Monday, March 28, 2011

Potty Training Part 2


And now for more on a subject that is very near and dear to my, er, bathroom. If you missed part one, you can find the first four handy tips here. For the rest of you, here is everything else I know about potty training:

5. Give it time. It's ok to decide your kid isn't ready and back off, then pick up again a month or so later, but give it a chance. Don't get frustrated after the first or second day and decide he's just not ready. Give it a good week before going back to full time diapers. It helps if that first week can be spent mostly at home. It's hard to potty train in public and I always just end up throwing a diaper on the kid so we can go to the park or some such thing, which really disrupts the process. 

6. Say the right stuff. Chances are good that if you ask your kid if they want to use the toilet, they're going to say no. Instead of "Won't this be fun? Don't you want to go potty? Are you a big boy (girl)?", try, "This is fun! You're going to use the potty! You're such a big boy (girl)!" They should follow your lead, not the other way around. 

7. Expect accidents. They happen, it's okay! Don't get discouraged or angry with your kid. Learning new skills takes time. 

8. Relax. By the time your kid is in junior high, he'll be using the toilet. Promise. :)

I hope that helps somebody. And if you need to vent and cry about it, feel free to call me. Or leave me a comment. I'm here for you. 

P.S. It's okay to keep the diapers on at night for a while. When you take the leap, it's a good idea to get a few of these mattress liners for the crib or bed. It's also a good idea to layer the bed (mattress liner, sheet, mattress liner, sheet, mattress liner, sheet). That way when there are accidents (and there will be accidents) you can just strip off the top layer, toss it in the laundry room or garage, and climb into a dry bed. 

P.S.S.  You can do it! You can do it! You can do it! 

1 comment:

  1. #6 is a really important point for talking to kids in general, not just toilet-training. Don't ask a question unless "no" is an acceptable answer! :-)

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