Potty Training - Sacramento,CA

I have a book called Toilet Training in Less Than A Day if you want it just let me know.
J. in San Jose

Hi T.,

Your daughter may be ready to start potty training already. My daughter was trained night and day at 18 months. It took about three days to train her but since she was so small she needed help getting on toilet when we were out in public. At home she would just use her potty chair or a stool to get to the big toilet.

She started showing signs at such a young age because (I am sure of this) she was surrounded by children who were potty training. She was the youngest in her daycare and her two buddies (already 2 years old) were in training there. I also had a roommate who's daughter was a year older than mine who was potty training at our house. So, everywhere she was for the majority of the day there were kids training. She was trained before all of them.

I have since trained many many other kids and here is what I have found to be an effective good start:

Integrate the potty chair into your diaper changing routine. Have your daughter help with as much as she is capable. Let her pull her pants down (this is no time for overalls, buttons, or anything other than elastic waist pants) and take off her diaper next to the potty chair. Have her throw the diaper away and sit on the potty chair while you get the new diaper and wipes ready (have those nearby). Talk about going pee pee and pooh pooh in the potty and keep a happy and positive attitude. When she is done sitting there clap for her and give her a wipe to wipe herself. You can follow-up with another wipe quickly if you want but keep the focus on her. Wash hands together, again letting her do as much of it on her own as possible. Make sure you are focusing on the process not the product, meaning you aren't showing disappointment that nothing happened on the potty.

Don't let her use the potty chair as a toy, ever. Every time she goes over to it take off her diaper and let her sit on it. Toilets are not toys :-)

Stay away from stickers or candy at this point. Your daughter is young and the positive attention she gets from you talking to her about potty time, clapping for her, telling her how big she is and how proud of her you are, etc., will be enough to keep her excited about potty time.

When she goes potty in there for the first time clap for her and then let her look at her pee pee or poop in the potty. Tell her how proud of her you are for putting it in the toilet instead of her diaper. Give her a big hug and then finish your potty routine (wiping, getting dressed, hand washing). If next time she goes in her diaper, so what! Don't be disappointed at all. Even if she goes 5 times in the potty and then goes in her diaper, who cares! She is making progress and you should be so proud of her. She may be testing you to see if you will get mad if she goes in her diaper. Show her you wont be mad at all by saying "That's okay! Next time let's try to get it in the potty, okay?" and then give her a hug.

When she becomes pretty self-sufficient by doing most of the routine on her own and has a pretty good track record making things happen in the potty, you can start talking about BIG GIRL PANTIES!!! Take her shopping to pick out her favorite undies. Tell her that whenever she is ready she can start wearing her big girl panties instead of diapers. Tell her how proud of her you are that she can use the potty and keep her big girl panties clean and dry. If she has an accident, don't be upset. Just rush her to the potty and let her try to finish in there. Have her take off her wet clothes, give her a wipe or toilet paper to clean herself, help her put on her new clothes and panties (no diapers for punishment), give her a big hug and say, "That's okay, next time let's try to make it to the potty! I'll help you." Stay positive and happy. If you get mad I promise you she will regress.

Once you switch to panties stay with it. Don't go back and forth from panties to diapers/pull-ups. Be consistent and patient. Potty training is a process. It is a skill to be learned. If she has an accident remember that's why they are called accidents. Don't get mad.

I would wait to switch to panties at a time when you can commit to being home for at least three days straight. Don't run to the store with her or anything. Don't even take her to the park. Stay home and concentrate on going potty! If she goes to daycare tell her provider that once she switches to panties that you don't want her to wear a diaper. Send twenty changes of clothes if you have to. Hopefully your daughter will be excited about her new skill and will want to show it off.

Oh yeah, and use panties at night as well. If you are worried about the mattress you should invest in a waterproof mattress pad. Expect to do some laundry. It is part of the process. Have her go potty right before bed. Wake her up a few minutes early and put her on the potty first thing in the morning. If the bed is wet, change it. If she wakes up at night wet, change her and the bedding (have extra sheets and blankies on hand for quick middle of the night changes). Make it quick, no big deal, and get back to sleep.

