Many parents start weaning their children off the diapers as early as age 1. Although about their first birthday children will curiously do a potty sitting and sometimes succeed in doing what they are expected to until the 18 th month of age it is a pure chance. However, the right time for diapers weaning is between the 18 th and the 24 th month of life, in boys even somewhat later, when the child is mature enough to grasp what he is expected to do. Do not insist on the diapers weaning if the child is not ready yet, but make sure not to reintroduce diapers once the weaning process has started.
We suggest you take off the diapers (nappies) in the summer months, when children are generally more lightly dressed, so that it is easier for them to change their clothes. By all means, choose a few days when you are home with your child, ideally weekend, or some other vacation day, for your weaning adventure. It is essential the process take place in the comfort of well-known surroundings – your home. Go shopping the potty together with the child and let him or her choose the colour he/she likes best. Put the potty in a place in the bathroom (room) where the child can get used to it. Pick several days to talk to the child what the potty is for. Pick together with the child 7 to 10 pants and prepare them for use. The pants with heroes the child loves printed on them prove quite useful. Go and shop a book about diaper weaning, read it to the child as a bed time tale and look through the pictures together with the child.
The moment the child wakes up, take off the diapers, put your child to do a potty sitting and invite your child to pee every fifteen to thirty minutes. If he/she pees into panties, change the pants as if nothing really important had happened. Say “That’s a good girl/boy!” to your child each and every time she/he makes it to “take a dump” in the potty. Be patient! Do not shout! Do not get angry with your child if she/he pees into the panties. In the weaning days, be at home as much as possible or somewhere where your child can pee when invited. Be sure to let nursery and kindergarten nurses and teachers, grandmas and grandpas that your child is in the course of weaning. Tell them about your plan and ask them to take an active part in it. Put your child a night diaper.
Praise your child when present if he/she made it to pee more than once in a potty or if he/she is doing well in potty sitting. Say “That’s a good girl/boy!” if he/she does not wear diapers any more. Let your child be happy for his/her achievement and share his/her happiness with some of his/her mates or family members. In a few days of your perseverance and commitment, your child will pee in the pants once in a while, or he/she will not pee into the pants in daytime. Leave a night diaper still for a while, but not for too long, typically until you have used up the opened package of diapers (a month or a month and a half, after the daytime weaning). In this way, you will minimize the weaning stress. You will enjoy this great achievement together with your child! 🙂
