Not like mother used to do! (Potty Training Tips)

Member Name: clairemichelled

Product:	Potty Training Tips
Date:	11/03/09 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a lot quicker our way

Disadvantages: they are in nappies longer

When my little girl turned two last May, there was a certain expectation that seemed to come with turning that grand old age. All well meaning(?) family made comments about how she should be out of nappies. If I dared to mention money worries, my mum would quickly quip back that I'd save SO much money if my baby was out of nappies - doh, Mum you don't say! Why do people think they know your child better than you do??


With her being a summer born baby, its the perfect time to train her; isn't it???? Doesn't matter if she is actually ready!! She's 2 and its the summer - why wait???


So putting my mum's opinions over my own, nappies came off and knickers went on. Not just any old knickers, but very pretty knickers chosen by my little darling herself (shame Woolies has gone - such a huge choice, and a great way of wasting an hour or two while THE KNICKERS are chosen!!!) The potty(s) had been bought - one for the lounge, one for the hall and one for the bathroom - well there was going to be urgency and emergency dashes wasn't there!!


Was there heck as like!! Ok, she loved her knickers and loved her potty (which one was favourite changed regularly!!) especially wearing the plastic pot on her head, tiping her juice into it and using it to collect "things" in it (usually small toys, crayons etc). Oh and not forgetting turning it upside down to stand on to make her that little bit taller so she could reach those things I didn't really want her reaching!!!!!!



As for using the potty for the real reason it was invented it sadly didn't happen. My little girl, who according to some, is quite advanced at certain things (speech being her best attriubute because she takes after her mum and never shuts up!!) did not have a clue when it came to where her wee wee should go! Bless her, she didn't have a clue of when she was going let alone what she should do about it if she did go. We had puddles all over the house. So after a couple of days of this, I put nappies back on. I began to feel like a failure especially when mum reckoned I'd given in too easily.



Back to the drawing board and to research! Good old internet again! Apparently it can take a while to establish the connection between their bladder/bowel and their brains - just like walking or talking. The best thing to do is leave until they are really really ready, then it will be quick and easy. So how do you know when they are really ready?? They need to be able to give you signs that they are wet/dirty by actually telling you or pulling at their nappy; they need to know and understand what is expected of them so they can try to get to the toilet/potty. They should also go for long periods without passing urine (a couple of hours at least)It also helps if they can, to some degree, manage their clothing (ok mum one point to you for the summer thing - less clothes is obviously easier!!)


I also read that it may be best to put them straight into knickers rather than having bare bottoms, and once you give it a go don't put them into nappies for trips out etc as they will get confused. Of course do one stage at a time and still use nappies for bed and at nap time. Use sticker charts for encouragment and teach proper hygiene standards from the onset.


I was quite prepared to leave it until the spring/summer because of the clothes issue, before even thinking about assessing her readiness. But last month, at bath time she was having some nappy free time when she went and got her potty, sat on it and did a wee!! Wow, weren't we all excited!! She must have felt the need and knew what she needed to do about it!!


So next morning I didn't put a nappy on her, I just explained that if she needed a wee she should shout it out and I'd help her use the potty. I also made up a sticker chart so that everytime we had a hit we got a sticker. Whenever I went to the toilet, she came too and sat on her potty. When she went I made a huge fuss and she loved flushing it away. Then of course it was plenty of soapy water for hand washing!! She has always drank a lot, and I encouraged her to do this so she got use to the feeling of a full bladder.


I can honestly say, that apart from the odd accident (that was in a shop, and I was a bit slow!!) she's been brilliant and we no longer carry nappies with us. We do have a change of clothes and a potty, but she prefers to use a toilet now, so I'm expert at tracking one down where ever we are. Her nappies are usually dry in the mornings after a good nights sleep, so it won't long before I give that a go too!!!


So, in the old days, toddlers may have been out of nappies at a younger age, but usually that was achieved by getting the little one to sit on the potty at regular intervals, so "training" them to wee on demand and even at set times !! It must have been a stressful way of doing it!! Today, our little ones learn to recognise the feeling of needing to go, and what to do about it. Leave it long enough and its much, much easier!


Your little one may well be three when you get them out of nappies, they all develp at different rates, and just because your child walked "early/late" doesn't mean the same will happen with potty training. Let your child develop at their own pace.

Summary: Not someting you can rush, and it will take some longer to be ready than others