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.

 

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!

Potty Training Adventure

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Here’s a great video chronicling one family’s potty training adventures.

Do you have an adorable video of your kid in the process of potty training? Share it on our Facebook page!

Like the chart they use? Be sure to check our version as a free download on the Resources page!

Making Potty Training a Family Affair: Siblings

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

monkey see, monkey do!We’re taking a look at different ways to get family members involved in the potty training process. To read about dads, click HERE. Today, let’s talk about those older siblings.

1)   Monkey see, monkey do: Toddlers are often in awe of their older siblings.  Use this to your advantage. Continue reading

Making Potty Training a Family Affair: Dads

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

In the next few posts, we’ll offer you some quick tips to get different members of your family involved with the potty training process.

Let’s start with Daddy. Dads are great. They have a special way with their kids and a different roll than mom. But, the truth is, sometimes dads can be a little reluctant or unsure when it comes to potty training. Here are three quick tips to get them in on the action. Continue reading

Night Time Accidents

 

Potty Time tips for night training

By Sue Rouillard, MEd

Does your child always stay dry throughout the day but when night comes she’s always wet?  Fear not, she’s normal. It is a complicated process learning how to control your sphincter muscles and knowing when to nudge your brain to tell your tired slumbering body to get up and go to the bathroom. Continue reading

Funny Stories from Facebook: Part One

Baby Alex from Potty TimeRecently we asked our Facebook community to share their funniest potty training stories and got some great ones. Here is the first installment of funny stories, with more to come later this week. Enjoy!

My son went potty in the middle of the night the other day. After going Potty he asked “Call Rachel! No Rachel sleeping, call in the morning!” (Mickelle G.)

Last year I was letting my daughter, probably around 18-20 months, go naked. I thought keeping her off the carpet would keep any mess from getting out of hand. Then I looked over and saw her sitting on the heater vent in the floor. Just then the heat came on, her eyes got big, and by the time I got to her, sure enough she had peed into the register! (Clara W.) Continue reading

Training or Teaching?

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Colleen Brunetti, Potty Time Specialist

I love my job here at Potty Time! I get to interact with a couple thousand people a day on a topic I love. Not so much the topic of potty training, although that is of course pretty interesting stuff. More so though, we are really talking about child development and positive parenting approaches, two topics near and dear to me as both an educator and a mom.

Sometimes people will post something on our Facebook page that really challenges me (in a good way) or gets me thinking about these topics from a new perspective. I decided to do a little writing on the topic of how we as a society tend to approach potty training and published it on Examiner.com.

I hope you enjoy: Examiner Article: Training or Teaching

Potty Training Multiples: Part Two

Potty training twins with Potty Time!By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

This is the second installment in a two-part series about potty training multiples. To see our first installment, click HERE. In our first article we talked about readiness and supplies. Now we move into working with the twins together… although not necessarily potty training together!

To compete or not to compete? Some parents of multiples have had great luck with using a little healthy peer pressure so that one twin is motivated to train by watching the other. However, this isn’t always the case. As with everything else in their lives, twins are very separate little human beings. It’s okay if one is ready and not the other and it’s okay to just let that slide. Continue reading

My Son Doesn’t Care That He’s Wet

By Colleen Brunetti, MEd

Here’s another question from our Facebook Community. You can find a list of these under our FAQs.

My son doesn’t care when he’s wet. Anything I can do to help with that?

There are a few ways you can go about helping the child who does not mind the wet sensation. Continue reading