5 Signs Your Child Is Ready

Hello. If you're watching this, you're probably standing in the nappy aisle wondering whether now is the moment. Let's take the guesswork out of it together.

The first sign is simple: your child tells you when they're wet or soiled. Maybe not in words — a tug, a look, a certain little dance. That's awareness, and awareness always comes first.

The second sign is that being wet or dirty actually bothers them. When a child decides they'd rather be clean, they're on your side. That's a partnership you can build on.

Third: they can pull their trousers up and down. Small thing, big thing. It means they can own part of the routine themselves, and children love owning things.

Fourth: curiosity. They follow you in, they ask questions, they want to watch a big brother or sister. Curiosity is the door swinging open — please walk through it.

And fifth: they want to sit on the potty or the toilet. Fully dressed, for two seconds, just to flush — it all counts.

Here's what I'd love you to hold onto. You don't need all five. You need enough of them, on a week when life is reasonably calm, and a grown-up who can stay relaxed about it. Accidents will happen — that's the name of the course, after all. Start gently, keep it light, and I'll be with you the whole way.