Chicken pox (varicella) is caused by a virus. Chicken pox is a common childhood illness. It is also an illness that can be prevented. Both pregnant women and children can get a vaccine that will protect them against the chicken pox virus.

Having chicken pox is not dangerous for most children. However, infants and children who have weak immune systems can get very sick. Some children have to be hospitalized because of complications. In rare cases, people can die from chicken pox.

Your child can be exposed to the chicken pox virus a long time before they have any symptoms. The first symptoms your child will have are fever, aches, and pains.

Two to three days after these symptoms, children will develop a rash. This rash appears as small pink spots that turn into small water blisters. These are often very itchy. The water blisters scab over in approximately 5 days.

See a healthcare professional, if your child:

• has a chicken pox spot that becomes large, red, and sore
• has a lot of spots in their mouth
• has a fever that comes back
• does not want to play, eat, or drink

• There is no treatment for chicken pox. Your physician might give your child anti-viral medication if your child has other medical concerns.
• Tylenol (acetaminophen) can be given to children over 2 years old to help with fever and body aches. Follow the directions on the package.
  
• Do not give your child ASA (Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid). Giving young children ASA can increase their risk of Reye’s syndrome. This syndrome can cause damage your child’s liver and brain.
• A bath with baking soda and warm water can help with the itching.

The chicken pox virus is airborne. This means that the virus can be spread by people who have chicken pox when they breathe, cough, or sneeze. It can also be spread through contact with the rash or blisters. Once the blisters have dried up and scabbed over, chicken pox is no longer contagious.

Healthy children should get immunized against chicken pox. People who live with children and work with children should also get the chicken pox vaccine.

Chicken pox can be passed from one person to another easily. Keep your child home from daycare or school while they are sick. Your child can go back to school when they feel better.

Teach your child how to wash their hands. Washing hands is the best way to prevent the spread of diseases.

Constipation is common in children. If your child is constipated, they will have a hard time having a bowel movement (pooping). Their stool (poop) will be hard and dry.

• Having 3 or less bowel movements (poop) a week
• Having trouble having a bowel movement (poop)
• Straining when having a bowel movement (poop)
• Having pain when having a bowel movement (poop)
• Seeing blood on the toilet paper after wiping
• Having stool (poop) that is hard, dry, and large
• Feeling full or bloated
• Having stomach pain or cramps
• Having small liquid or soft stool (poop) marks on your child’s diaper or underwear

Sometimes there are medical reasons why a child has constipation. If your child has lots of problems with constipation and it disrupts their regular routine, take them to your healthcare provider for a check-up.

See your doctor if your child:

• Has blood in their stool (poop)
• Has a fever
• Is urinating (peeing) often
• Finds urinating (peeing) painful
• Loses control and doesn’t make it to the bathroom in time (after being toilet trained)
• Has a hard time having a bowel movement (poop)
• Has not had a bowel movement in 4 days

Take your child to the hospital if:

• They are having a lot of pain
• They are vomiting (throwing up) a lot
• They are vomiting (throwing up) dark green fluid
• Their stomach is swollen

Treatment and prevention are the same for constipation.

• Increase the amount of water your child drinks.
• Give your child more foods that are high in fibre.
• Decrease the amount of foods your child eats that are high in fat.
• Make sure your child gets plenty of exercise.
• Eat meals at the same time every day.
• Help your child learn ways to cope with their stress.
• Help your child develop a habit of having a bowel movement (poop) every day. You cannot force your child to have a bowel movement. Having a bathroom routine will help your child have a bowel movement every day.
• Make sure your child has enough time to use the toilet; do not rush them in the bathroom.
• Allow your child to have regular access to the bathroom.

Constipation does not spread from one person to another.

Croup is a common childhood illness. Croup can be caused by a lot of different viruses. These viruses cause an infection in the child’s throat and vocal cords. In children under 5, this infection is called croup. In older children and adults, it is called laryngitis.

