Take the Toilet Training Quiz

Each child is different, so your child may be ready earlier or later. Boys usually are not ready until later and take longer to learn than girls.

It may only take 2 weeks for a child to learn and remember the process. Other children may take up to 6 months to get it right. And that's for daytime toilet use. Nighttime dryness, especially in boys, may take an additional 6 months to a year. For some children, the process of toilet training becomes a power struggle with the parents. This may lead to constipation for the child and frustration for the parents. In this case, it usually is better to stop toilet training and return to using diapers until the child seems ready to try again.

Other things include an ability to understand the words that refer to using the toilet, as well as an ability to tell you that he or she needs to go. A good time to begin the teaching process is in the summer, when a child wears less clothing, or can go for a certain period during the day without a diaper. Any clothing a child wears during the teaching process should be easy to pull down.

Accidents will happen, because your child is still learning. It's important not to punish your child or act disappointed. You should praise any effort that your child makes. If many accidents occur, try setting your child on a schedule. For instance, about 20 minutes after breakfast or dinner, have your child sit on the toilet or potty chair.

Nighttime bedwetting is called enuresis. It is normal and common among preschoolers, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Boys are more likely to have episodes of bedwetting than are girls and to continue wetting the bed until an older age.

The cause of bedwetting is usually a combination of the factors listed, as well as anxiety. Anxiety may be caused by divorce, moving or the birth of a sibling. Children who are being physically or sexually abused may also develop bedwetting. It may also be a sign of disease. Talk to your child's healthcare provider if your child has been dry at night, but suddenly starts wetting the bed.

Whenever a child is toilet training, parents have the child use the toilet just before bed. Also limit the amount of fluids the child drinks just before going to bed. Parents should also cover the child's mattress with a plastic mattress cover or waterproof mattress pad. Every child, when learning, will have an accident at night at some point. Keep the protective cover on until the child is past the accident stage. For a child who continues to wet the bed, bedwetting alarms sense urine and wake the child so he or she can get up to use the toilet, the AAP says. Your child needs to reset the alarm before going back to sleep. These devices are most useful when a child already has some bladder control and has had some dry nights without using the alarm. If your child has difficulty staying dry at night, use a plastic or rubber mattress cover beneath the sheet. Encourage your child to change the sheets him- or herself when he or she wets the bed, but don't do this as a punishment.