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Been There!
Done That! Toilet Training Tips
- © 1999,
by Lisa Julian
Toilet training should
be a fun and exciting experience for both you and your child.
Remember, your child should feel in control of the process, not
you. Take a slow, casual, matter-of-fact approach, and make it
fun! Always encourage and praise your child.
Do not begin training until your child shows signs that he/she
is ready. Every child is different. Most are ready for training
between two and two and a half years old (some as young as 18
months or as old as 3 years). Start at a time when you can spend
a lot of time together -- when your child is eager to please
you and there are no major distractions or traumatic events in
his/her life (new sibling, divorce, moving, new caretaker, etc.).
Never pressure or punish your child for unsuccessful attempts
at using the potty. Most of all, be patient! Your child will
learn to use the potty when he or she is ready (and not before!).
15 Signs of toilet
training readiness
Your child is
ready to learn potty skills when he or she.
1. Has bowel
movements at about the same time every day.
2. Can stay dry for a few hours or wakes up dry from sleep.
3. Knows that he/she has to go to the bathroom.
4. Understands the association between dry pants and using the
potty.
5. Can pull her pants up and down.
6. Lets you know when he/she has soiled his/her diaper (likes
to stay dry).
7. Can follow simple directions like, "lets go to the potty."
8. Understands potty terms (wet, dry, pee, poop, dirty and potty).
9. Can tell you he/she has to go to the bathroom.
10. Imitates other family members.
11. Shows interest and asks question while watching you.
12. Wants to do things "by myself."
13. Enjoys washing his/her hands (like to be clean).
14. Gets upset if his/her belongings are not in their proper
place.
15. Wants to please you!
Getting Ready
Start by reading
toilet learning books to your child (15 months and up). Once
your child is ready for toilet training, you can go to the store
and purchase training pants and a potty chair. Bring your child
with you so that he/she will get excited about the whole process.
When buying training pants, if you are choosing cotton, let your
child pick out his/her favorite ones (Rugrats, Batman, Barbie
etc.). Cotton training pants will let your child feel the wetness
and will train faster. The downside is that they are messier!
Disposable training pants are easy for cleanup and on the go
but it may take longer to train if your child does not feel the
discomfort of wetness.
If you buy cotton,
buy more than one three pack. You will go through these quickly
and you want to have plenty in the diaper bag and dresser. When
purchasing a potty-chair, make sure you purchase a sturdy one.
You want your child to feel secure when he/she tries it. Your
child's feet need to be on the floor (This will eliminate his
fear of falling in). You may also want to buy an extra one for
outside or to keep in the car (it's better to go to your car
and use your clean potty than go to a public restroom that hasn't
been sanitized!)
It's Potty Time!
Introduce the
potty in a casual way. Put it in a room where your child plays
most often. The kitchen is a good place, so you can supervise.
It will also encourage your child to use it more often if it
is in plain view. Let your child play with it so he/she will
get accustomed to it. Then show your child how it works. At this
time you can also put your potty chart on the refrigerator. Explain
to your child that each time he/she successfully uses the potty,
he/she will get a sticker for his/her chart (use praise too,
of course). This will be an incentive to get your child to start
using the potty-chair. Once your child is used to the potty-chair,
you can start to encourage use of it.
At the beginning
of training, increase fluids to encourage practice. Encouraging
practice will help your child learn the basic potty skills. In
addition, you will want to make sure your child eats lots of
fresh fruit and vegetables. Prune and apple juice are always
good staples to have around when BM training. You want to keep
your child's
stools soft to prevent withholding of stools. When you see any
signs that your child is about to go (passing gas, wriggling,
holding crotch or telling you), quickly tell your child it's
time to use the potty. All cooperation with attempts at using
the potty should be praised with words like, "What a big
boy! Nicolas is using the potty just like daddy"! Also,
remember to praise your child and offer a sticker for his/her
chart for every successful potty use. This will help build self-esteem.
If you encounter
problems
If your child
is reluctant or refuses to use the potty, try to encourage him/her
by offering to read a story while sitting on the potty. If this
still does not work, back off and do not push him/her.