• Cold symptoms (stuffy nose, headache, and sore throat)
• Fever
• Cough that sounds like a bark and may be worse at night
• Red, swollen throat and voice box
• Hoarse or croaky voice
• Trouble breathing
• Fast and noisy breathing
• Tired
• Symptoms can get worse when a child is excited

Call your healthcare provider or HealthLine (811) if your child has:

• a fever and is under 6 months old
• a fever for more than 72 hours (3 days)
• bluish-coloured lips or nails
• difficulty breathing
• a hard time breathing when lying down
• rapid breathing
• a lot of drool
• problems swallowing
• no energy
• stopped responding to you

• Keep your child calm.
• Offer a lot of fluids, like breast milk and water.
• Use a cold mist humidifier.
  
• Unless your doctor tells you to, do not use over-the-counter cough and cold medications for any children under 6 years old.
• Regular Tylenol (acetaminophen) can be given to children over 2 years old to help decrease pain and bring down the fever. Give Tylenol according to the directions on the bottle. Do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hours (a day).
• Do not give your child ASA (Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid). Giving young children ASA can increase their risk of Reye’s syndrome. This syndrome can damage your child’s liver and brain.

The viruses that cause croup can spread through the air on water droplets that leave a person when they breathe, cough, or sneeze.

The viruses that cause croup can be spread through touch. Your child can get croup if they touch the hands of someone who has croup or who has taken care of someone who has croup.

Wash your child’s and your own hands frequently.

Teach your child how to wash their hands properly.

Teach your child to cough and sneeze into their upper arm or a tissue.

Diaper rash is very common. It is caused by your child’s diaper rubbing against their skin. It can also be caused by certain foods, allergies to chemicals, yeast infection, or having a wet diaper for a long time.

Contact a healthcare professional:

• if there are open sores
• if there is pus (white, yellow, or green drainage)
• if the rash keeps getting worse

• Leave your baby’s diaper off. Air will help heal the rash.
• Put zinc oxide ointment on the rash before putting on your child’s diaper. Your pharmacist can help you find this cream.

Diaper rash cannot spread to another child.

• Do not use baby wipes; use gentle soap and water instead.
• Do not use lotion, baby oil, or powder in your child’s diaper area.
• Keep your baby clean and dry.
• Change your child’s diapers often.

When your child has diarrhea, they will have more bowel movements (poop) than usual. Their stool (poop) will be loose, runny, or watery.

Diarrhea can be caused by many things (e.g., bacteria and viruses). Diarrhea is common in young children.

Diarrhea can be dangerous. It can cause dehydration. Dehydration means that your child does not have enough water in their body. Dehydration can make your child very sick.

• Loose or watery stool (poop)
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Throwing up
• Cramps
• Stomach pain
• Blood or mucous in their stool (poop)

Take your child to a healthcare provider if your child:

• Is under 6 months old
• Is peeing more than they usually do
• Is more thirsty than they usually are
• Has a fast heartbeat
• Has sunken eyes
• Has no tears when they cry
• Has grey-coloured skin
• Has a dry mouth, throat, or tongue
• Has black or bloody stool (poop)
• Is throwing up (vomiting) blood
• Has pain in their stomach that keeps getting worse
• Has diarrhea for more than 24 hours
• Has a high fever that doesn’t go away after 72 hours (3 days)

The goal of treatment for diarrhea is to keep your child from getting dehydrated.

• Give your child a lot of liquids, like water or breast milk.
• If formula feeding, do not dilute the formula.
• If your child is not taking fluids, you can offer oral re-hydration fluid. These can be bought at the pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist for more information.
• If you cannot get oral re-hydration fluid, you can make your own. Mix 4 cups of boiled water with 4 teaspoons of sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt.
• Give one tablespoon of oral re-hydration fluid every 10 minutes.

The virus or bacteria that causes diarrhea can spread quickly between children and between children and adults.

• Wash yours and your child’s hands frequently.
• Teach your child how to wash their hands properly.
  
