Where's that potty? (Potty Training Tips)

Member Name: arleek

Product:	Potty Training Tips
Date:	02/09/08 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No more nappies!

Disadvantages: Wee wee and poo poo on the floor

I don't think there is a single 'never fail' solution to the big question of when to potty train; it all comes down to the child and the parent.

I introduced a potty to our daughter when she was about 4 or 5 months old - not with the intention of potty training her at this stage - but because every time I took her nappy off she seemed to do a poo or a wee, and I was just fed up of cleaning up the mess. So we bought the potty and I started sitting her on it at every nappy change, and she kindly obliged by doing her business in the potty. This allowed us to let her have a bare bum for longer periods in the day, and we all know fresh air to the bottom is good for our children, and it also reduces nappy rash.

So anyway, the potty just became part of our daily routine, and she even enjoyed 'going' on the toilet which seemed to cause great surprise in most of my extended family, I'm not sure why. I suppose most children must have a fear of using the toilet for the first time or something! Perhaps my daughter wasn't affected by it because she'd seen me and her Dad use it so many times (we're not shy!) and thought it looked okay.

When she started walking confidently at about 13 months we encouraged more 'bare bum time', mainly because it was easier than putting another nappy on a wriggling toddler. We still weren't in the frame of mind that we were potty training our daughter, but during these bare bum sessions I used to sit on her the potty every so often, just to let her do her business. Sometimes she did something and sometimes she didn't, and I never put pressure on her, but she seemed to be aware of the fact that the potty or toilet was where she needed to be when she needed to go.

When she was about 15 or 16 months there came the time when she would tap me on the leg and say 'wee wee' so I'd take her to the potty and she'd do either a wee or a poo, which I thought was marvellous considering I still wasn't (as far as I was concerned) 'training' her.

Of course there were still accidents on the floor - they say children forget or become too engrossed in their toys and just don't think about doing a wee or a poo, and then there it is on the floor... Something which I totally agree with - how can you expect a child who's used to doing it in her nappy whenever she pleases to all of a sudden start remembering every single time to go and do it on the potty? You just can't; remember they are only children.

So now at 19 months, we are still at the same stage. She wears a nappy most of the time, but when she has no nappy on; she seems to remember to tell me when she needs to go. I did attempt full-time pants at one point and she did really well for a short time, but then she went backwards and we had to resort back to nappies for the time being. I think this was mainly due to the fact that we are about to have another baby and changes are going on in the houselhold. So full-time pants will have to wait until a month or so after the baby is born.

What I'm trying to say is that, while potty training is different for everybody and there is no set solution or miracle 'train your child in one week' strategy, you can help your child along a little by the things you do in preparation for the big milestone.

I think the fact that we introduced a potty so early on in our daughter's life has helped greatly because it's just a part of her life now, and there is no bribery involved in getting her to sit on it. Many of my friends have introduced potties at the moment they want to start training, and their child has recoiled in horror at having to sit on this plastic monstrosity.

So a little bit of gentle encouragement from an early age could help you forego all the angst that many parents experience when attempting to potty train their child. My daughter and I have never had an argument or struggle over using the potty or toilet, and I hope it stays this way. When the time comes again for full-time pants (once she has adjusted to the new baby), I am quietly confident that we will have a smooth progression from nappies to pants.

I think a lot of parents expect their children to be trained immediately and get frustrated when they wee on the floor again after using the potty for a set amount of time. But I don't think it happens this way, kids go backwards and forwards before they are powering at full steam ahead. I'm not expecting miracles, and I am prepared for the accidents, and am hopefully going to be calm and collected throughout the training process... unless of course the new baby is a nightmare!

Summary: It's not easy, but gentle encouragement can help