Sunday, October 10, 2010

Toilet trainning tip

If you're afraid your child will still be in diapers by the time he or she gets married, you'll take comfort in these suggestions from BabyCenter parents, who've found creative and original ways to make potty training easier — and more fun.



Try a tune

We used the Once Upon a Potty video for our daughter. We sang the tune from the video all the time, especially when she went to the potty. She loved it. — Dianne, California


Sing their praises

We made up a little song that we sang every time our daughter sat on the potty. She loved it. When she finished, we would sing a different song identifying what she had done and telling her how proud we were of her. We also included several rounds of applause. It wasn't too long before she used the potty every time! — Christie, North Carolina

Read together

Lucy and I went to the bookstore and she picked out five books she really liked. We called these the potty books, and she could read them only when she sat on the potty. — Amy, Michigan

Use a special potty

My second child caught on in two weeks. Her potty had a square in the bowl, which turned into a star every time fluid hit it. That was her big challenge, to make a star, and it became a game for her. — Angela, California

We found a wonderful training aid called Tinkletoonz. It plays happy music when hit with number one or number two. We had a lot of difficulty for several months, but this method worked like a dream. It is available at www.tinkletoonz.com. — Marion


Try a timer

My biggest help was to be consistent. We used a timer to help us both remember to go potty. We started with every 20 minutes, and as I could see he was needing to go less, gradually increased the time. Eventually, he would tell me he needed to go before the timer went off, or say he didn't need to when it did. Then we'd set the timer for five or 10 more minutes and try again. — Amy, Utah


Set up target practice

We put a flushable item, such as Cheerios or Fruit Loops, in the toilet. (You can also use shaving cream or colored ice cubes.) The game for our son was to aim and shoot. Rewards were based on accuracy and number of downed Cheerios (Fruit Loops added the extra challenge of shooting a particular color). It was fun and challenging, and did wonders for his accuracy! With BMs, we told him the game was to send in the backup troops (no pun intended) to finish the job with torpedoes. I doubt this would work with girls, but Alex took less than a week to be fully day-trained. — Roxann, Massachusetts

The colored water trick

We dyed the toilet water with red or blue food coloring; it changes to orange or green and they love knowing that they did this. — Amy, Texas


Make them feel proud

With my daughter, I tried to focus on verbal praise: "What a big girl thing to do!" "You must be so proud of yourself." "Do you want to call Grandma to tell her?" "Give me a high five!" — Kirsten, Washington

With our son, the best and most motivational reward was calling in the dog to look at what he'd done in the potty! — Sharon, Missouri

Use treats and surprises

Our daughter wasn't very consistent with toilet training until we introduced the surprise bag. We got a bunch of inexpensive toys and stickers and put them in a colorful gift bag. Every time she used the toilet, we would clap and tell her what a great job she did and let her pick one surprise out of the bag. We kept it up for about a week and a half, and when the surprises ran out she just kept on using the potty. We continued to praise her and she quickly forgot the surprise bag. I can honestly say that toilet training was painless and quick with this method, and I plan to use it again with my next child. — Jamie, Washington D.C.

Whenever I hit a fast food drive-through, I would get a kids' meal even if the kids weren't with me, then I collected all the toys in a dark pillowcase (so it wouldn't be see-through). When it came time to toilet train my 3-year-old son (an idea he was extremely resistant to), I would let him take one item from the pillowcase every time he went poop on the potty. This worked so quickly that within three weeks he was completely trained. Needless to say, this concept is not working for my daughter who just turned 3. Why not? I don't get it. — Merita, Pennsylvania

We kept a container of our daughter Morgan's favorite treat (M&Ms) on her dresser. If she successfully used the potty, she would receive three M&Ms (we'd let her pick the colors as well). Within a month she was using the potty regularly, with few accidents, and by age 2 1/2 she was trained. — Lisa, Pennsylvania


My 28-month-old really loved my nail polish. I found some at the grocery store that would come right off when she washed her hands, so I let my toddler paint her fingernails every time she peed in the potty. I told her that when she pooed she could have some of Mommy's polish, which wouldn't wash off, on one finger. Ten days later, she was completely potty trained. — Lisa, California