• Wash your hands thoroughly after each diaper change.
• Clean your changing surface thoroughly after changing diapers.
• Wash your child’s and your own hands after using the bathroom.
• Learn about safe food handling. Click here for more information.

Middle ear infections are common in young children. Often, they are not serious or contagious. Ear infections often follow a cold.

• Fever
• Fussiness
• Trouble sleeping
• Pain in the ears
• Trouble hearing quiet sounds
• Tugging, pulling, or itching of the ears

Contact a healthcare provider if your child has an ear infection and:

• Has other medical problems
• Is throwing up often
• Is younger than 6 months old
• Is older than 6 months and has had a fever for more than 48 hours
• Has swelling behind their ear
• Is very sleepy
• Is very irritable
• Has problems hearing

To diagnose an ear infection, a healthcare professional will use an otoscope. The otoscope is an instrument that has a light on it. This helps the doctor see in your child’s ear.

• For infections that are minor (not too much discomfort and no high fever), the healthcare provider will most likely wait to see if the ear infection goes away by itself. If it does not go away after 48 hours or gets worse, take your child back to your healthcare provider.
• Your healthcare provider may give your child antibiotics if:
  • Your child has a high fever (more than 39C (°F)
  • Your child has severe pain
  • Your child’s condition does not improve over 48 hours
  • Your child’s ear canal has new fluid in it
• If your child is over the age of 2, regular Tylenol (acetaminophen) can be used to decrease your child’s pain. Give your child over the age of 2 Tylenol to help bring down the fever. Give Tylenol according to the directions on the bottle. Do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hours (a day).
• Do not give your child ASA (Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid). Giving young children ASA can increase their risk of Reye’s syndrome. This syndrome can damage your child’s liver and brain.

Ear infections cannot be spread from person to person. However, the virus that caused the original illness (e.g., a cold) can be.

• Wash your hands and your child’s hands frequently.
• Teach your child how to wash their hands properly.
  
• If you can, breastfeed your baby. Breastfed babies get less ear infections.
• Do not bottle-feed your baby when they are lying down.
• Use a cup instead of a bottle when your baby is 1 year old.
• Keep your child’s environment smoke-free. For more information on second hand smoke, click here.
• Get a flu shot for your child and you. This will keep your whole family safe.

When you have a fever your body temperature is higher than 37°C (98.6°F). Fevers are normal if your child has an infection. Fevers usually go away in 72 hours. Fevers are usually not dangerous.

There are a lot of ways that a child’s temperature can be taken: rectally, in the armpit, in the ear, or by mouth. The best method depends on your child’s age. The video below and the chart will help guide you in taking your child’s temperature.

Oral, Underarm, and Rectal Temperatures

See your healthcare provider if your child:

• Is under 6 months old AND has a fever
• Has had a fever for more than 6 days
• Is older than 6 months old AND has a fever over 39.5°C (103°F)
• Is really sleepy or has low energy
• Is really cranky, restless, or irritable
• Is wheezing
• Has a cough that will not stop or go away
• Has a rash or other signs of illness that worry you
• Has a febrile (fever) seizure; if the seizure lasts more than 3 minutes or your child is turning blue, call 911

• Give your child lots of fluids (e.g., water or breast milk).
  
• Offer your child small amounts of food.
• Let your child rest. Your child will need more rest than usual. However, they don’t have to be kept still or stay in bed.
• Keep your child home from daycare, preschool, or school.
• Keep your child warm. Shivering raises body heat and can increase your child’s temperature.
• Your child will sweat. This can make your child cold. Keep them warm, dry, and clothed.
• If your child is over the age of 2, give regular Tylenol (acetaminophen) to help bring down the fever. Give Tylenol according to the directions on the bottle. Do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hours (a day).
• Do not give your child ASA (Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid). Giving young children ASA can increase their risk of Reye’s syndrome. This syndrome can damage your child’s liver and brain .

