Minding Your Pees The Simple Survival Guide to Potty Training

Transcription

1 Minding Your Pees The Simple Survival Guide to Potty Training 1

2 Greetings Potty Trainer! That s right; you are the Potty Trainer, the one with the tools to make diapers disappear! Tips and tricks compiled by Ginsey Home Solutions, Mom Inventor, Dr. Tamara Monosoff, and parents just like you! Here s to the beginning of dry diapers and the tools to get you started! With love, support and encouragement, The You-Can-Do-It cheerleaders at Ginsey Home Solutions 2

3 1) Be in the Know (When to Start) The biggest question that many parents face, new and seasoned, is When do I begin potty training? The typical answer, When they re ready. Simple and often mysterious, here are some clues to look for: Your little one tells you when they have need a diaper change He makes it obvious that he is having a bowel movement She understands common potty words such as: wet, dry, clean, wash, sit, go, dirty, etc. She listens to requests: putting a toy away, stopping a behavior, putting on an item of clothing, etc. His attention span has increased while you read to him. He LOVES to imitate and is curious when he sees someone else using a toilet She has less frequent diaper changes He is in the I can do it phase Evaluate how you feel about changing diapers versus potty training. 3

4 2) Getting Started (How to Sort through the plethora of potties) Everyone has a toilet in their home but your little one s bottom is just way too small for the big kid s seat. Fear not, there are plenty of options (although sometimes overwhelming) available to solve this problem. Take a deep breath, you ve got this, and there s even a complete checklist in the back with suggested quantities and ideal locations to encourage regular visits! Floor Potties Available in two sizes: petite and standard Both are designed to welcome a child on their level and begin the transition from diaper to potty. With the petite potties, they are generally inexpensive and a great option to test with children who seem to have interest in potty training early. This Petite size, allows you to easily have more than one throughout the house to encourage increased usage. The larger potties tend to have more features to stay with the child as they progress in training. These features may include a removable bowl (easy cleaning), ability to place potty ring on adult toilet as well as a base that easily converts into a step stool. This style of potty can be more fun when it comes to the design, favorite childhood characters, sounds, and more. Ring Potties These fun, clever seats transform any toilet into a potty-training machine. They are light, convenient, transportable for traveling to Grandma s, and most are even cushioned for a comfortable training experience. They are great for small bathrooms with little to no floor space. They create a smooth introduction to using the toilet and make the family seat appear a little less threatening. Travel Potties Potty training does not have to be put on hold because of a shopping trip or a family vacation. If your little one is comfortable with the concept of training, then travel potties are a perfect addition! The on-the-go training tools range from foldable seats, for use in public bathrooms to smaller travel seats that often come equipped with disposable waste bags just right for a quick roadside stop. 4

5 3) Ready, Set, Train! (Who s training Who?) When it comes to potty training, it is a learning experience for both the parent and the child. The certainties are: There are no set written how to directions that work for all No two children train alike Remember Parents, YOU are the teacher. You possess the know-how, the authority, love and let s face it, you are an expert in using the potty, right?! Since children like to imitate and can sense frustration, they can mimic your attitude. The best way to approach potty training is with a fun, light-hearted attitude, paying attention to your child s behavior and to exercise a lot of patience. Correction: A LOT of patience. You can learn from your children by noticing what works best for them and observing their behavior. Do they prefer one potty seat to another? Would they rather be on the big toilet over the floor potty? Do they often need to use the toilet or have a full diaper during certain times of the day? Are they more likely to use the potty with mom or dad? Make notes about what worked and what didn t work, the time of day, maybe even keywords your child uses or reacts to. Use the notes section provided in the back to jot down your observances. We labeled three sections for you: Smooth Sailing, Choppy Waters, and Rocked the Boat so Hard, Almost Peed my Pants. 5