Celebrate with stickers

To encourage our son Alexander to use the potty, we put a drawing of a racetrack on the wall (an approach suggested by his preschool). Every time he used the potty he got to place a sticker on the racetrack. When the racetrack was filled with stickers, he got to pick a toy at the store as a reward. — Cheryl, Massachusetts


Put your child in charge

When my 18-month-old started going into the bathroom and closing the door, I knew she was about ready to toilet train. I would let her go in and use her potty, dump it into the big toilet, and put it up in the sink for me to rinse out. — Katherine, North Carolina


Make flushing fun

I began potty training my first child at about 20 months and am now in the process of training our second. One easy and excellent incentive is letting them flush the potty if they go. You need to establish a rule that this is the only time they get to flush. This is a simple and easy reward, and develops a needed habit. — Deanna, Iowa


Sitting solution

We put our son Nick on the big potty backwards. The potty-chair was too hard for him to use (without the little guard, he would pee on the floor, and with it, he had trouble sitting down because his legs were so chubby). My mother came up with the idea of putting him backwards. That way he automatically aimed in the right place, and he had the back of the toilet to hold on to. If he had to go poopy he just scooted his bottom up a little more toward the tank. He thought it was so funny he wanted to do it all the time. It took about a month, and he never had an accident after that. — Melissa, New York

Throw out the diapers

As a preschool teacher and mom, one of the best toilet training tips I can offer is to resist the temptation of using disposable "underwear," such as Pull-Ups, all the time. The children don't get uncomfortable when they are wet, and I've noticed that it severely prolongs potty training. Of course every child is different, but this is definitely a trend I've noticed while working with a gaggle of 20 2 1/2-year-olds! — Jenny, Kansas


I put painter's plastic down on the carpets, then took off my 16-month-old's diaper. There were a number of accidents, but the cleanups were quick and easy because of the plastic. She soon caught on and was happy not to be in uncomfortable diapers! — Carmen, Texas


I had my son pick out underwear with his favorite character, Thomas the Tank Engine, on them. Then I told him not to get Thomas wet. It worked immediately! — Mania, Michigan

My son was fully toilet trained at 3, except he wouldn't go poo in the toilet. I tried everything, and asked everyone. Finally one day we were shopping and he asked for boxers. I told him that if we got these he would have to use the toilet or it would get all over the place. That seemed to be the magic thing because ever since then he has had no more accidents. — Maile, California


I let my daughter wear undies every day until naptime, but I put plastic pants over them to prevent messes. In the beginning she wet several times a day and didn't like the feeling. I also gave her a nickel for her piggy every time she sat on the potty. She was trained by 20 months. — Rose, Pennsylvania


My daughter tortured me for months, using the potty successfully one day, then demanding diapers the next. Finally I told her that the pack of diapers we had just bought was the last, and I wasn't buying any more. We then picked out training pants. When we got down to the last few diapers, I again emphasized that they were the last and when they were gone there wouldn't be any more. We then went to training pants and to Drypers "sleeping undies" at night. She had a few accidents the first week and has been trained ever since! — Margaret, Massachusetts

Dress her in dresses

A little trick with girls: I put my girl in dresses for about three weeks while we were training. It was easier for her to get ready for the potty and allowed for quick decisions when she was in the middle of playing. — Lisa, Colorado

Give up to get results

Our daughter was 2 1/2 when we finally got her trained. We tried everything in the book. She wanted to wear underwear but not go to the potty. Finally we said, "Go ahead and do what you want." Two days later, she started using the potty on her own, with no encouragement from us! — Tasha, Indiana
 
Baby center.com

potty trainning resistance

While most children show signs of physical readiness to begin using the toilet as toddlers, usually between 18 months and 3 years of age, not all children have the intellectual and/or psychological readiness to be potty trained at this age.


Signs of physical readiness can include your being able to tell when your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement by his facial expressions, posture or by what he says, staying dry for at least 2 hours at a time, and having regular bowel movements.



Signs of intellectual and psychological readiness include being able to follow simple instructions and being cooperative, being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and wanting them to be changed, recognizing when he has a full bladder or needs to have a bowel movement, being able to tell you when he needs to urinate or have a bowel movement, asking to use the potty chair, or asking to wear regular underwear.



