Facebook Questions!

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed.

I recently asked our awesome Facebook family to hit me up with some potty training questions. The response was fantastic! 45 (and counting) questions later, I have my work cut out for me. Perfect! That’s what we are here for. So, without further ado, the first questions, with more answers to come!

How do I know when he is ready to go with just a pull-up or underwear during naps, or over night?

Potty training during sleep can seem pretty daunting! I know I put it off for as long as possible! However, it may not be as big a transition as might be anticipated.

There are a few things you can do. First, minimize liquids before sleep time so your child is more likely to not have to go at all. Next, as soon as they wake up, take them to the potty.

As for readiness, you may want to watch for times when he is waking up dry. That’s a good sign he has begun to develop the ability to hold it in his sleep.

Don’t be discouraged by some wet accidents during sleep time. Stock up on a few extra sheets and a protector for the mattress and give it a go. My son took over a year to really potty train during the day, yet night trained in a week. Go figure!

Omg I can get her to potty??

I had to giggle a bit at this one. Yes. Yes you can!

Children don’t enter college not potty trained, so it’s a pretty safe bet to say they learned somewhere along the way.

Patience. Consistency. A sense of humor. Extra cleaning products. You’ll get there!

My 3 year old son is doing great at home in just his underwear but as soon as we put pants on him he pees in them! So he goes around in just his underwear at home but when we leave the house he needs to be in pull- ups all the time.

I swear there is something about little boys and the love of as few clothes as possible!

Kind of a random idea, but what if at home you also put a pair of underwear OVER the pants, to give him a visual of what he wants to keep dry? Make it a game, and have a good giggle together while you try. It’s worth a shot, and if anything, you can get some very amusing photographs.

Also make sure he is taking responsibility for the wet accidents, from cleaning up the floor (or helping to do so), to putting soiled clothes in the wash, and then washing his own hands.

For leaving the house, I suggest maybe trying very short outings. Perhaps as short as a walk down the street and back at first, and then maybe a quick trip to the nearest store, and so on. Tell him if he stays dry on these very short trips, big things are in his future… whatever reward you deem as a good one.

 

Holiday Gift Giving Ideas

 

Potty Time Full CollectionA potty training tip: Build on the excitement of the holidays and introduce (or reinforce!) the fun that can be had with potty training.

That’s right… potty training can in fact be fun!

Are you looking for some gift ideas for the toddler in your life? Be sure to check out all of our potty training book reviews and our awesome collection of Potty Time products.

New! The Potty Time Full Collection now includes a potty training guide for parents and teachers!

Potty Training Tips

By Colleen Brunetti, M.Ed.

I recently came across this resource from Parenting.com on mom generated tips to go about potty training: Potty Training Strategies

What are your best tips? Be sure to visit our TIPS page for a list we’ve generated too!

Community Question: Getting Started

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

We get lots of good questions on our Facebook page, and from time to time we like to answer them here!

When is a good time to start potty training? How do you start potty training? (Thomas)

This is something all parents start to wonder, often around a child’s second birthday. Can it be true? Is it time to ditch the diapers?

When your child is ready to start depends completely on them! Continue reading

Book Review: Uh Oh! Gotta Go! Potty Tales from Toddlers

Uh Oh! Gotta Go!By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Fans of Sesame Street will recognize the author of this story, Bob McGrath, who has spent 38 years on the show to date. This isn’t a Sesame Street book though – it’s one of his own creations.

Each page shows a different child up to something involving the potty, some making it just in time, others being a little creative with what they do with it, and of course the one who has the accident (it’s okay!). This book really showcases the creative and fun personalities of the potty training toddler, as well as children from many different ethnic backgrounds.

A really fun bonus in the back is a special page where your child can glue in their own picture and become a part of the story.

To read our other book reviews, click HERE

Book Review: The Potty Book for Girls/ for Boys

The Potty Book for Girls, The Potty Book for BoysBy Colleen Brunetti, MEd

The Potty Book for Girls
The Potty Book for Boys

By Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Like all the other “for boys” and “for girls” books reviewed thus far, this is the same book, just switching out the gender. Told in ongoing rhyme, it tells the story of a child who loves to play and is ready to try a newly gifted potty.

Parents will get a chuckle out of the opening pages, which shows a very squirmy toddler getting a diaper change, and young children will identify with the main character who isn’t quite sure it’s time to give up that trusty diaper. After trying, and a few accidents, there is success and lots of happy pride. In the closing pages, the young reader is invited along to try too – a nice way to put ideas into action in this little book.

To read our other book reviews, go HERE

Book Review: “My Big Girl Undies” and “My Big Boy Undies”

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

My Big Girl UndiesMy Big Boy Undies
My Big Girl Undies and My Big Boy Undies by Karen Katz

This book comes in two editions, one for boys and one for girls. These books celebrate the fun of underwear, and also acknowledge the occasional accident.  The prose is largely the same, just switching out boys and girls. Neither book is really gender specific, at least not beyond the patterns on the underwear and the gender of the children in the illustrations. In other words, your child won’t learn anything about the differences in going potty when you’re a boy or a girl, such standing up or sitting down, wiping front to back, etc. Nonetheless, this is a carefree and fun way to enjoy the potty process, particularly the celebration of wearing underwear.

We have two great resources for training boys and girls here on the blog that do help with gender specifics, and these would be a good addition for Mom and Dad if using these books.

Potty Training Boys and Girls: A mom to 11 kids talks about some of the insights she got from raising her family.

Specific Tips for Girls and Boys: A list of tips specific to training each gender.

 

Community Question: This One is Tricky!

By Colleen Brunett, MEd

Question: My daughter doesn’t tell me she has to go potty. I’ll sit her on the potty sometimes she goes other times she screams but she takes her diaper off all the time… when I put big girls panties on her five min later there wet… what can I do? She’s two.

Continue reading

Book Review: “A Potty For Me”

By Kim Fries, MA CCC-SLP

A Potty For MeThis bright colorful lift-the-flap book follows a child, along with a very patient Mommy, through the potty training process. At first the child is hesitant to use the potty, then tries but has an accident and finally goes and gets to wear “big kid pants.”  The child is nondescript and could be seen as a boy or girl.  Parents will like the opportunity to discuss accidents and opportunity to “try again.”  The book has a sing-songy rhyming rhythm that flows easily, and the sense of pride the child feels at the end brings a smile to your face.

I have used this book for years in my Signing Classes.  I loved the vocabulary (potty, try, diaper, big kid, accident, proud) and emphasis on children trying rather than the pressure to succeed.  The author’s focus on child readiness and use of emotion vocabulary (happy, proud) was also a big draw for me.

With the release of the Potty Time board book, “Hopkins Uses the Potty”, I now use both.  They work well together and give the parents in my signing classes an opportunity to practice vocabulary while reading a book to a toddler. When parent go home and sign during the potty routine, or sign another book, they have shared with me that the additional practice helps them feel more confident and comfortable with signing. Signing with your child is good not only for potty training, but early literacy skills too!

A Potty For Me matches the Potty Time philosophy and goes well with the songs “Stop and Go”, “Accident” and “Celebrate!” (click on the songs to hear a sample!)

Kim Fries is a Certified Master Signing Time Academy Instructor. You can learn more about Kim and her signing and speech classes by visiting her website HERE