Pottry Training

Hi S. I started my daughter(22mos) out by letting her sit on it in the living room and in the bathroom when I went in. After my son was born right before she turned two I left the potty chair in the bathroom and I would take her in there every 30 mins. Then once she got used to that, even though she didn't go every time we made a three week calender. Every time she went in that day she would get a star sticker and at the end of the week I would reward her with something like a new book or small toy. After two weeks she was going in on her own an recognizing when she needed to go. ( now its not that fast with every child) But she enjoyed going because she loved doing the sticker thing. Hope this helps and good luck

Hi S.,

I have potty trained several children in my daycare and it works well for both boys or girls. My daughter, who is 4, didn't potty train until late. She showed signs of interest at about 18 months. We got out her little potty chair and set it in the bathroom for her to explore at first and then she wanted to sit on it. When she could say potty then we started to work on it by taking her in the bathroom every hour and have her sit on it. Whether she would go or not we would celebrate the event and wash our hands just as if she did go and I would praise her for a job well done. The boys that I have worked with have done the same thing but they had a little seat at home and tried that first and by the time they got to be they wanted to sit on the "big boy potty" with one of those children's seat on the top. Starting out taking your child every hour works well if you have that kind of time and if not every 2-3 hours works well too. You will know when your child is ready when she can verbalize the event, saying potty/poopy or whatever words you choose, and if she is able to stay dry for long periods of time. Don't get frustrated, my daughter showed early interest and then went back to diapers for a little while but then it was overnight she showed interest again and was dry ever since. I hope this helps and if you would like more info please let me know. We just studied this in one of the classes that I am taking to complete my Associates Degree in Early Childhood!!

S. S

When they wake up in the morning dry or wake up from afternoon naps dry they are ready for the beginning stages of potty training.

My daughter was interested in the potty and would go at 15mos. but wasn't waking up dry and wasn't fully ready. At that age it was just a fun thing to try and get used to..

At about 2 - 2.5yrs.old she knew how but was stubborn. It was a control thing for her. But when I got serious about it I made her try and go every hour or two. We live in a townhouse and the one and only bathroom was upstairs so we had a pottychair in the downstairs and if we were playing outside the potty chair went out on the patio. She just didn't want to be potty trained so I worked at the daycare she attended and I had her and 2 other potty trainers start competing and cheering for eachother somehow it turned into a competative matter where they would literally fight for who got to use the potty first. They would push and shove and scream no no I'm going first... I know fighting is bad but that's what worked for the the 3 potty trainers they were all trained within two weeks. It was AWESOME! I also told My daughter she couldn't go to preschool if she didn't potty train. That was a big incentive for her.

I wanna say once they are in undies it can take anywhere from 1 week to a few months. without having accidents (sometimes occasional accidents happen of course)

I kept my daughter in pullups at bedtime for a few months after being potty trained just to be on the safe side and she never had a accident but atleast I was playing it safe.

I know several people who pushed their kids into being potty trained and they're kids were very very accident prone kids or started going in their pants months later all the time.Or were consistant bed wetters. So don't push them.

Hi S.,
We used the "potty timer" for our twins (boy/girl). We would set the kitchen timer for about every 45 minutes and make a big deal when it went off. If they would potty, I would increase the time the timer was set for. We did the potty timer for about 2 days and by the end of day 2 they were going on their own. Hope this helps! Good Luck!
L.

Even though it requires you to dedicate a solid week or so to not going anywhere, stay home if possible and do "potty training bootcamp!" :)

We didn't use pull-ups at all with either of our girls as they really can't feel the sensation of being wet. Even though there were lots of wet pairs of underwear, usually by the end of the week they were on their way to being potty trained.

I would say it took a solid month for both of my little girls to fully understand and control their urges to go. Hope this helps.

Every time I went she sat down too. At night I would always put her on before I went to bed too.

She was trained in about a month. It surel;y helped too to have a potty in the living room and another in our bathroom.

Kids have a hard time stopping to go. For us Dora was so important she just couldn't leave the room, thus the potty in the living room.

S.,

Just start by taking her to the bathroom at the same times everyday, in the morning when she wakes up, after breakfast, half way between breafast and lunch, again after lunch, before and after naps (I believe a good indicator that your child is ready is when they wake up from naps or sleeping dry)before bed etc.... this may seem like alot right away but once she knows that there is a potty routine she will start to hold it til then, and if there is consistantly a time when she does not have to go you'll know to cut that part of the routine out. Hope this helps!

I took my daughter every couple of hours just to "try". Also, if you are monitering the amount of liquid they are taking in you can kind of guess that depending on age they will need to go within and hour or two. Once she starts to understand what going in the potty is about, she will be able to start telling you yes or no when you ask if she needs to go. Hope that helps some.

I used the every hour technique. This is only the first day or 2 so that you can see how long they can hold it inbetween potty's. Once you figure out how long she can hold it, it's easier to narrow down the times when you should start reminding her and looking for the signs that she might have to go. You also won't feel tied to your house. I'd do that for a day or 2. By then, you'll be watching the clock and thinking, "It was an hour and a 1/2 ago that she went potty, so let's try again". (It all depends on how much she's had to drink.) Also, everytime you leave the house, have her go potty before you leave. Have a spair pair of pants/undies/socks/shoes in the car just in case, and know where the restrooms are incase you have to run to the potty. If she recognizing the feel for having to go potty, and she actually says so, it's time to run, because by that time, it doesn't take long to come out. Until you kindof know how long inbetween potty time is, it's kind of hit or miss. Expect accidents, especially if she is unable to tell you when she has to go. My daughter (2 1/2) has just started to tell us and will cross her legs a bit when she has to go. Then, when I suggest we go potty, she rarely complains because now, she feels like she has to and will be productive when she's there. In my opinion, it's the constant nagging and dragging them away from the fun that makes kids fight when it's time to pee. Make the visits to the bathroom productive by finding out how long they generally hold it and invest in a watch because you'll be looking at it all the time, especially when you're out. Also, a good way to force potty out is this: When she's on the potty, take a glass of luke warm water and run it down the front of her, starting right under her belly. The water will pour right over her vagina and into the toilet. 1 or 2 glasses of water will make her potty, even if she doesn't think she has to go...so, like before you go to the store and you want to avoid an accident, force the potty out. If she still doesn't have to go after that trick...then there is no potty to pee. That trick works EVERYTIME! My daughter likes it, she says it tickles. Good luck.

Hi, my daughter was trained at 25 months-we took her every 15 minutes or so for the first day. We used the book "Toilet training in less than a day" by Nathan Azrin and Richard Foxx. After that first day we tried to take her about every 30-45 minutes. Within a week we did not need to remind her at all she just told us. Two of the things that let us know she's gotta go (besides saying it) is she gets really whiney-cries about everything, the other is my favorite...she says "oooo-eeee-ooooo-eeee" while doing the dance. It's pretty obvious. You will see a pattern in your own daughter and it won't take long to know what her "signal" is. If you would like more info on the book, please feel free to send me a message and I will send you info. My DD was trained completely within a week. Since that week she's only had a few accidents (day or night)-it's been six months now. Good luck with the training!
Jenny