Best Wishes!

E.

When my daughter was almost 2 it was summer and I let her be naked out side and that let her know what her body was doing. And then I'd say oh you just went potty, here is a little potty just for you if you need to go. This lead to her coming in the house and knowing she needed to go so I had a potty seat for the big toilet. There were a few wet spots on occassion to clean up. Later I rewarded her with an m&m for her success. I always told her "wow you really listened to your body". "you heard your body tell you it needed to go". She is very proud of herself for this. It wasn't till she was 2 1/2 that she was fully ready and potty trained day and night. I think the early introduction to it helped though especially before the "terrible two's" started. It kept it from ever being a power struggle. We also do a potty song and dance on the way to the potty. That is just chanting "potty ,potty potty" clapping our hands in rythum. She loved it. Have fun with it and be happy. I forgot to say that I have always prefered using a potty seat that fits on the toilet because it's easier. So I would have one of those with a stool. I always worried that they might be scared of the big potty if they only used a little one. And when your out and about it's nice if they are used to it.

I see both of your posts. I ws expecting a new baby right when my daughter was going to turn 2. So I knew i wanted to get her in a big bed and potty train around that time but also that she was going to be dealing with a baby at the same time. So I did the big girl bed first when she was about 21/22 months old. She did ok overall but I honestly would of kept her in the crib if I knew I was going to have to deal with her getting out of bed so often when it was time to go to sleep. She was always a good sleeper without fighting. But onvce she got her independence withthe bed it was hard. She goes through phases of listening and staying in bed and then not listening and getting out several times before she falls asleep. it might also just be her personality. Just be consistent with what you tell her and how you respond. Kind of wished I had waited but I guess she would still get out of bed if i had waited till now. Just something we have to deal with! Then once the baby was born and the was just over 2 yrs, maybe 25 months I started potty training. She caught on pretty quickly. I recommend letting her wear underwarer whenever you can so she knows when she has accidents versus pull ups that feel more like diapers. She started talking about the potty and telling me when she had gone so I knew she was sort of ready. She was fully trained by the time she was about 28 months, but still wears pull ups at night and she is just now 3 yrs. Hope that helps. These are both big steps so just be ready to be patient and consistent with your approach. Good luck!

http://www.3daypottytraining.com/

The potty training during the day was the easy part; it was the night time that was the challenge for us. We did the same as many of the others said during the day, we chanted, sang songs, showed our support etc, and both of my girls were wearing underwear during the day but then at night time the pull-ups came on. What worked for my oldest was a promise of her favorite thing - ice cream! When she could wake up in the morning and have her pull-ups dry for one week, she got to go have ice cream with Daddy - no little sister or mommy - just her and daddy. My second daughter had no interest in ice cream, just wanted to be like her big sister. So with her we bought her some new underwear just like her big sister and told her she could wear underwear instead of pull-ups if she could be dry for one week.

So when it is time to get rid of those night time pull-ups find an incentive to reward them for doing a great job and being a big kid!

Hope this helps!
M.

My daughter was a few weeks before her 2nd birthday when we started potty training her. She would once in awhile go on the potty and occasionally would tell me she had to go potty and would almost always take her diaper off if she wet. She was picking other things up real quickly so we decided to start training right after we took a little vacation. What worked for me was suggested by a good friend that worked on all 3 of her kids. First of all I devoted a few weeks of staying home as much as possible so that we were not constantly putting diapers on her and confusing her. Then the first couple of days we took her every 15 or 20 minutes (be consitent) when it seemed like she was getting that then we upped the time to every 30 minutes then after a few days she started telling us she had to go. We are now going on 6 months of post potty training and she has accidents occasionally but for the most part is doing great and on most days she wakes up dry from her 2 1/2 hour nap.

Whatever you do be consistent. I saw your other post about switching to a toddler bed- We switched her a week before her 2nd birthday and she has had only a few times where she constantly will get out of bed and we have to keep putting her back.

