Once a child consistently uses the toilet at home and school, they may be ready for underwear. Start by having them wear cloth underwear at home for a few days before transitioning to school. Pull-ups can delay progress since they feel like diapers, so direct transition to underwear is often best.
To support toilet learning, all caregivers (parents, teachers, babysitters) should follow a consistent routine. At First Circle, teachers take children to the bathroom regularly, provide reminders, and encourage independence. Establish a predictable schedule at home and school, including:
Avoid clothing that’s difficult to remove, like onesies, buttoned pants, and overalls. Instead, use elastic waistbands to promote independence. Keep extra underwear and clothing available at school.
Accidents are part of learning. Respond calmly by reassuring the child, helping them change, and avoiding shame. If a child continues to struggle for weeks or shows no interest, they may not be ready—pause and try again later.
Toileting gives children a sense of control. Avoid excessive praise or disappointment, as this can create resistance. Instead of asking, “Do you want to go potty?” say, “It’s time to sit on the toilet.” Never force a child to sit if they resist.
Rewards like stickers or small prizes can encourage success. Use a potty chart tailored to your child’s motivators, celebrating milestones like:
Avoid large rewards and never take earned incentives away. Encouraging phrases like, “That’s OK, we’ll try again next time,” help maintain a positive approach.
With patience, consistency, and encouragement, your child will master toilet learning successfully!
Medically speaking, the physical bodily mechanisms that enable a child to hold urine during the day are not the same as those used while sleeping. There may be a delay, sometimes a significant one, between when a child has mastered holding their urine during the day, and when their body is able to hold urine for the duration of sleep. Until a child can hold their urine consistently while sleeping, we suggest the use of a diaper or pull-up for rest time. By six years old, 90% of children do stay dry at night.
It’s best to think of nighttime dryness as a separate but related milestone on a toilet learning timeline. It’s completely normal for it to take months, or even years, longer for a child’s body to mature enough for reliable nighttime dryness.
If a child is over three years old and shows little interest in the toilet, you can encourage interest by working on self-help skills (like dressing and undressing), changing your child in the bathroom and talking excitedly about how to use the toilet. Modeling bathroom behavior and using phrases like “Let me know next time if you’d like to try the potty,” “Someday it’ll be your turn,” and “Maybe next time you can try the potty if you want,” can help increase interest, as well. It can also be helpful to offer a child a book to read or song to sing while he or she is sitting on the toilet.