• Febrile seizures are seizures caused by high fevers. During a febrile seizure, your child’s body will go stiff and begin shaking. Febrile seizures occur in children between 6 months and 6 years of age. These seizures can be scary for parents but are fairly normal. They are usually not harmful. If you are worried, talk to your healthcare provider. If the seizure lasts more than 3 minutes or your child is turning blue, call 911.

Handwashing is the best way to stay healthy. Remember that your child learns through your example.

• Before touching and making food
• Before feeding your child
• Before eating
• After using the bathroom
• After helping your child use the bathroom
• Before and after changing diapers
• Before putting a bandage on yourself and your child
• After touching pets or other animals
• After cleaning and touching garbage
• After blowing your nose or coughing into your hand
• After you help your child blow their nose

Watch this short video. It helps to explain how to teach your child to wash their hands properly. It also explains why handwashing is important.

• Run your hands under warm water.
• Rub your hands together with soap for 20 seconds. Sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or the ABCs while washing your hands. When the song is finished, 20 seconds is up.
• Make sure you wash every finger, between the fingers, and under the nails.
• Rinse your hands for 10 seconds.
• Dry your hands with paper towel or a clean towel.

Impetigo is an infection caused by bacteria. The bacteria can get into scrapes and bug bites and cause an infection. Any child can be infected with impetigo.

• A rash that appears around the mouth, nose, or skin not covered by clothes. The rash is a cluster of red bumps or blisters. These may ooze or be covered with a honey-coloured crust.
• If the infection is severe, your child may have a fever, pain, swelling, and weakness.

Your child will need to be seen by a healthcare professional. Your child will need to take antibiotics.

Your child will be given antibiotics. Make sure that your child takes the medicine as the healthcare professional prescribes.

Keep the sores covered with gauze.

Keep your child home from daycare and school until your healthcare professional says it is alright to go out.

Impetigo can spread to another person if that person touches the rash. Impetigo can also spread by touching bedsheets, towels, or clothing that have touched the infected child’s skin.

• Wash your child’s and your hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching the infected skin.
• Teach your child how to wash their hands properly.
  
• Do not share clothes or towels between family members.
• Wash bedding, clothes, and towels in hot water and dry thoroughly.
  

Many babies have mild jaundice when they are born. Jaundice is caused by a build-up of a chemical (bilirubin) in your baby’s blood. Your baby’s liver may not be functioning well enough yet to get rid of this chemical. Severe jaundice can be harmful to your baby. It can affect your baby’s nervous system and brain.

• The skin on the face appears yellow. Later the chest, stomach, arms, and legs look yellow.
• The whites of the eyes also look yellow.

After your baby is born, your healthcare professional will assess your baby for jaundice before you leave the hospital. Once home, if you notice your baby has yellowish skin on their chest, stomach, arms, and legs, contact your healthcare professional. Your healthcare professional will look at your baby’s skin and take a blood test. The blood test will check your baby’s bilirubin level.

Your baby will have their clothes removed and will be placed under special lights. Your baby’s eyes will be covered to protect their eyes. The lights help your baby’s body get rid of bilirubin.

Jaundice does not spread from one person to another.

Lice are very common in children. Many children will have at least one case of lice before the end of elementary school.

Lice are small bugs that live in hair. They do not spread disease.

Anybody can get lice.

Lice eggs (nits) are white-grey, tan, or yellow. They are small and oval. Sometimes nits look like dandruff. Nits are found close to the scalp.

Lice are black. Lice are hard to see because they are small. A louse is the size of a sesame seed. Lice can live for a long time on a person’s head (up to 30 days) and will continue to produce nits.

• Itchy scalp
• Seeing lice in your child’s hair
• You can have lice and have no symptoms at all

For information about how to check your child’s hair for lice, please click here.

You do not need to contact a healthcare professional if your child has lice.

