If you feel pressure to have your child potty trained and its not working out the way you hoped then it might be worth taking some time out to see where the pressure is coming from.

Are you putting the pressure on yourself because your child’s best friend who is 3 months younger is already potty trained? Comparing your child to another is unhelpful at any time because every child develops differently but in the area of potty training it is especially unfair because your child’s readiness has nothing to do with your parenting skills and everything to do with your child’s developmental curve. All children develop at different rates, always have, always will.

Is pressure coming from other family members? If this is the case then it might be worth having a chat with them about it and explaining that many children take longer to train than others and that it is no big deal. You need to make sure that you’re OK with this before you bring it up. If you feel it will help, arm yourself with a few stats that you can use to argue your case that there is nothing wrong with your child.

Do you have a deadline when they need to be trained by, say for kindergarten or daycare? If you’re really concerned about this then it is worth calling the center and chatting to them. You most certainly won’t be the only parent having difficulties. Does it really matter if they start a bit later? Or perhaps the center expects accidents to occur and the act of being there with all the other children as good potty training role models will be the final motivator your child needs to master their own potty training.

Are you expecting another baby and dread the thought of having two children in diapers? It is a good theory trying to get your oldest out of diapers before the next one arrives but if your oldest gets even the tiniest inkling that this is why you are pushing them to use the potty then you’re probably going to have a relapse on your hands, just when you don’t want it. Been there, done that and I have the t-shirt to prove it! A new baby is a time of uncertainty and this is not the time to introduce something else which they may feel will take them away from you.

The same goes with trying to train them before a big trip or extended holiday. Do you really want to be racing for the toilet in an airport with a toddler? Much better to wait until you return home and your routine returns to normal.