You can try to
leave your child's diaper off at the time he/she usually has
a bowel movement (BM). Timing is an important factor in toilet
training. If you sense that he/she has to do a BM, take the diaper
off right at the moment you see your child getting ready to do
his/her BM. If you do catch your child before the BM occurs,
then quickly take him/her to the potty and tell him/her that
this is where the poop goes. Hopefully if you catch your child
at the precise moment, he/she will look for relief and let you
guide him/her to the potty. If your child protests a bit, gently
encourage and explain to your child "that he/she is a big
girl/boy now and mommy and daddy expects you to use the potty."
Remember, encourage and guide, but do not force your child to
sit. If your child refuses to sit on the potty, then he/she is
not ready. If your child pees and poops constantly in his/her
underwear, then he/she is not ready. No big deal, try again in
a month or so. This is normal! Let your child take the lead.
Your child needs to be in control of the process.
Withholding of
Stools
It only takes ONE painful BM to cause your child to be frightened
of using the potty, so at all costs, make sure his/her diet has
sufficient fresh fruits,egetables and juice. If your child has
a painful BM only once while trying the potty, it could delay
potty training for months. He/she will associate painful BMs
with the potty and will refuse to
use it. If you suspect that your child is withholding his/her
stools, it is best to stop training and increase the fluids.
Always call your pediatrician if you think your child is withholding.
It can be serious if an impaction occurs. Tell your child that
moment, that he/she is not ready yet and that you will try again
later.
Continue to play
potty videos and read toilet learning books often to encourage
regular use of the potty so your child will grasp the concept.
Keep the potty-chair out and he/she will eventually shows signs
of interest again. Remember, the keys to toilet training are
patience, praise, encouragement (and a sticker on his/her chart
to build self esteem and make the learning process fun).
Toilet training
can get messy so be prepared and expect that there will be many
mistakes. Your child is learning a very difficult skill. Clean
up any accidents without anger or showing disgust. Do not make
negative comments. Explain to your child that pee and poop go
in the toilet. You should also empty any accidents in underwear
or training pants into the toilet and explain to your child that
he/he/she is a big girl now and this is where the poop goes.
Try switching from diapers to training pants when your child
does at least fifty percent of his/her urine or bowel movements
in the potty. At night, you can use diapers until your child
wakes up dry for a couple of days in a row.
Remember, they
are learning a very difficult skill. No one has ever said, "Toilet
training is easy". Make the process fun and you will have
happy memories to look back on.
Helpful Toilet
Training Tips! Make it fun!
- Make a big deal
about using the last diaper or let your child help you throw
out the diapers in the trash can.
- Shop together
for new underwear!
- Dress your child
in clothes that are easy to take on and off.
- Never punish
or scold your child for accidents.
- If your child
can't produce anything after 5 minutes of sitting on the potty,
its time to try later.
- Train your child
to wash his/her hands after using the potty.
- Change diapers
and/or accidents as soon as possible. Explain the need to stay
nice and dry. After awhile your child will want to stay nice
and dry.
- Do not punish
your child by keeping him/her in wet or soiled diapers. This
is counterproductive and will not teach your child to use the
potty.
- Do not pressure
or nag your child to use the potty. The harder you push, the
harder he/she will resist!
- Only remind
your child to use the potty when he/she is showing signs that
he/she has to go.
- Never force
your child to use the potty.
- Let your child
put wet underwear in a designated place, such as the sink or
laundry basin and instruct your child to get and put on new ones.
- All caregivers
should use the same approach and method to toilet training.
- If using cotton
underwear, buy more than one 3 pack (9 pairs should be good)!
- Be prepared
to spend some time in the bathroom with your child!
- Spring and summer
is a great time to toilet train! Let your child go without his/her
diaper.
- Make sure your
child's diet has plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and juice.
Your child is
trained when he/she goes to the potty without any assistance
or reminders from you!
Good Luck!
- Lisa Julian of
Braintree, Massachussetts is the mother of four-year old Nicolas,
three-year old Alexander and one-year-old Samantha. She is the
founder of Lee-Bee
Products, distributors
of motivational tools for children, including toilet training
and chore charts. Her product line is available in local Massachusetts
stores at Rhyme 'N' Reason, Learning Press and Storybook Cove.
For more information, call 1-781-849-5880 or toll free 1-888-668-6615.
You can also visit her website at http://www.lee-bee.com.
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