Here is a copy of the blog I wrote this week for Looking For a Sitter….It may be helpful to many of you! I can’t believe many of the Beach Bums babies are turning or approaching one and will soon be moving on from diapers!! Hope this is helpful, it worked really well for us. Marley was potty trained at home by 18 months and completely (even at night!) by 2.
Potty training is probably one of the tasks of parenthood that most people do not look forward to. The idea fills many parents with dread; imagining dealing with accidents, crying, bargaining, bribery and the most dreaded….poop! I own a cloth diaper service and my daughter has been potty trained since 18 months old, so I meet a lot of moms and dads who ask how I did it. I wouldn’t call myself an expert and every child is so different that I believe there is no one sure fire method that will work for them all, but I think I know a little bit. As a nanny I assisted several parents in potty training and I think I learned a little bit about what doesn’t work….and what does. So here are my 5 steps to a potty trained child.
1. Cloth Diaper
I believe in cloth for so many reasons which I will address in another blog, but one of those reasons is that cloth diapers allow children to know when they are wet/soiled. Studies show that cloth diapered children potty train on average one year earlier than disposable diapered babies. ONE YEAR! If the average toddler is going through 50 diapers per week that is 2600 diapers earlier. That is a lot of diaper changes you could potentially avoid! When a baby is wearing a cloth diaper they recognize the feeling of being wet or dirty before they are even able to verbalize it. They will have an earlier understanding of what is going on with their body, how they feel before they go, and after, and be able to attempt control over it.
If you are reading this and your child is/has been wearing disposables, it’s still not hopeless. Potty training can still be a breeze. Move on to step 2.
2. Buy a potty early
Imagine if you had been doing something one way your whole life…no one ever mentioned to you that you might have to do it a different way someday, then suddenly one day they told you to do it differently and got angry with you when you made mistakes. This is how many parents approach potty training. Don’t suddenly make the decision that it is time for your child to go on the potty when they are 2. Introduce the potty early and gradually help them discover what it is for.
I bought my daughter her potty when she was about 9 months old. I told her it was a potty and that her pee and poop go in there. I put it in the living room near her other toys and it became something to crawl, climb and sit on. Eventually she would be sitting on it naked and accidentally go….AH HA moment for her! Which leads to the next step…..
3. Allow lots of naked time
Adults think of being naked as taboo or have developed self consciousness that instinctively tells them to cover up. Children do not feel this way, they have no negative associations with nakedness, no feelings that they should cover certain body parts. Now, I am not saying you should let your toddler be naked all the time, there is an appropriate time and place, but don’t unknowing place your negative associations onto their nakedness or the act of them going potty. Let them be naked when they are home. My daughter would spend a portion of everyday naked and it helped her to associate how her body felt and what was happening when she went potty….she was aware of it. At first I remember she wouldn’t seem to notice too much but that didn’t last long. She then started getting upset if she peed on the floor and that lead to her trying to get to the potty before that happened! It’s true cleaning up poop off the floor is not exactly fun, but be prepared for it. If possible let the naked time be outside in the yard or in the kitchen where it can easily be cleaned up. The payoff is many less diapers to change and you get to have a few hours a day with a happy baby….kids love naked time!
4. Let your child see you going “potty”
We give up our privacy in many ways when we become parents. When your child follows you into the bathroom use it as a teaching opportunity. Explain what is happening and what you are doing. Their curious little minds will watch and absorb and then when they are expected to do the same it will be familiar!
5. Make it fun
Learning to use the toilet should be a fun and exciting step toward growing up for your child. It should not be a time of stress or in any way a negative experience. Read books that show others using the potty, explain how to use the potty or just make light of the whole process. Sing songs about going potty, the best ones are the silly ones you make up as your child plays on or attempts to use the potty….make them laugh and enjoy the learning process. Don’t criticize, pressure or reprimand mistakes. Remember it is a learning PROCESS! It will not happen overnight, but if you follow the no pressure, early introduction guidelines I think the whole thing will be much more enjoyable and stress free for you and your child! Good Luck!
