By 4-5 years old, your child should be potty trained. Gone are the stacks of diapers, which have been replaced by “big-kid” underwear. There may still be an occasional accident, especially if your child is excited about being at a new place or event and forgets to listen to her body. But for the most part, she will let you know when she needs to go, or just go ahead and use the potty on her own if she’s in a familiar place.

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Play Tips:

How can you support your child’s development of this Self-Concept skill at this age? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Nighttime training may be a different story. Don’t worry if nighttime training takes longer than daytime training. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 40% of children still wet the bed, even if they may be fully day-trained. Their bodies have simply not yet matured to the point where they will wake up if they have to go. (Fortunately, this is mostly just true of urination–nighttime bowel control happens earlier!) If your child wets the bed, respond as you would to any other toilet training accident–calmly!–and get her cleaned up and back to bed. You may want to keep her in training pants at night until this passes.
2. Use the potty your child is most comfortable with. Don’t rush to insist that your child use a grown-up potty. You may want the extra space back in your bathroom, but remember that your child has gotten used to her special potty and may need it for a while longer. Talk to her about how she feels about using the “grown-up” potty and try to find ways, like having a step stool handy, that would make it easier for her to use.
3. But my child is still not potty trained! If your child has not been potty trained by this age, talk to your doctor about it. Occasionally, there is a physical reason that using the potty is challenging. Or, there may be a source of stress, like moving to a new house or a new baby joining the family, that’s making it difficult for your child to focus. Your pediatrician will have the best advice for how to proceed.

(Playful Bee is launching our new DIY Preschool from Birth program! Click here to enroll.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Self-Concept developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Is more proficient with self-help skills.
• Uses the toilet on his own.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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