending on the store) to track your child's successes. For more information, visit www.pottiestickers.com.

Read more:
• Offering a healthy diet to your toddler
• Understanding preschool behaviour
• Understanding toddler speak