Things to avoid when toilet training your child, and help prevent resistance, are beginning during a stressful time or period of change in the family (moving, new baby, etc.), pushing your child too fast, and punishing mistakes (treat accidents and mistakes lightly). Be sure to go at your child's pace and show strong encouragement and praise when he is successful.




Even after he begins to use the potty, it is normal to have accidents and for him to regress or relapse at times and refuse to use the potty. The process of being fully potty trained, with your child recognizing when he has to go to the potty, physically goes to the bathroom and pulls down his pants, urinates or has a bowel movement in the potty, and dresses himself, can take time, often up to three to six months for most children. Having accidents or occasionally refusing to use the potty is normal and not considered resistance.



While it is recommended that you don't insist that he sits on the potty and you should be prepared to delay training if he shows resistance, at some point if his resistance to using the potty persists, especially after he is 3 -3 1/2 years old, then you should consider him resistant to potty training and you will need to change your methods.



Early on in the training, especially if your child is less than 3 - 3 1/2 years old, resistance should be treated by just discontinuing training for a few weeks or a month and then trying again. At this age (18 months to 3 years), resistance is usually because your child just isn't ready to begin training.



Potty training resistance usually occurs because your child has had a bad experience at some point during potty training, especially if he was started before he was intellectually or psycholgoically ready. Other times, especially with strong willed or stubborn children, it may have nothing to do with your technique or timing, and you may have done nothing wrong.



Reasons for developing a resistance to potty training can include:



being scared to sit on the potty chair

flushing the toilet may have scared him from wanting to sit on the toilet

being pushed too early or fast before he was ready

severe punishment for not using the potty or being forced to sit on the potty

inconsistant training, especially among different caregivers

he may have had a painful bowel movement from being constipated. If this is the case, treat his constipation and wait until he is having regular, soft bowel movements before you begin training again.

or he may just be stubborn and is involved in a power struggle with his parents and is using his control over where he has a bowel movement

he may enjoy the negative attention he gets from not using the potty or from having accidents

although rare, there are medical conditions that can make it difficult for your child to hold in or delay urinating or having a bowel movement. Discuss with your Pediatrician if there are any medical reasons why you may be having a hard time teaching your child to use potty, especially if he seems to have other delays in his development.

At this point, if your child is totally resistant to being potty trained, then it is best to just make him responsible for when he wants to use the toilet. This includes not punishing him for mistakes and not reminding him to use the potty. If he seems fearful, you can try and discuss calmly what it is about using the potty that scares him.



While you may get a lot of negative feedback from friends or family members about not being more aggressive with getting your child potty trained, you should be firm and let them know that you are working on it and remind them that not all children potty train at the same time.



In addition, it can be helpful if you:



establish a reward or incentive for using the potty. This should include lots of praise and attention when he uses the potty. It can also include a star or reward chart on which you child can place stickers whenever he uses the potty. After a certain number of days that he has stickers, then he can get a reward, such as toy, etc.

have your child be involved in changing himself when he wets or soils himself. This can include getting a new diaper, taking the dirty diaper off, cleaning himself (although he will probably need help after bowel movements), and throwing the dirty diaper away.

At some point you can change him into regular underware. You can talk about it beforehand and maybe have a ceremony where he throws away the left over diapers or you may just decide not to buy any new ones. Now, when he does wet or soil himself, you can have him help to clean out his underware in the sink or bathtub. You may even have him put them in the washing machine and wait with you while they are getting washed and dried. He should then dress himself. This method is not for everyone, but is usually very effective. You can also have him clean up after himself if he wet or soiled the floor.

Limit him to having BMs in the bathroom. This isn't always possible, but is easy if he always asks for a diaper just to have a bowel movement. Next, have him sit on the potty to have a bowel movement, even if he continues to wear his diaper. Then work on getting his diaper off by opening it and eventually taking it off. During this process, you should give lots of praise and rewards during each step.

If he is having a hard time learning to use the potty, but isn't necessarily resistant to the idea, then developing a regular daily routine of sitting on the potty for five or ten minutes every few hours may be helpful.

Most importantly, avoid physical punishment for not using the potty, even in an older child. It can be appropriate to verbally let him know that you disapprove of his not using the potty, but this should not get to the point of yelling, shaming or nagging.

Toilet trainning

When is the right time to start toilet training?


