Potty training a child who has sensory issues can leave you feeling defeated and alone. Watching your friends’ kids beam with pride as they transition from diapers to big-kid underwear can be disheartening, especially when your own child finds the process overwhelming. If you’re wondering how to train a child with sensory issues, remember that the process may take extra time, patience, and flexibility. You may need to try new routines, adjust the bathroom environment, and move at your child’s pace, but there are several ways to support your sensory-challenged child as he learns to say, “I have to go potty.”
Step 1: How to Toilet Train a Child With Sensory Issues by Watching for Readiness Signs
Wait until he is ready. Children with sensory issues often take longer to reach childhood milestones than their peers without this problem. Your child should be physically and psychologically able to understand the concept of going to the commode before you begin training. An interest in the toilet or in what peers are doing in the restroom is an indicator of your child’s readiness for toilet training.
Step 2: Prepare Slowly Before Potty Training Begins
Spend three months in potty preparation. Sudden changes can upset a child with sensory issues. Taking time to introduce the concept is key to success. Take your child to the store to pick out a potty chair. Have your child decorate it with stickers, then leave the potty chair out in the open so the child can get used to its presence.
Step 3: Use Books, Videos, and Sensory-Friendly Rewards
Show your child books and videos that detail the steps in potty training. This will help your child process and conceptualize potty training. Fill a basket with rewards founded in your child’s sensory issues. Some soft wipes, an aromatherapy spray, and a CD of soft classical music turn the basket into a tool for success.
Step 4: Reduce Toilet Anxiety by Giving Your Child Some Control
Empty his diaper into the toilet and have the child decide who will flush it. Children with sensory issues are often fearful of the urine or poop leaving their body. Emptying the diaper into the toilet shows them what is expected. Allowing them to decide who flushes gives them a measure of control over the process, thereby reducing their stress.
Step 5: Build a Predictable Potty Training Schedule
Try a schedule. A hallmark sign of sensory issues is the child’s inability to recognize that she has to go potty. Schedule a schedule every two hours and 20 to 30 minutes after drinking something to help your child begin recognizing the feeling just before going. She will start connecting the feeling with getting to the potty in the future.
