Whether or not Freud was right with the idea that bad experiences during potty training can adversely affect a person's development, conventional wisdom still seems to think there is some merit in the notion.

Most folks today believe the best approach to potty training your child is to use consistent training with positive reinforcement. This school of thought is probably of the "if it doesn't help, it can't hurt" variety. This means you cannot get angry when your little boy or girl has accidents. (And believe me, there will be many accidents.)

So with a general approach to potty training in mind, it helps to look into some of the more specific aspects of this critical time in your child's development.

When to start

In general, it's a great idea for the parent to introduce the idea of potty training to a child around 18 months. You shouldn't actually begin the process of potty training until your child is ready for it, as this will avoid frustration on the part of both the child and the parent (see the comment on Freud above).

Experts say a good approach to toilet training is simply to put a potty chair in the bathroom when the child is around 18 months old. That way, the child can get used to it being there without having to use it immediately. Allowing the child to understand and digest (no pun intended, honestly) the idea of potty training before having to put it into practice gives him time to become comfortable with the process and also either the potty chair or the toilet itself.

Potty Training Equipment

Most of the big players in the diaper game have developed disposable training pants to ease the transition from diapers to underwear throughout the potty training process. But many parents have reported that these types of "safety net" undergarments have actually prolonged the process of potty training. So while the diaper manufacturers would hate to hear it, you're better off without these disposable training pants. If your little boy or girl has problems with accidents at night, you can buy wet pads or diaper pads for far less than those specialized "training pants."

Instead, use the money you save on a potty chair that your child will use. Many children are intimidated by the size, shape, or even the sound of a normal toilet, but a potty chair that is scaled down to toddler-size can be much less intimidating. Potty chairs can function as temporary toilets until the child is ready to use the regular toilet.

Once they are ready to use the grown-up's toilet full-time, a small stepstool and even a children's toilet seat cover that fits over the regular toilet seat will make going to the bathroom an easy and eventually mundane task for your child.

Other Potty Training Tips

Many parents with multiple children find that older sibling can be a tremendous help while potty training the younger child. When the younger one sees the older one is able to use the toilet by himself, this will motivate the younger one to imitate the action.

However, the older sibling himself had to be potty trained somehow, and this is where potty training books and DVD's can help. Products like these will take the guesswork out of communicating all the bathroom why's and how's; moreover, they try to make the potty seem fun so that it's less intimidating to little ones.