6 4) Tools of the Trade (How to Train, Ways to Learn) Sadly there is no scientific, right or wrong answer on how to potty train. Remember to use patience, practice regularly, and to have fun. Several giggle-worthy moments will happen during training and it is important to remember the process won t last forever. Map it Out Make your child is aware of where the bathroom or potty seat is located. Walk the route to the bathroom from her room, the play area, the kitchen, family room, etc. This allows her to become comfortable with getting to the bathroom on her own when she has the urge to go. A fun activity for you both to do is to draw a map of the house and find the quickest routes to the bathrooms, no matter where she is in the home. Although they should never go unsupervised, this helps with memorization and recall. When she is old enough to go on her own, she will be able to do it in a snap! Words Use common potty words around your little one so that she becomes familiar with them: Potty, wipe, flush, clean, dirty, pee-pee, poo-poo, pee, poop, wash, go, toilet, bathroom as well as any variations of the above. Facial Expressions Try to notice facial expressions when your child is still using their diaper: Ask them, Do you have to go potty? or Did you just go pee-pee/poo-poo? Familiarize them with the above simple questions so they understand and can make the connections during training. Books and DVDs If you feel that what you re saying is not being understood, many children s books and DVDs. have perfected toddler lingo to connect on a different level with your child. They typically showcase other children, or child-friendly characters, partaking in potty training and hopefully encourage imitation by your child. Progression Charts Progression charts are a great way to both monitor progress as well as act as a form of encouragement to the child. These charts typically track the use of the potty usage, wiping, flushing, washing and drying hands. They are a great visual tool for both parent and child. If you go to you can download a customizable Progression Chart. Targeting Boys (literally) Cereal and food coloring are household items that can grab their attention. If you are seeking further encouragement, products like tinkle targets display fun designs, such as ships and planes. The targets allow you to create a playful experience by encouraging your son to, Sink the ship!. Each child will react differently to the above tools, but remember there are other tools out there to conquer the potty training challenge! 6

7 5) Location, Location, Location (Where to keep the potty) There is no correct answer on where to keep the potty/potties; however, the most agreed upon answer is to keep it in the same place(s) and to make sure it is convenient. We are all creatures of habit and keeping the potty in the same location helps the progression of the training. Here s a few tips: More than one bathroom = more than one potty o It s best to have one potty per bathroom o If you only have one bathroom, the next best place tends to be the busiest room in the home, providing easy access when an urge arises If you have two floors in your house = one potty per floor o Can benefit to have them on floors that your child frequents most and near rooms they are in most often o Ensuring the potty stays in the same location, within each room, promotes a level of familiarity and comfort for the child during training Travel = Continuity on-the-go! o Provide a travel potty that is similar to the ones at home (color, characters, etc) o If visiting another house, place the potty in a similar location to potty at home 7

8 6) Get Bigger Smiles (Why rewards may work for you) Reward-based training seems like a simple enough concept, but many wonder what the best reward is. You don t want your little one to become dependent on a reward for a natural behavior. You do want them to progress in the training. Little rewards tend to work the best, such as stickers, removable tattoos, tiny treats, etc. Whatever the small reward may be, it has to be important enough to your child that he will continue to want to use the potty while being grateful for the reward. It is better to stay away from larger rewards like an extra half-hour of TV or a new toy. With stickers and tiny treats, you can even start a book or jar to collect them. This shows the child their progression and can be another fun training tool! 8

9 Potty Training Checklist General Potty Training Potty Chair (1 per level of house) Potty Seat (1 per bathroom) Step Stool (1 per bathroom) Training Pants (6-12 pairs) Potty Training Chart (1 main chart) Potty Training Rewards (stickers, tattoos, small treats, etc) Character Underwear (your child s favorite) Tinkle Targets (great for little boys) Books and DVDs (kid friendly and adult) Potty Training Doll (boy or girl) On-the-Go Travel Potty Chair & Liners (1 per car) Folding Potty Seat (1 per diaper bag) Disposable Toilet Seat Covers (1 package) Car Seat Liners (1 per car seat) Training Pants (3-6 pairs) Cleanup Solution (1 bottle) Sleepy-Bye Time Night Light Plug-in and carry style (provides confidence to go to the bathroom at night) Night-time Pants (2-3 pairs) Mattress Pads (at least 2) Bed Wetting Alarm Bed Wetting Books (kid friendly and adult) 9

10 POTTY TRAINING/LEARNING NOTES Track progression and not what has worked and what didn t. Smooth Sailing (SS) - Tip/method worked! Choppy Waters (CW) - Didn t go exactly as planned. Rocked the Boat so Hard, Almost Peed Pants (RB) - Not sure if I should laugh or cry Check reaction to specific training tip/tool utilized: 10