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
My Big Girl Potty and My Big Boy Potty
By Joanna Cole
These two books are pretty much the same story, swapping out Michael in the boy book for Ashley in the girl book. The story is especially engaging as the young reader is introduced to the character and asked some questions. I used the boy book with my own son when we potty trained and he loved answering the questions and finding similarities between himself and Michael in the book.
In this story, the child is given a potty chair. They go through the steps of trying out the potty but not being ready, to having success, to still wearing a diaper at night, to celebrating with the purchase of some big kid undies. The books give a nod to accidents, assuring the child it is okay. At the end of the book, the young reader is assured they will use the potty to, and “won’t you be so proud!”
To read some of our other potty training books, look HERE!
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.
We are reviewing some potty training books! Our entire collection of reviews will be housed HERE.
You Can Go to the Potty
By William Sears, M.D., Martha Sears, R.N., and Christie Watts Kelly
This book is from the Sears pediatrician team, particular favorites of those who like the attachment parenting method. It’s also one of the books I (Colleen) used with my own son! It actually starts out with tips for parents, and explains some of the choices in the book, as well as giving a few tips if you are experiencing any difficulty during the potty training process.
The story starts out talking about the baby days. In line with the attachment parenting approach, the illustrations show both nursing and co-sleeping, which some families will greatly appreciate and others may not as much. It then transitions into what big kids can do, and talks about where pee and poo-poo might go, first in a diaper and now into the toilet.
This book takes a specific approach to the timing of potty training, telling children they will switch to underwear when they can keep their diapers dry. Some families will do well with this timing, whereas others may find a different approach is going to work better for their child.
The book moves on to the process of potty training, including a supportive take on accidents and of course lots of great celebrating. A particularly nice aspect of this book is the little insets on some pages called “Answers for the Very Curious”. These boxes contain questions children might ask about going potty and simple answers that they can understand – very helpful!
As this is geared towards little ones but is very factual, it would make a nice companion to a more playful approach, such as our book “Hopkins Uses the Potty”
With the help of Professional Twin Mommy, Maggie Martin, (you should totally check out her blog!), we’ve put together a list of tips for potty training your multiples. These will be presented in a two-part installment.
Potty training by itself can feel like a pretty daunting task, but how about tackling it for two, three, or maybe even more toddlers at the same time? How do you even begin?
Well first, you have to remember that you have already managed to have them all and feed them all and change them all for a couple of years now… so you’re probably going to be better at this than you might think! Continue reading
Potty training one is an adventure. But two? Or three? Or more?
Here are two blogs from a great multiples site, Twinversity, to help you get started.
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
Children who have Down syndrome may potty train somewhat later than their typically developing peers. Potty training tips written for most kids are likely to help with a child who has Down syndrome as well, but perhaps just a little later. Visit our Resources page for some ideas to get you started with potty training in general.
What follows is a series of common challenges and possible solutions to consider when potty training a child who had Down syndrome. Continue reading
While some children who have autism train around the same time as their peers, others may take longer to train or have behaviors specific to their autistic tendencies that will make potty training a little more of a challenge.
What follows is a list of common challenges children who have autism face when potty training, along with some possible solutions. Continue reading
Mom to eleven kids, Cynthia shares with us some of her observations on the differences between training boys and girls! Continue reading