Potty Training 101?

[Jessie]

I have two toddlers who I expect will start potty training for real in the next 3-6 months or so. One of them is my daughter, my only child, so I've never potty trained a kid before.

I'm just curious if anyone has a list of general tips for potty training in a day care setting. I have a couple of things that I've been wondering about (what do you do when a child asks to go and the whole group is outside? do I let them hang out on the potty indefinitely if they are lingerers?) but I'm mostly just curious about general best practices for the process.

In addition to the toddlers, I'll have two infants. My other worry is that our play space is in the basement, and the bathroom is on the first floor - not sure how to get the whole bunch upstairs everytime someone *thinks* they have to go.

The only advice I've gotten had been from SAHMs who have a little more flexibility to be on their kids' schedules - curious how this will look with the daycare...

Thanks!

[Willow]

With my kids and the kids in my care I've never planned to potty "train" them.

Usually that sort of plan backfires, and big lol

I always wait until they are very very ready. My own two were practically begging to be done with diapers. Literally the day we switched over to regular underwear they never had an accident from that point on. Not during the day, not during the night, not in the car, there was no messing around with pull up's or plastic pants...they picked the day and were just done. Every daycare kiddo I've worked with I prefer taking the same approach and it's always worked incredibly well. I don't bug kids about it or insist they sit on the potty x amount of times during a day once they hit a certain age.

I think that's why I dislike the word "training" when it comes to starting to use the bathroom. Unless there is underlying medical/mental or behavioral issue or a kiddo is a deep sleeper most know full well when they go and that they have complete control over it. If they're ready there really shouldn't need to be a course of training, they'll already know and readily accept what they have to do. I'd rather a kiddo succeed because a parent holds off for too long rather than struggle and ultimately fail because they're not quite there yet.


As for your dilemma about how to handle not having a bathroom downstairs that's a tough one. It depends on how hard you or the parents want to work this. Some parents have asked me to push a kiddo to go and try every half an hour (sorry, but I wasn't at all willing to do that), that would be awful tough for you to do hauling everyone back and forth like that.

IMHO, if a kiddo isn't able to hold it from the time they recognize they have to go to the time you bring everyone upstairs then they're probably not ready to try just yet. Same thing for outside time.

With kids who are successfully using the potty and staying dry I'll either just let them come back into the house alone and just leave the front door open (the bathroom is right off the entrance, with the front door open I can see it from the swingset), and for younger kiddos who need help with wiping or supervision I'll bring everyone up into the entry so everyone can just leave their shoes on for the couple of minutes it takes. I have door letters, numbers and phonics magnets and wipe boards that occupy kids for that short amount of time. If one has to go I'll usually ask if others do to try to cut down the amount of times we're running in and out.

[itlw8]

start by having them sit for a few minutes everytime you change a diaper.
I have them try before meals before going out to play and before and after nap. then as they learn HOW they go then I worry about the rest

At first they are really just learning how to pull pants up and down and that you sit and try. Around 20 months to 26 month they want to really please you and try so hard to go. It is fun .... about 32 months they start to fight it. so if you have not laid the groundwork for going potty you might need to wait.

When My boys were small. the norm was trained by 2 years. granted we did not run run run nor eat out many nights. Were kids smarter then??? no we just stayed home more and did things with the family.

[itlw8]

and yes if a child says he has to go potty You take him right then and make a big deal out of it. If you say We just tried, or you have a diaper on. you take many steps back.

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by Jessie

I have two toddlers who I expect will start potty training for real in the next 3-6 months or so. One of them is my daughter, my only child, so I've never potty trained a kid before.

I'm just curious if anyone has a list of general tips for potty training in a day care setting. I have a couple of things that I've been wondering about (what do you do when a child asks to go and the whole group is outside? do I let them hang out on the potty indefinitely if they are lingerers?) but I'm mostly just curious about general best practices for the process.

In addition to the toddlers, I'll have two infants. My other worry is that our play space is in the basement, and the bathroom is on the first floor - not sure how to get the whole bunch upstairs everytime someone *thinks* they have to go.

The only advice I've gotten had been from SAHMs who have a little more flexibility to be on their kids' schedules - curious how this will look with the daycare...

Thanks!

NannyDe has an great list of "skills" a child should have for potty training puposes. http://www.daycare.com/nannyde/?s=toilet+training

Might give you a good idea as to what things a child should be able to do for toileting success.

[itlw8]

i GROUP trained a set this year they are competative and did wonderful. the 2 oldest will be 3 in July and have not had an accident in a few months.

my grandson will be 3 in Aug and is staying dry most days. he is in training pants. Switching to training pants sped up the progress but I started that one weekend I had him here with me.

The last 2 were 2 in Jan. Both are doing wonderful and still in pull up here and training pants at home.

and yes I have 5 potty chairs luckily all except one stacks.

[Jessie]

This is all really helpful, thank you so much. This is all an unknown area for me, so I'm mostly just trying to prep myself. Thank you all!

[GretasLittleFriends]

When I potty trained my older two, I had a potty chair. Right now I just have a seat ring that sits on the toilet. My youngest (25mos) sometimes asks to go potty, goes, sits the seat on the toilet, (we work together to undress) then she sits. Asks for paper, wipes, then hops down and flushes. I don't think she is actually going, and it is hard to tell (we have hard water - and I don't hear sounds). In your guys' opinions, would it be easier to use a potty chair instead? She NEVER poops in the toilet, and like I said, honestly don't think she pees either. She is also the 1st one I'll be PT'g as a daycare provider.

[cheerfuldom]

you can put small potties in your playroom, block them off for privacy and safety so you dont have to all leave the room every time.

[Small Town Provider]

I have my main playroom in the room above my garage. There is no bathroom up there either. What I have done in the past and am doing now as I am pt a 3 year old right now is keep a potty upstairs for them to use and then just bring it down to empty it. It's a bit of a pain but once they get older and can hold it longer, they just use the bathroom when we are downstairs for meals.