Tag Archives: parenting

Top 10 Tips for Potty Training

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By Your Friendly Potty Time Contributors10 Tips for Potty Training

10) Don’t feel pressure from other parents or family members to train at a certain age: Rely more on cues from your child and your insight as their parent.

9) Learn where every restroom is in every store: You just never know when they’re going to have to go!

8) Always carry extra clothes in case of an accident: Do this for quite a while after training seems finished too. It’s not unusual to have an “oops” after a long time of staying dry.

7) Use lots of positive reinforcement and motivators: Find out what motivates your child: little candies, stickers, small toys, etc. Or, you may choose not to use tangible items, and just CELEBRATE! Likewise, taking your child to the store and letting them pick out some big-kid undies may be a great way to start building excitement.

6) Consider investing in a portable potty or potty seat cover:  A portable potty or seat cover makes the size of the seat much more child-friendly. You can place a self-contained unit around the house near your child, or even take something with you on trips and errands (which is likely to be much more clean than a public restroom!)

5) Realize that night training may take significantly longer, or just come later, than day trainings: Some night training pants or an absorbent pad under the sheet may help with sleepy accidents.

4) Be prepared for, and okay with, occasional set-backs: Due to changes in routine, family structure, or just child temperament, there may come a time when a little break from potty training is needed. This is perfectly okay – you can always start up again when things settle.

3) Be Consistent: Once you have decided to take the plunge into a potty training routine or ritual, maintaining that routine as consistently as possible is very important!

2) Keep your sense of humor: Accidents in embarrassing places and small voices suddenly shouting out loud potty-related words just might happen. And if you can’t laugh right in the moment, try to laugh about it a little later.

1) Most importantly, realize every child and family is different: Accepting differences in timing, methods, and even duration of potty trainings will reduce your stress tremendously!

Potty Training 101

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By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Potty training can be a little bit of trial and error. One method may work for one child and not for another. That’s why we created the Potty Time program to support whatever method you use. It is so easy to use on the My Signing Time app – on the go watching for anywhere in your home or away.

In this list of tips, our wonderful Signing Time fans share their thoughts on what worked best for them. Continue reading →

Don’t sweat the small stuff in potty training

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by Kristy Simons, ECE

As a mother of two beautiful little girls, a private in-home daycare owner and operator, and an Early Childhood Educator, I find myself in the unique position to be able to give families potty training advice based on my personal experiences, my professional expertise, and my overall perspective.
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5 things no one told you about potty training

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By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Not only are you training your child, you’re also training yourself as a parent. You are learning to tune into your child’s cues, react to her temperament, and integrate her into the family routine in a whole new way from how you did when she was a baby. Look at this time as a chance for increased bonding and understanding with your precious little one.

This is one of those times that will make you both more relieved and proud than you could have imagined. Be prepared for a mix of, “Well, I’m glad that’s over!” and “I can’t believe how big he/she is now (sniffle)” range of feelings. Potty training is a fantastic milestone when accomplished, but it also signals the end of the baby days. Sigh.

It takes much more time than you anticipated, or maybe it is easier than you thought! Kids are really very good at surprising us. The most willing to please child may initially completely balk at training. The most active and hard to day-train child may night-train in under a week. Honestly, you just never know. So, roll with it.

The method you choose may not be the method you end up with. Isn’t this just the way with kids? You are so sure you are going to breast-feed or bottle feed, (cloth diaper or disposable; sleep train or co-sleep; count to three, use time out, don’t use time out…) or whatever it is you are so sure you are going to do as a parent, and then it turns out your kiddo has a whole different set of needs and agendas. But just as you have adjusted in the first two years or so, you’ll find the right thing with potty training, too.

At some point, you are going to be embarrassed as all get-out by something your child does while potty training. It may be his tendency to drop his drawers in public places, or his sudden use of a word for a certain piece of anatomy that scandalizes a relative. Laugh it off, and quietly and gently coach a more appropriate choice for your child to make for next time.