We have just finished training our daughter and started at around 2 yrs. Some say it was too young and others feel it is dependent upon the child. Our daughter was showing signs of a dry diaper for long periods, sometimes even over night! She was also able to start pulling her clothes on and off which is another sign that they are capable of independently going to the potty once they start. She resisted a little bit at first, we did not push her to do it just encouraged her. (No treats or bribes I think that could be confusing...but lot's of potty songs, cheers, running down the hallway clapping and pee pee parades!)We took a break for two weeks and then started again which is advice many others have shared with me. When we started back up she remembered it and was much more willing to give it a try! We got her the Safety first 3 in 1 potty (goes from floor potty to on the toilet and can also be used as a step stool later). It is easy to clean and take on the go plus it has a cushy seat just her size. It is versatile for both boys and girls which means the seat has a front pee catcher for boys (less splashing) and then you just turn it over so that the girls don't have the bump when they sit down. Now here is the tricky part of my advice and it is really a matter of tolerance. We did not use the pull up diapers. In my oppinion it is still a diaper and they do not catch on as fast. We go straight to cloth undies. This helps them feel the wetness which encourages them to get to the potty faster and build the muscles it takes to flex and hold it until they get to the potty. (Also necessary to build strong enough muscle reflexes for night time, which we use diapers for now at night but will soon make the transition as she is having more dry diapers overnight) Yes it can be messy and you are on your hands and knees more cleaning up the oops spots (I made myself a little clean up caddy with paper towels, a water bottle and 409). As far as this method goes they catch on quicker so potty training takes only weeks not months and it is cheaper also, no pull up expense. Try to dedicate two weeks to just going to the park or staying home so that she won't be making messes at other peoples homes (I would put a pull up for those rare occasions if we could not avoid it just to save the rugs) You can also buy special undies that have a doubled up crotch to absorb the spills better. This is what worked for both my son and my daughter. To me they were equally easy to train, only in public boys are easier because they can pee on a tree or a bush and others are more accepting of this. With my daughter we have been caught out in public or at the park with the bathroom too far, which I should have looked for and stayed close to. With her I just found a spot by a tree or bush on the grass, pulled down her pants and sat her down to pee. Another tip would be to put her in skirts or dresses while you train so that all she has to pull down are the undies and not tight waistbands on shorts or pants. Well that is alot I know and I hope it helps. I know what works for us may not work for you but take from it what you want and good luck! ~T

Hi there. I would like to share my experience because it is helpful to hear stories and get information...

My daughters are three years apart and different in temperament etc as night and day, but both decided to use the potty at exactly the same age (22 months). There was really no training involved. Both had cloth diapers and both had been able to be around the house with nothing on a fair amount so it may have helped to feel the sensation and see the results...who knows..anyway, I mentioned once to them around the age of 19 -20 months that if they would like to they could start using the little potty and then they would not need diapers, and then I did not bring it up again.
In my younger daughter's experience, I was surprised to discover one day that she had pushed a chair to the closet, climbed up and gotten the potty down off the shelf, scooted it down the hall to the bathroom, sat down and used it. That was it-with a couple of accidents in the next week or so-she wore diapers no more. It seems that children want to grow up and become big and independent(sigh), and this is just one of those developmental milestones that is internally directed. By the way, I used the little Swedish potty, very small and unobtrusive and unthreatening!

Start now! Early training is the best, because she will be oppositional soon and won't do anything to please you. We started w/sitting on a cute potty that was pink after naps and in the morning, when we knew she would pee. Then when she peed in the potty we'd clap and cheer and even do a potty dance. We also pointed out whenever we ourselves needed to pee in the potty and she could come watch if she wanted. By 23 mos she was trained. Also if she's in cloth diapers she'll feel the pee and it will act as a biofeedback system--with the disposables they don't even know they've peed so it takes a lot longer for the whole process.

Feel free to email me w/any questions!

J.

Hi T.!

