Potty Training

Potty training has its ups and downs. As a mom of three kids I understand many of them. My daughter who is 11 now was the easiest to potty train. For my middle child, he went through the most stressful times in our lives though he also had some developmental delays that contributed to him potty training so late. For my youngest son he was constantly pushed at daycare and by his dad to get potty trained. Once they decided to back off he decided to work with them.

As a parent you have to be observant of the environment your child is currently in while potty training. If it is stressful I recommend a parent back off for awhile until things calm down. If your child has been tested or is showing indications of a developmental delay, be prepared that it is going to take more time to get them trained.

Often I get questions from parents about using pull ups. When they first came out I thought they were the greatest thing until I found out from some daycare providers that they mostly hinder the potty trainining process. In fact, I was told they are not much different than a diaper.

With my youngest son though, his dad and the daycare insisted he be put in them. Now, had my friend Janice been working at the daycare as she used to, she would not have recommended them. She would have put my son directly into underwear and worked with him.

For my middle child pull ups were the only thing we could use after awhile because he grew out of the biggest diaper available. 

One main concern for parents while potty training is taking them out to do errands or visit places like a friends or grandma and grandpa's house. I recommend that parents take their child to the potty to sit for a few minutes just before walking out the door. With my youngest child I still take two extra pairs of clothing.

I do my best to keep up with the times he goes to the potty by taking him about every hour. At least twice a day he will tell me himself he has to go. Otherwise I see him holding himself or dancing around.

Children are active little creatures so the last thing they want to do is sit on the potty. I remind parents of this because a child is going to find some reason to not go sit on the potty. Find something that is comforting and entertaining such as a toy when taking them. If you have to for a while use the small potty and put it in their play room, bedroom or wherever they are watching tv. This has worked great for my kids and has resulted in less messes to deal with. And less potty training clothing accidents to change.

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