• Talk to your pharmacist about treatments for lice. Tell your pharmacist your child’s age. Some treatments are not safe for young children.
  • Follow the directions on the package.
  • Don’t leave the shampoo in longer than the instructions say.
  • Rinse the hair with cool water after treatment.
  • Comb your child’s hair in small sections with a nit comb. Nit combs have teeth (tines) that are very close together. Because nits (lice eggs) are so small, regular combs and brushes do not catch them.
    
• After treating your child’s hair to get rid of the lice and nits, wash all sheets, towels, clothes, and hats in hot water and dry on high heat.
• Stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets can be placed in a sealed plastic bag for two weeks. This bag can also be put in the freezer for 24 hours.
• Re-treat your child’s hair after 7 to 10 days.

Lice are spread through:

• head-to-head contact
• sharing combs, hats, hairbrushes, and other things that touch a person’s hair
• contact with blankets, sheets, and clothes; lice can live on these items for up to 3 days

Head lice cannot be spread through pets.

• Unless your child’s school has a “no nit” policy, there is no reason for your child to stay home.
• Check your child’s hair frequently.
• Do not share things that touch your child’s hair (e.g., hats, brushes, and headphones).
• After treating your child’s hair, wash all sheets, towels, clothes, and hats in hot water and dry on high heat.
• Stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets can be placed in a sealed plastic bag for two weeks. This bag can also be put in the freezer for 24 hours.

Sometimes newborns have problems breathing. There can be some simple reasons for this. For example, your baby may have breathing problems because their nose is plugged.

• Buy nasal (nose) saline (salt) and a bulb syringe from the pharmacy. Your pharmacist can help you find these.
• Use nasal saline drops as instructed.
• Use a bulb syringe to suck out the drops and mucus.
  

Strep throat is one reason why your child may have a sore throat. Strep throat is caused by bacteria.

• Very sore throat
• Trouble swallowing
• Swollen/tender lymph nodes
• Fever
• Nausea (sick to one’s stomach)
• Stomach ache
• Headache

Strep throat can cause kidney problems and rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an illness that can lead to swollen joints, rashes, and heart damage.

Strep throat needs to be treated by a healthcare professional. To diagnose, a swab will be taken from your child’s throat. This can look scary and be uncomfortable.

• Your child may be given an antibiotic. Follow the instructions for giving the medication.
• Gargling with warm salt water can help decrease the pain in your child’s throat.
• Tylenol (acetaminophen) can be used to decrease your child’s pain. If you child is over 2 years old, you can give them Tylenol to help bring down the fever. Give Tylenol according to the directions on the bottle. Do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hours (a day).
• Do not give your child ASA (Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid). Giving young children ASA can increase their risk of Reye’s syndrome. This syndrome can cause damage your child’s liver and brain.
• Give your child plenty of fluids.
• Make sure your child gets lots of rest.

Strep throat is spread through:

• coming in contact with an infected person’s saliva or mucus
• coming in contact with droplets spread through the air when the infected person coughs or sneezes

• Teach your child to sneeze and cough into their upper arm or a tissue.
  
• Wash your child’s and your hands frequently.
• Teach your child how to wash their hands properly.
  
• Keep your child home until your healthcare professional says they can return to normal activities.

Not all medications are safe to give children. In fact, some may be very harmful. Talk to your healthcare professional or your pharmacist before giving medication to your child. Always give medication the way that you have been instructed by your healthcare professional or your pharmacist.

Remember that prescribed medication can only treat certain illnesses. Not all illnesses can be or should be treated with medication. Giving medications that are not needed, or using other people’s medications, can make them work less effectively when your child does need them.

• Keep your child and yourself calm.
• Sit your child up.
• Give small amounts until you reach the full amount in the instructions.
• Put the medicine inside your child’s cheek. Do not force it down your child’s throat.
• Do not mix medication in juice. Some of the medication will stick to the cup and your child will not get the full amount.
• Give your child something good tasting to eat or drink afterwards.

• Never tell your child that medication is candy or mix it with something really good tasting.
• Keep all medication locked up or out of your child’s reach.
• Do not leave medication in your purse, bag, or anywhere that your child can reach.

