My child refuses to sit on the potty. Can Potty Duck help with that? How?

I often get asked about children who refuse to sit on the potty. Because potty training is different for each child, my answer varies according to why you think the child is refusing. 

• Are they fearful?

• Are they too busy to want to stop their play?

• Has a power struggle started between the parent and the child?

If your child is fearful, playing with Potty Duck can demystify the toilet and help relieve the child’s fears. Laughter and play with the toy is great, simple exposure therapy.  

If your child is too busy to stop their play, I would recommend incorporating potty routines into your daily life just as you have eating and sleeping routines. Potty when they wake, potty after nap, potty before the tub. etc. However, never force a child to sit!  This works best with a younger child just starting potty training.

If a power struggle has ensued (usually an older child), I would recommend backing off the pressure while allowing the child to continue to play with the toy as a way to keep the potty conversation going. Often by taking a couple weeks break the child is more willing to try again.  During this time I recommend frequent diaper changes to help them choose going potty is simpler than stopping their play for the diaper change!