Have you tried potty training your child and it just isn't going well? Some children fight every potty training attempt you will make, while other children are interested in potty training. You as a parent will be able to tell when your child is ready to start potty training. Two or three years of age is the average age for your child to start the potty training process. Here are some simple methods to help make it easier on both you and your child.

1. Start practicing using the toilet around the age of two. Go out and purchase a small potty chair or a potty seat that fits over the regular sized toilet. If you are potty training a boy make it has a shield in front so they do not make a mess. Bring the potty chair into the room that your child spends most of their time in on a day or weekend when you have some free time. Let your child run around in just a shirt with their diaper off. If this nudity bothers you then have your son or daughter wear underwear. If you have them in a diaper they will never get the idea that when they urinate it will run down their legs and make a mess.

2. Clear your schedule before starting to potty train your child. Pick a time when you know that you and your family's routine it least likely to be disturbed with vacations, guests, moving to a new house and so on. Long holiday weekends are a great time to start potty training your little one.

3. Decide what words you will use to describe body parts, urine and bowel movements. Try not to use words like dirty, stinky, or naughty. Using these negative terms can make your child feel self-conscience and ashamed. Talk about urination and bowel movements in a simple, matter-of-fact way.

4. Use your child's favorite action figure or doll on a pretend potty, explaining the baby is going pee in the potty.  Put diapers on their favorite stuffed bear and then eventually graduate the bear to underwear.

5. Discuss with your child the advantages of being potty trained. Talk to them about not having diaper rashes anymore, not having to take time away from playing to have their diaper changed and the wonderful feeling of being clean and dry. Help them understand that potty training is an important stage of growing up.

6. Use books and videos to help your child understand the process of potty training and see other children learning to use the potty. There are lots of books and videos available online or in your local bookstore. Let your child look at their favorite book while sitting on the potty to help the minutes pass by.

7. Get out your calendar and declare a potty day. This is the day that your child would like to start potty training. Use a bright color and circle that date. Keep reminding them that potty day is almost here.

8. Does your son or daughter like to unroll the toilet paper? Try squashing the roll so that the cardboard roll inside is no longer round. This way, it will not unroll as quickly. Also, little ones who are potty training will not get too much paper per pull on the roll.

Usually it takes several practice sessions for a child to understand what they are supposed to be doing and be totally potty trained. Just remember to keep trying, your child will eventually understand and be successful.

Yes, I think disposable diapers make potty training harder. If you look at the average age a child was potty trained even just a generation ago, you can see that kids now take a lot longer to give up the diaper in exchange for using the potty. Lets take a look at some of the reasons that modern disposable diapers make it harder for your child to be potty trained and what you can do to make it easier on him or her.

One of the biggest improvements that has been made in the disposable diaper industry over the last decade, is how quickly the diapers absorb moisture. The obvious advantage of this is that it keeps baby's skin try and prevents diaper rash.

The disadvantage is that your child does not feel when he or she gets wet. There is no uncomfortable wet and squishy thing hanging around his bottom. Everything is perfectly dry and comfortable. So why should your child bother with a potty if there is nothing wrong with peeing and pooping in his diaper.

The disposable diaper industry has of course picked up on this fact and is not catering to the parents of  children 3 to 5 year old. We see pictures of children in this age group on diaper packages, baby and parenting magazines and of course in the diaper company ads. Which brings us to reason number two why children are getting potty trained later.

It has become socially acceptable to have an older child use diapers. Preschools and Day Care Centers are now catering to the parents of these children by allowing children to attend who are not completely potty trained.

There is no social pressure on parents at all to get their child potty trained. Combined with the fact that the diapers don't feel wet anymore, it is easy for parents to miss the moment when their child is ready to give the potty a try.

So, what other options do you have as a parent? You could use cloth diapers for a while to make sure your child feels when he is wet, or let him go in regular underwear with a pair of protective plastic panties over it. If the weather allows, let him run around bare bottom outside, or do the same inside, keeping a close eye on him so you can drag him to the bathroom when needed.

Other than that, just give potty training a try every once in a while. Sooner or later you will catch the right time and get your little one potty trained.

Getting your toddler to perform toileting independently is a welcome milestone for any parent.  Few of us want to be changing diapers much past the child's second birthday. However, children vary greatly in their adoption of the potty routine which is influenced by a child's innate ability, aptitude and maturity. However, there several tips and techniques you can use to hasten the blessed day when your toddler says: "Mommy, I did potty by myself."

1) Get your child ready - explain to your child that it's time to do "pee-pee" and "poo-poo" in the potty. Promote the benefits of being trained such as no more diaper rash, interruptions for diaper changing, being clean and dry. Discuss training as an important stage of growing up.

2) Make it fun  first and foremost, make this a game. Children will naturally resist anything which is not framed as a fun learning experience. Use play, music, toys, and stories as part of the experience to keep the child from getting bored or distracted.

3) Create a ritual try to make the experience repeatable so your child knows what to expect each time and gets into the routine of sitting and staying on the potty.

4) Use props use of books, toys, videos and music all help create an atmosphere of fun and enjoyment which is so essential.

5) Time it right. Try repeating the process every hour for 2 to 4 minutes. If you can do this close to times your child usually has a bowel movement or urination, such as just after a meal, even better.

6) Be prepared - If you are traveling or away from home, bring a folding, plastic adapter ring that fits onto an adult toilet seat is useful. Extra tissue and wipes will be useful in bathrooms that are short on supplies.

7) Give praise give you child social praise for sitting on the potty patiently or for staying dry. If the potty routine is successful, consider some reward (e.g. special prize, book or foods) that are especially valued.

8) Show your child how to clean up - demonstrate how to wash hands and dry hands on a towel.

Remember that training you child takes patience and perseverance.

Staying on task and being consistent send an important message to your child. Above all, don't let your child feel forced. It's important to keep the whole experience fun and enjoyable for the best results.

You're getting tired of changing those diapers, aren't you? It's so great to be able to get your child out of diapers. But, when it comes to potty training, timing is everything. If you start when your child isn't ready, it will just take longer. However, if you miss the right opportunity, your child may resist the process more when you try later on. So, just how do you know when to begin?

First of all forget what your mom told you about having you potty trained by the time you were eighteen months old. She probably just had herself trained to sit you on the toilet at regular intervals, which is not the same as being fully potty trained.

It's really best not to even think about potty training until your child is two. But, for most children, the right time will hit sometime between the ages of two and three.

When your child is ready to begin potty training, he will show an interest. He will begin to want to observe your toilet habits and will ask questions. Explain that big people go to the potty instead of using a diaper. Even if it makes you uncomfortable, let your child go to the bathroom with you and watch. If you have a son, make sure Daddy is taking him to the bathroom with him, too. Daddy will probably resist this, though I'm not really sure why, since public restrooms make public urination a regular occurrence for the average male! There are several good story books on the market about potty training that you can start reading to him your child at this stage, to help encourage an interest in going potty.

There are books geared specifically to boys and those geared to girls, which is helpful.

Another good sign that your child is ready for potty training is his ability to pull his pants up and down by himself. If your child has mastered this step of dressing, potty training will go much more smoothly.

Another important physical sign of potty training readiness is the frequency with which your child urinates. If he is still wetting his diaper every half and hour or so, he is not ready. But, if he's going one to two hours between wet diapers, then he is able to hold his urine, which is critical to being truly potty trained, at any age.

If you think your child is ready for potty training, check out my article in Mommy to Mommy the Truth About Taking Care Of Baby, where I outline some potty training strategies designed to make this developmental hurdle as painless as possible, for you and the little one.