Toilet training is the best time to start teaching your child about good bathroom and bowel habits. The lessons that are taught during these formative years are ones that will help them be hemorrhoid and constipation free in the future.

Children are usually ready to be toilet trained as early as 18 months or even as late as 36 months, with the average age being 24 months. As each child learns at his or her own pace, you shouldn’t be overly concerned if he shows no interest in potty training by the age of two years.

Do's:

• Encourage your children to use pre-moistened wipes. These wipes not only clean the area, but are also much gentler.
  
  
• Wipe from the front to back. This is especially important for girls. Germs can be spread from the rectum to the vaginal area if you wipe back to front. These germs can cause a host of problems, including possible bladder infections.
  
  
• Make sure the child develops healthy drinking habits. This means drinking plenty of water to keep stool soft. Avoid excessive milk intake. While milk is an excellent source of calcium and vitamins, too much milk can cause constipation problems.
  
  
• Make sure the child develops healthy eating habits. It is important to encourage the eating of fiber rich foods. This means things like whole grain breads, prunes, corn, peas, and fruits with skins left on. This will help bulk up the stool and make it easier to pass.
  
  
• Try techniques to help the child become aware of when they need to go to the bathroom. Some even suggest letting the child run around naked at home as they are more apt to notice the need to use the bathroom if there is no diaper to catch it in!
  
  
• Make sure that there is ample time to use the restroom after a meal. Lots of children feel the urge to have a bowel movement shortly after they are fed breakfast, so it is important make sure that they have time. Not giving the child ample time to use the restroom can make the stool dry out and more difficult to pass later.
  
  
• Be patient. All children learn at their own pace.
  
  
• Do contact a doctor if you are concerned about your child’s bowel habits.

Don’ts:

• Force your child to defecate on command. Forcing the child to go to the bathroom on command can lead to problems later. It’s important that the child learns to recognize when the body is ready to go the bathroom, you aren’t going to always be there to tell them when to go. Moreover, forcing the child to go on command can cause some children to push too hard when they go to the bathroom. This excessive pushing behavior can lead to hemorrhoids later. Also, some children may try to rebel by holding the stool in which can cause the stool to be more difficult to pass and force the child to strain to pass the stool. Do, however, make frequent trips to the bathroom to help the child recognize when they have to go.
  
  
• Don’t be overly concerned if your child doesn’t have a bowel movement everyday. Some children can go a day or two without a bowel movement and still feel comfortable and not constipated.
  
  
• Don’t try to force your child to have a bowel movement. If they don’t have a movement after 2 to 4 minutes of trying, he or she should stop and try again later. You don’t want to teach your child the unhealthy habit of sitting on the toilet too long. Adults who have their bottoms hanging on the toilet too can experience hemorrhoids.