I haven't potty trained my 17 month old son yet, but I recently took a class from Julie Fellom who is a well known potty training "expert" in SF. She advocates a "naked" approach to potty training, but claims it can be done in three days. She doesn't have her own website, unfortunately, but here is a link to some info on her method on SFGate: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/category?blogi...

I also have an email from her with more detailed information. If you're interested, please feel free to contact me with your email address and I can send it to you. (It's too long to post here).

Good luck!
T.

I don't have any children yet (I am due Aug 20) but as a preschool teacher of 7 years I have helped potty train lots of children. Something that works to get children interested is adding food coloring (red or blue) to the toilet water and telling them when they add their pee it will change colors. I think signs to watch for are if she stays dry in her diaper for long periods of time. Girls do tend to be easier to train, in my experience, or at least are potty trained earlier than boys are.Personally I like the potty seats that fit over big potties rather than their own seperate one that you have to empty into the toilet. But it is really personal preference. Maybe she can help pick it out?! Good luck.

My son was potty trained by 2! But,Only because he wanted to be.. He hated when his diaper was soiled. We just enabled him to sit on the potty whenever he wanted and praised his efforts...
My daughter on the other hand was 3 and she had to be encouraged by the want to go to preschool (They only allowed potty trained children). So we talked to her about how exciting it was going to be and that she needed to make the effort to get it so she could go. T%he drivefor something she wanted was what made the difference for her..
And the moral of my story is children are all different. So try to be in tune with their wants and potty training signals or needs.Oh and have faith, It will happen Organically!

Hi, T.,
I am writing to you, because I, like you, thought there was a magic age to start potty training. Unfortunately, my older son (who is now 3) would probably never have shown any interest in it ever! So I finally decided to try when he was almost 3 and it took 10 months. THEN, for my second boy, I read something online about diaper free babies. They advocated that babies are BORN knowing how to eliminate and that they forget as we let them ignore their bodies' signals over the course of 2 or 3 years in diapers. So, as skeptical as I was, I thought I would try it with my 3.5 month old. Of course, I still kept him in diapers, but began putting him over the potty and do you know what? He used the potty!!! It was amazing and unbelievable. For the first month, we held him over the regular toilet once every 30 minutes, but as he got heavier, we transitioned him to the Baby Bjorn potty and he still uses it. I can't take him as often as he needs to go, but I do take him every 30-40 minutes and he usually pees or poops or both. He still needs diapers, because he still goes in them, but he definitely knows how to control his bladder muscle as well as intentionally have a bowel movement. I am sharing this with you, because I don't think your daughter is too young or needs to show any of the signs that they tell you in the books. You can read more about what I did here:
http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/
Great that you are starting her this early. No need to wait, I say! Had I known what I know now, I would have started my first son 2.5 years earlier!
What worked...for our son, we used stickers. He got a sticker each time he went and he got to put it on his potty. This worked to train him to pee. However, I started off by having him be naked for about a month at home. THat way he could tell he needed to go and would tell me. As soon as I put him in diapers or pull-ups or pants or ANYTHING, he would not be able to tell and would have accidents. Once he got over that stage, we dressed him in pants and underwear. Then, for months, he would only poop when he had a diaper on, either at naptime or bedtime. he would hold it until then! So, after 2-3 months of just letting this happen, I felt like it was time for another incentive. So we told him that he would get one jelly bean if he went on the potty instead. Well, it worked like magic! Had I known it would have that effect, I would have told him this a little sooner! :-)
Finally, about 10 months after starting, he was fully day-trained. He is 3.5 now. Good luck!

I just finished potty training my 3 yr old daughter. Girls usually are easier to train, but if your child is headstrong then that is what takes longer.The signs to watch for are hiding when she has a bowel movement, removing her diaper, and imitating you in the bathroom. The prime age is usually 2 years old. Start training the day after she turns 2 and by the time she is 3 she will be potty trained. If you wait after 2 1/2 their will be more resistance and it will take longer. I made that mistake twice! As far as potty chairs, I highly recommend the baby bjorn, they have a pink one for girls that I found at Babies R Us. Also buy an insert to put on the adult toilet-The First Years makes an inexpensive one that has handles on the sides for toddlers to hold onto. Good luck and be vigilant in potty training-it is a must!

