Parenting is as joyful as it is full of toils and challenges. As parents, you need to teach kids good manners and proper etiquette, and that task is more formidable and intimidating than the others.
Of course, there is nothing more challenging than potty training and appropriate bathroom use. Parents may balk at the idea of bathroom protocols for their younglings, as this will entail a lot of demonstration, guidance, reminders, and sometimes, the need to take back control.
So how do parents begin the bathroom lessons?
Timing Is Everything
Children have different stages of learning. They do not always have the same level of preparedness to learn new things. Some may be ready for toilet training when they reach their eighteenth month, but others can be late bloomers. Parents should be able to determine if their child is ready for the bathroom protocols by observing signs, such as the child’s ability to follow instructions.
Starting with the Basics
In order to help children gradually get used to this new regimen, parents should make sure to take it slowly. Once the children understand the toileting process, they can be taught to verbally express their need to go to the toilet. Kids should also be able to sit still on the toilet throughout the duration of their business and get off the toilet once they are done.
Discipline Can Make a Difference
As the kids start to use the bathroom on their own, they will get more familiar with the fixtures and fittings, like the toilet, shower, and sink. It is hard to clean up after them all the time, so parents should teach kids how to do it themselves.
Just small things like wiping the toilet seat and throwing the trash in its proper place can help a lot. Although there are bathroom fixtures like Saniflo toilet pumps that can easily deal with things flushed down the toilet, it is still more rewarding to teach kids the art of discipline.
But if things, like sanitary napkins, dental floss, and others get accidentally flushed down the toilet, such installations can make the flushing of waste and be moving the waste water out of the system easier, as it is equipped with a pump that generates pressure. This convenience and efficiency can go hand in hand with proper discipline in kids.
Choosing the Right Method
Should parents go for punishment or reward as a reinforcement in training their kids? This one matters a lot because a motivation factor can make a difference in the whole process.
Most kids do not cope well with punishments when learning because of this, more often than not, leads to intimidation. Praising and acknowledging their success is always better.
Consistency Is the Key
When parents decide to train their children on bathroom protocol, it must be something they are committed and patient enough to do and see through until the end. They cannot start a mandate one day and let the kids have their way the next.
A routine should be established, one that parents can follow through day by day. Otherwise, they will think their parents are not serious at all in implementing rules and guidelines.
Always Remember
Parents should realize how important it is to orient their children early on about the proper bathroom habits. This simple accomplishment introduces the young ones to the idea of independence and the importance of responsibility.
The parents should keep in mind, however, that the training process cannot be accomplished overnight. It will certainly require time and effort not just from them but, most especially, from the children themselves.
