Oh, the land of potty training! It's like suddenly everyone in the family starts living in the world of pee and poop and going to the bathroom becomes a family affair.
Your child may or may not really be ready for this big transition, but you are.
If you want to watch your kid leave the diaper days behind in a reasonable amount of time, you'll have to realize that kids in potty training need certain things in order to go at it successfully.
Are they ready? First off, there's no particular age a child will be ready for potty training.
Just like any other developmental milestone, some kids will get there quicker than others.
Anything from 18 to 40 months is quite common, and that's quite a range! There are many signs that your child may be ready, including:

• Visible discomfort when they've wet or soiled their diaper
• Pointing to, or patting, their diaper when they want to be changed
• Staying dryer for longer periods of time, indicating improved bladder control

Trust your instincts, but don't feel rushed.
Preparation Potty training can take many different approaches, but it is usually a good idea to familiarize your child with the potty first.
Let them sit on it fully clothed and tell them that it's their special little chair.
If you can find some stickers of their favorite cartoon character, let them decorate the outside of it themselves.
Keep it in their usual play areas so they see it as something fun.
Some kids don't like potties, so getting them attached to it early on is important.
Next, stock up on children's underwear, again with a favorite cartoon character if possible (you'll need quite a few pairs!) and wipes.
Then pick a day when both parents are around, such as a weekend, and go for it! What to expect All children are different, and some will be upset if they can't wear their diaper any more.
Make a game out of it, and let them try out all the different colored pants, even allowing them to change outside the room so they can come in and surprise everyone! This will usually distract them for a while, and many kids (including my own daughter) get great enjoyment out of the novelty.
Inevitably, however, there will come the first little accident, and this is usually very upsetting for a child.
Make sure the potty is nearby at all times, and just try to catch as much as you can.
Encourage your child to sit down on it, even if it's too late, and praise them for doing so.
Never punish a child for not getting it right.
Clean and change them, then let them watch you transfer it to the toilet.
If you like, you can let them flush it too, as this not only distracts them from the recent upset, but also makes them more familiar with the whole routine.
This cycle will continue for some time.
At first, you'll be playing catch up, but gradually, they'll go and sit on the potty themselves.
For the first few weeks, make sure the potty is in the same room as your child at all times, and then move it to the bathroom.
A word of caution: most kids can get so absorbed in play that they literally forget they need to go to the bathroom, especially at the beginning of training.
Be sure to ask them regularly (once an hour) if they need to go.
They may start to fidget too, so keep an eye on the signs.
Some children will be fully trained in a few days, and others will take weeks or months.
Don't worry, they get better over time, and the number of accidents will diminish gradually.
Night time potty training Although some parents try to tackle night time potty training at the same time, it's usually less stressful on everyone if you let your child wear pull ups in bed for a while.
When the diapers seem to be dry most mornings, then it is a good idea to let them go without.
They will wet their beds, so make sure you have a plastic sheet underneath their regular sheets, to protect the mattress.
You should also make sure that you have at least one spare set of sheets and covers available every night.
It can be upsetting for a child to wake up in a wet bed, so if you're prepared, they can be changed, cleaned and tucked up quickly, allowing them to get back to sleep.
As a precaution, don't give them any late night drinks if possible, and always make them use the bathroom just before bedtime.
Toilet Training When you're confident that your child is properly potty trained, you can consider getting a safety step and child seat for your toilet.
These come in a variety of designs, and normally just sit on top of the regular toilet seat.
With a little practice, they'll soon be able to put them on themselves, although if they've left it late to go to the bathroom, the extra few seconds it takes might be too much for them.
A nice alternative that we've used is an all in one family seat.
It replaces your standard seat, and when you lift up the lid, it's a training seat.
Lift up that, and it's an adult seat.
It's very neat, hygienic, easy to clean and reduces clutter in the bathroom.
We have a full review of it on the Toddle Tees website if you're interested in this product.