Knowing some basic first aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) will ensure that you and your family stay safe. First aid and CPR is what you do to help someone right away while you are waiting for medical help.

You can take first aid courses from St. John’s Ambulance and Canadian Red Cross. You can also download the “First Aid App” from the Canadian Red Cross. This app provides simple, step-by-step instructions to guide you through everyday first aid scenarios.

It is important that you have a basic first aid kit at home. You can buy one or make one yourself. Make sure that it includes:

• Emergency telephone list
• Small and large gauze pads
• First aid tape
• Tensor bandage
• Triangular bandage
• Antibiotic cream
• Different sizes of bandages
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Safety pins
• Instant ice packs
• Latex gloves
• Antiseptic wipes
• Pencil and paper
• Emergency blanket
• Eye patch
• Thermometer
• Face shield (mask)
• First aid manual

Canadian First Cross. (n.d) Kit Contents. First Aid Kits.

Make sure that you are safe before helping your child. It is important that you don’t get hurt as well. If you do, you may not be able to help your child.

• Is the space around your child safe? Check for broken glass, fire, wires, and gas.
• Is your child conscious? Are they responding to you?
• Can your child breathe? If your child is breathing, you will be able to feel air coming out of their nose or mouth, their chest will rise and fall, and you will be able to hear their breath if you put your ear near their mouth. Open your child’s airway by gently tilting back their head and lifting their chin.
• Is your child bleeding? You may need to put pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding.

• Call 911 to get help for your child.

• While waiting for help, do first aid if you need to.
• Have your child rest quietly.
• Keep your child warm.
• Stay with your child.

Click here for information about first aid for specific injuries.

When you get sick, your body works hard to help you get better. It does this by making antibodies.

Antibodies help your body fight the bacteria and viruses that make you sick. Antibodies can also protect you from getting the same illness in the future. It takes time for your body to make enough antibodies to fight the illness you have. Some illnesses can make you very sick, very fast. You can be very sick and be at risk for complications before your body has made enough antibodies to fight the illness.

When you are immunized, you are given a vaccine. Each vaccine is made for a specific disease. Vaccines cause your body to produce antibodies. These antibodies are stored in your body. These antibodies protect you from these specific illnesses in the future.

At birth, your child is immune to some common childhood diseases. This is passed on from mother to child during pregnancy. This immunity will go away or decrease during the first few weeks of your child’s life.

Vaccines can protect your child from some diseases (see chart below). These diseases can make your child very sick and, in some cases, cause death.

Getting your child vaccinated against diseases helps to stop these diseases from spreading. This protects you, your child, and your community.

Children in Saskatchewan are immunized against 13 different diseases. Vaccines are offered through Public Health Clinics and are free of charge. Some vaccines are repeated to make sure your child has developed enough antibodies against specific diseases. These repeated vaccinations are also called booster shots.

Vaccine schedules make sure that your child receives vaccines at certain ages and time intervals. Following this schedule makes sure that your child is protected against certain infectious diseases.

The chart below shows Saskatchewan’s Immunization Schedule for children aged 2 months to 6 years. Your child will not receive a separate needle for each disease. Some of the vaccines are combined together.

Click on each illness for a description.

For more information about immunizations, click here.

You can keep a record of your child’s vaccinations using the CANImmunize app. This app will also remind you when your child’s next vaccination is due. Your healthcare professional can also print out a copy of this record.

The vaccines used in Canada are very safe. It is rare that a child cannot be given a vaccine for medical reasons. Talk to your healthcare professional if you have questions.

For more information about vaccine safety, go to Caring for Kids: Vaccine safety.

Some children experience mild reactions to vaccines. Your child may have a sore arm or a fever. This will go away after a few days.

If your child is over the age of 2, give your child Tylenol (acetaminophen) to bring down their fever, if they develop one. Give Tylenol according to the directions on the bottle. Do not give more than 5 doses in 24 hours.

