The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Toilet Training: Revised and Updated Second Edition

Product Description

The Toilet-Training Book Your Pediatrician Recommends

How will I know when my child is ready? How can I handle bedwetting and other accidents? What’s the best way to make this a positive experience for both of us?
 
Helping your child through the toilet-training process may be one of your greatest challenges as a parent. And when it comes to this important developmental stage, every child is unique. If you’ve been confused by conflicting information from friends, relatives—even other books—here is expert advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the organization representing the nation’s finest pediatricians.
 
Gathering invaluable input and suggestions from a wide range of parents on their experiences with toilet training their children, this revised and updated edition answers parents’ most frequently asked questions and concerns including:
 
• Finding the right developmental moment to start toilet training your child
• Handling the inevitable accidents in positive ways
• Dealing with bedwetting, resistance, and constipation
• Choosing the techniques that will work best for your child
• Addressing the challenges children with special needs face
• Tailoring your training for boys, girls, even twins
• Determining if medication is needed—and the latest on prescription options
 

The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Toilet Training is an essential resource for parents who want the best advice for themselves and the best experience for their children.

About the Author

Mark Wolraich, MD, FAAP, is the Shaun Walters Professor of Pediatrics and the Chief of the Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the director of the Child Study Center.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 1
 
TOILET TRAINING:
A NATURAL PART OF GROWING UP
 
“We’ve only just started toilet-training our son, Andrew, and already I’m confused,” writes Linda, the mother of a two-year-old. “As far as I can tell, we’ve done everything right. Four weeks ago my husband and I bought Andrew his own potty, explained what it was, and put it in the bathroom. He didn’t show any interest in using it—except as a hat—and we were careful not to pressure him.
 
“Then this morning when he woke up, I finally gave in to temptation and asked him if he might want to use the potty today. He looked at me and then started to cry! I couldn’t understand what I’d said to upset him. I didn’t know how to react, so I just gave him a hug and said, ‘Okay, honey, you don’t have to.’ But I wish someone could tell me what’s going on.”
 
If you are the parent of a young child in diapers, you may share Linda’s uncertainty over how best to begin toilet training. You are probably concerned about putting too much pressure on your child by starting too early, or letting him down by starting too late. You may be confused by conflicting advice in the media, on the web, and from relatives and friends, telling you that you can toilet-train your child by his first birthday. Or you may have been told that you should wait until your child is three or four, that you can “train in a day,” or that training should take place gradually over several months to a year. Or you might have read that a parent-enforced routine of regular potty sessions is the best way to train a child, or that it’s better to let the child decide when, where, and how he will go. As if this weren’t enough, your child’s own evolving urges and needs can suddenly derail even the simplest, most positive toilet-training program. Your family situation—marital stress, a recent move to another home, or a new baby in the family—may affect your child’s progress in ways you hadn’t predicted, while your own feelings or memories from childhood may color your attitude toward toilet training and, indirectly, that of your child.
 
Common Questions and Concerns
 
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