There is no set age at which toilet training should begin. Before children are 12 months of age, they have no control over bladder or bowel movements. While many children start to show signs of being ready between 18 and 24 months of age, some children may not be ready until 30 months or older. This is normal.


Most children achieve bowel control and daytime urine control by 3 to 4 years of age. However, even after your child is able to stay dry during the day, it may take months or years before he achieves the same success at night. Most children are able to stay dry at night after 5 years of age.


Signs that your child may be ready include the following:


Your child stays dry at least 2 hours at a time during the day or is dry after naps.


Bowel movements become regular and predictable.


You can tell when your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement.


Your child can follow simple instructions.


Your child can walk to and from the bathroom and help undress.


Your child seems uncomfortable with soiled diapers and wants to be changed.


Your child asks to use the toilet or potty chair.


Your child asks to wear "big-kid" underwear.

Note: Some child care programs require children to be toilet trained as a requirement for enrollment. Don't let this be a threat to your child; it may be an incentive for her to cooperate in the toilet training process.


Major changes in the home may make toilet training more difficult. Sometimes it is a good idea to delay toilet training if


Your family has just moved or will move in the near future.


You are expecting a baby or you have recently had a new baby.


There is a major illness, a recent death, or some other family crisis.


However, if your child is learning how to use the toilet without problems, there is no need to stop because of these situations.


Toilet Training Tips


Decide which words to use. Choose the words your family will use to describe body parts, urine, and bowel movements. Remember that other people will hear these words too, so pick words that will not offend, confuse, or embarrass anyone. Avoid negative words like "dirty," "naughty," or "stinky." They can make your child feel ashamed and embarrassed. Talk about bowel movements and urination in a simple, matter-of-fact manner.

Pick a potty chair. A potty chair is easier for a small child to use because there is no problem getting onto it and a child's feet can reach the floor. Special books or toys for "potty time" may help make this more enjoyable for your child.

Know the signs. Before having a bowel movement, your child may grunt or make other straining noises, squat, or stop playing for a moment. When pushing, his face may turn red. Explain to your child that these signs mean that a bowel movement is about to come. Your child may wait until after the fact to tell you about a wet diaper or a bowel movement. This is actually a good sign that your child is starting to recognize these body functions. Praise your child for telling you, and suggest that "next time" he let you know in advance. Keep in mind that it often takes longer for a child to recognize the need to urinate than the need to move bowels.

Make trips to the potty routine. When your child seems ready to urinate or have a bowel movement, go to the potty. It may also be helpful to make trips to the potty a regular part of your child's daily routine, such as first thing in the morning, after meals, or before naps.

Try training pants. Once your child starts using the potty with some success, training pants can be used. This moment will be special. Your child will feel proud of this sign of growing up. However, be prepared for "accidents."

If any concerns come up before, during, or after toilet training, talk with your pediatrician. Often the problem is minor and can be resolved quickly, but sometimes physical or emotional causes will require treatment. Your pediatrician's help, advice, and encouragement can help make toilet training easier. Also, your pediatrician is trained to identify and manage problems that are more serious.



Published online: 9/09

Source: Toilet Training (Copyright © 2009 American Academy of Pediatrics)



Healthcare professionals may order this publication in multi-copy packs.

Parents can find more information on this topic in Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. To order a copy of this book visit the AAP Bookstore.


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The information contained in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Potty trainning

Most children show signs of readiness to begin using the toilet as toddlers, usually between 18 months and 3 years of age.


These signs include staying dry for at least 2 hours at a time, having regular bowel movements, being able to follow simple instructions, being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and wanting them to be changed, asking to use the potty chair, or asking to wear regular underwear. You should also be able to tell when your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement by his facial expressions, posture or by what he says. If your child has begun to tell you about having a dirty diaper you should praise him for telling you and encourage him to tell you in advance next time.

You should choose a potty chair once your child has shown that he is ready to begin toilet training. You can have him decorate it with stickers and sit on it with his clothes on to watch TV, etc. to help him get used to it. Whenever your child shows signs of needing to urinate or have a bowel movement you should ask him if he wants to use the potty or take him to the chair and explain to him what you want him to do.

Only keep him seated for a few minutes at a time, don't insist and prepared to delay training if he shows resistance. Until he is going in the potty, you can try to empty his dirty diapers into his potty chair to help demonstrate what you want him to do.



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