Photo Credit: Photography by Angel
A Story About Potty Training and Down Syndrome
By Monica Blouin
Signing Time Academy Instructor Monica Blouin, of Lil Miracles Signing Academy, is mom to four year old Madie, a little girl with Down syndrome. Here, Monica shares with us her journey of trials and triumphs as she and Madie work together to potty train. Continue reading
As told to Colleen Brunetti, MEd
Our fantastic Signing Time Academy instructors are using Potty Time right along with you and their clients!
Meet Elisha Hamburger. Elisha is an Academy instructor in Holden, MA (you can contact her HERE) and she had this to share:
I have 2 daughters; Lucy who is 4 and has special needs and Macy who is 3. They both love Signing Time so I was thrilled when Potty Time came out! I know Lucy will take longer due to her developmental delays, but she loves the video and signs potty. Continue reading
Here’s another question/comment from our Facebook community:
“I don’t know what to do about the regression. It’s so frustrating.
Regression is frustrating, no doubt! Just when you think you’ve gotten somewhere with this whole potty training thing, your sweet little ones get another idea in their heads and it’s back to accidents, wet clothes, and maybe even diapers.
Using Non-Tangible Rewards
Many parents like to use stickers or candy as rewards, and if that works for your family, great. Others prefer non-tangible (sometimes called “intrinsic”) motivators: things that are not “stuff”. Perhaps a combination of the two will work as well. In this article, we’ll discuss some ideas for non-tangible rewards. Continue reading
By Your Friendly Potty Time Contributors
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!
The Potty Time App gives you 8 new ways to add fun to potty training:
Click on your phone’s store to download the free App!
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