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By about age 3, most children are already fully toilet trained, although as a toddler your child may have used a potty chair rather than a toilet. In preparation for school, he must get used to using toilets, both at home and away. The first step in this process is to position the potty next to the toilet so that your child gets used to "going to the bathroom." When he has fully adjusted to the potty seat, get a child-size toilet seat for the toilet, and provide a sturdy box or stool so he can climb up and down by himself. This also will give him a surface to plant his feet while using the toilet. Once he has completely and voluntarily made the transition from potty to toilet, remove the potty.

Little boys generally sit down to urinate during early toilet training, but as preschoolers they'll begin to copy their fathers, friends or older brothers, and stand up while urinating. As your son learns to do this, make sure he lifts the toilet seat beforehand. You'd better be prepared to do some extra cleaning around the toilet bowl for a while, since he probably won't have perfect aim for some time. (Make sure the toilet seat stays in the raised position when put there; injuries have been caused by falling seats.)

When Away from Home

Away from home, teach your child to recognize rest room signs, and encourage him to use public bathrooms whenever necessary. You'll need to accompany and assist him in the beginning, but he should become comfortable enough to manage by himself during his fifth year. Whenever possible, however, an adult or older child should accompany him or at least wait outside the door.

He'll also need to learn that, at times, he'll have to use facilities when they're available, even before he feels a strong need. This will make outings and especially car trips much more pleasant. Sometimes, however, a bathroom will not be available when it's really needed, so you may have to teach your child to urinate outdoors. This isn't a problem for boys, but little girls must learn to squat so their feet and clothing are out of the way. You can help your daughter by showing her the appropriate position and physically supporting her as she squats.

Helping Your Child Use the Toilet

During this entire process, you'll need to help your child in the bathroom at first whether at home or away. Plan not only on wiping, but also on helping him dress and undress. Before he goes to school; however, you must teach him to manage entirely on his own. For a girl, that means teaching her to wipe from front to back, particularly after bowel movements, because contact between feces and the urethra or vagina can lead to urinary-tract or vaginal infections. A boy must learn to pull down his pants (if elastic-waisted) or use the fly front. To make this procedure as simple as possible, dress your child in clothes that can easily be undone without help. Although overalls, for example, may be practical in other ways, they're very difficult for a child to get into and out of without help. For children of both sexes, elastic-waisted pants or shorts are generally the most practical clothing at this age. A dress with elastic-waisted underpants will work well for girls.