Hi T.,

Don't rush the potty training - most kids don't train until they are almost three, sometimes four. Boys mostly take longer than girls, but not always. Signs that they are ready is when they show interest in the potty.

One of the best tricks I ever heard, of course after my daughter was already potty trained, was a mother who kept telling her daughter, "I'm so excited for you because when you're two I will let you use the potty." I think that's genius. My daughter just kind of trained herself when she was around two. We had her diaper off because of a rash and she just started using the potty. Sorry not to be of more help!

Take care, C.

Hi T.,
I have raised a son, who is now 21 and serving in the U.S. Air Force and a daughter, who is now 15 going on 25. :) The signs for potty training that I noticed in both of my children, were that THEY were uncomfortable in the diaper. They were both very linguistic and told me they didn't want to wear the diaper anymore. I let THEM decide when they were ready and amazingly enough, they were both about 30+ months and were trained by the time they were 3 yrs. old and it only took very little training. We bought the "big boy" and "big girl" underwear together and they didn't want to mess up those spiffy underwear. The really didn't want to use a potty chair, they wanted to go on the big seat, so I bought a big seat insert and a little step-stool and this worked great. They were in the bathroom with me of course at times and saw how it was done and when they had successes I made a great big deal of it and we started out just during the day and bought the "pull-ups" for night and I asked them if they needed to use the rest-room all the time and I was aware of their rest-room habits, so I knew there were times when they would usually need to go. I always packed lots of extra clothing and never made a big deal of failures... only successes and I think the most important thing was waiting until THEY were ready. I hope this helps, good luck, and hang in there momma... they do learn quickly. :)
C., Sacramento, CA

Hi T.,

I second all of Erin E's excellent advice, so I won't respond to the potty training part. For the potty chair though, we went with the Babybjorn potty chair... It's only two pieces with few little cracks and crevices for germs and bacteria to collect...super easy to clean and pretty small to be able to maneuver around. No lids to play with or bells and whistles. The down side can be that it is pretty small Hopefully by the time your little one grows out of it though, she'll be able to hop on the big toilet.

Note that there is a BabyBjorn potty chair and a Babybjorn "little potty". The little potty is only one piece and super small. My kids were too big for it for every day, but it was handy if we took a trip or went overnight to someone's houses.

Good luck!!

Hello,
I have a 17 month old boy who I will start training in about a month. I'm pasting (below) an entire checklist on when it's time to potty train from www.babycenter.com. Hope this helps, at least with the question of whether or not your little girl is ready to start.

BABYCENTER ARTICLE BEGINS HERE:

Toilet training readiness checklist (age 2)
Reviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board
Last updated: September 2006

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Reviewed by Sarah Pearson, M.D., September 2006

Is your 2-year-old ready for toilet training? There's no magic age at which children are ready to start learning how to use the potty, but some develop the necessary physical and cognitive skills between 18 and 24 months of age. Many parents don't start potty training until their children are 2 1/2 to 3 years old, when daytime bladder control has become more reliable. And some children aren't interested in potty training until they're closer to 3, or even 4.

Use the checklist below to measure your 2-year-old's progress toward readiness, and keep in mind that starting before your child is truly ready doesn't mean you'll finish sooner — it's more likely that the process will just end up taking longer.

You don't have to wait until you've checked off every item to start training. Just look for a general trend toward independence and an understanding of what it means to go to the bathroom like a grown-up.

Physical signs

Can walk and run steadily.

Urinates a fair amount at one time.

Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times.

Has "dry" periods of at least three or four hours, which shows that her bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.

Behavioral signs

Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes.

Can pull her pants up and down.

Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper.

Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear).

Gives a physical or verbal sign when she's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you.

Demonstrates a desire for independence.

Takes pride in her accomplishments.

Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet.

Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one.

Cognitive signs

Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy."

Understands the value of putting things where they belong.

Has words for urine and stool.

Understands the physical signals that mean she has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until she has time to get to the potty.