By the time you’ve reached the potty training stage, you’ve probably realised that very young children very rarely maintain an interest in anything for very long. That lack of focus only gets worse when your child is frustrated by failures. So it’s very likely that at some point during potty training, your child will start to lose interest.
One of the ways you can deal with this is to offer a treat, like a special snack, or a small toy if your child uses the potty regularly, or stays dry for a specified time period.
Another way you can encourage your child to stay focused is to make a big deal about being able to wear proper underwear all the time. Young children long to be like big kids, and reminding them that their continued efforts will make them more like the bigger children is a powerful motivator. You could even give your child a special reward, like being allowed to stay up later, or a special trip, if he or she does particularly well.
It’s quite likely that, in spite of your best efforts, your child does not seem focused on potty training. In that case, it’s best to back off for a while. Trying to force your child to potty train can have the opposite effect. He or she may decide that it’s not worth the effort, and it’ll set back any progress even more. Celebrate the victories, and ignore the accidents, and you should find that eventually, things start working the way you want them to.