Do not give your child ASA (Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid). Giving young children ASA can increase their risk of Reye’s syndrome. This syndrome can cause damage your child’s liver and brain.

Some children may have more serious side effects from vaccines. If you have any concerns about side effects, please call HealthLine-811 or your healthcare professional.

The flu (influenza) vaccine helps to protect you, your child, and your family from the getting the flu.

In Saskatchewan, you can get flu vaccines for yourself and your child. Children between 6 months and 5 years old can get very sick from the flu. This makes it important for young children to get the flu vaccine.

Contact your local Public Health Clinic, doctor, health centre, or pharmacist for information about getting a flu vaccine. You can also click here for more information.

Learning to use the toilet is a skill that your child is ready to begin learning when they are around 2 years old. Until this time, your child does not have enough muscle control to hold urine in their bladder for a few hours. It usually takes more time for boys than girls to learn how to use the toilet. Learning the complete process can take several years for both boys and girls.

It is important to make your child’s toilet training as relaxed and simple as possible. The whole process is easiest when your child is ready. Your child must want to take this major step. They will be ready when they become eager to please and imitate you, but also want to be more independent. As your child gains control over their body, there is a new sense of self-esteem, self-control, and independence.

The following are signs that your child is ready to toilet train.

• Their bowel movements (poop) occur at a regular time.
• They announce when they are having a bowel movement or peeing.
• They stay dry for several hours or overnight.
• They can and will follow instructions.
• They know when their bladder is full or when they are about to have a bowel movement. They let you know through words, facial expressions, or a change in activity.
• They show interest in imitating other family members or friends in the bathroom.

When you see the readiness signs, you can provide the needed structure, support, and guidance to make this a positive experience. As with any new skill, learning to use the toilet takes time, patience, and a lot of practice. Parents can expect mistakes or accidents but can use them as an opportunity for learning.

Even when your child is using the potty all the time in the daytime, your child may still need a diaper overnight.

• You will need a child’s potty chair or an adapter for a full-sized toilet. The potty chair works well because the child can plant their feet directly on the floor and can get on the chair by themself. Many children need help getting onto a full-sized toilet and some may fear that they may fall into the bowl. Provide a sturdy stool in front of the toilet so that the child can still get on the toilet by themself.
• For the first few weeks, let your child sit on the potty. This can be with or without a diaper. The aim is to help them feel comfortable with the potty.
• Show your child how to plant their feet on the ground or stool. This will be important when they have a bowel movement (poop).
• For the first few months, be aware of your child’s cues to encourage them to use the potty. You will have to rely on grunts, faraway looks in their eyes, or your child squatting in the corner. If possible, take your child to the potty prior to the bowel movement.
• Set up a routine. Take your toddler to the potty when they get up in the morning, after breakfast, after lunch, after nap, after dinner, and before a bath. If nothing happens in five minutes, say “I see you do not have to go right now” and let the child go on with other activities.
• When they succeed, share their excitement and gently praise. Focus on their accomplishment rather than praising them
• Make using the potty as routine as eating and sleeping.
• After they use the potty regularly, they can gradually switch from diapers to training pants.
• Your child will also have to learn how to take down their pants and underpants, wipe themselves, and then wash their hands when they are finished
  
• If you ask your child “Do you have to use the potty?” the usual reply will be “No”. You’ll have more success if you say, “Let’s go to the potty now.”
• Expect your child to have the occasional accident. A child does not do this on purpose; they are learning a new skill. It takes time. They do not like wet or soiled clothing any more than you do. Be prepared. Carry an extra set of clothes with you at all times, and leave an extra set in the car.
• If your child has an accident, do not make a big deal of it. This is common and should not be a cause for punishment.
• You can help yourself to stay relaxed by not taking on this process with a deadline in mind. This puts a great deal of stress on you and your child. If a deadline for potty training is due to child care or preschool, you may want to look at alternative arrangements.

• Caring for Kids: Information for Parents From Canada’s Paediatricians
• Government of Canada: Child and Infant Health