Potty Training/Preschool

Hi J.,

Here are some web sites:

http://www.kidica.com/raising-children/parenting-tips/toi...

http://www.cdadc.com/ds/potty_training.htm

Hope this helps.

Good luck. D.

I agree with others - no reason not to start now. I don't mean that she has to start using the potty now, but start talking about it. Talk about how big-girls go on the potty, and when she does, she'll get to wear big-girl underpants. Next time you go to Target, show her the underpants in the store, and if she's interested, let her pick out a pack with her favorite character, etc. And, you can buy DVD's for kids to watch - it probably sounds silly, but the DVD made a big difference to my LO, he really wanted to be like the "big kids" on the show.

She'll tell you when she's interested and wants to start, maybe now or maybe in a few months - but she can't tell you until you are talking to her about it, so she knows about it.

The most important thing is to make this fun - lots of praise, rewards (stickers/candy is ok, but lots of high-fives are even better for some kids), and yes, reading the favorite story in there.

September is a long time from now. Chances are she'll be trained by September!

I would give your daughter the "tools" (underwear she has picked out, waiting in her drawer; rewards; potty; pertinent books) and she'll let you know when she's ready. My daughter was fully trained by 16 months, totally on her own; my son was 3 1/2 when he decided he was ready. He decided one day, and that was it. He had all the tools...for quite a while...but had no interest, and we didn't push him. Good luck with it!

It's a LONG time until September. I would put her with the older kids. It doesn't really take that long to potty train...when kids are ready. I disagree with the others who say she doesn't need to be ready. I had 1 who was ready at 2 and 1 who wasn't ready until beyond 3...and pushing him earlier would have only frustrated both of us. It's also easier when the weather is warmer and clothes are less cumbersome. If she doesn't have an interest now...I would wait until spring...you still have LOTS of time to meet a September deadline.

As far as knowing whether or not she's interested...you could try it now and see how she responds. It shouldn't be a fight...if it is...she's not ready. When I wanted to train my son, I took him shopping for fun underwear and he said "I don't need underwear...I wear diapers."...and my translation of that was...I'm not ready to give them up yet and you can't make me! A few months later, we tried again and he was ready.

I used sticker charts and prizes from the dollar store as well...and the promise of a BIG thing (Toys R US) whenever they were both really done with their diapers...only you know what motivates your daughter...

Good luck!

J.,
HI, I wanted to let you know that i sent you a private email regarding this question, You can check it if you click on the My Files section, if you weren't aware. Sounds like you've gotten alot of advice already.

I will mention here that the preschool is only interested in the child staying dry during the time they are at school. Night time training is the last thing to occur and has nothing to do with being able to go to preschool. Can your daughter stay dry (or give clear potty signals) during the time she will be at school?

I would also ask the teachers how they deal with accidents, and if there is a designated time during the day when the whole class troops to the bathrooms or if the child is expected to let the teacher know on an individual basis. If they have a set time say before snack at 10:30 then as you train your daughter i would start taking her potty during that time, so her body becomes accustomed to it.

good luck and again feel free to message me privately.

Hi J., As the mother of two March babies and one in Feb I know what you are going through. I've been there. Not one of my daughters potty trained before they were three! Look for intrest, hiding (like behind a chair or going into another room) when she messes, and waking up dry in the morning. Start with that first trip (or mad dash) to the potty in the morning as soon as she wakes up (use pull-ups at night) then keep working on it durring the day. We used pull-ups at night until our girls asked to wear panties to bed (really not one of them ever wet the bed!). Once we started we used the sticker method...for every day without an accident they put a sticker on the family calander, when they got a month of stickers they each chose a "Star Castle" for their reward. Choose the reward with her before you start, and get really cute little shiny colorful stickers to use on the calandar. Don't get upset about accidents they will happen as she learns to judge how much time she needs to get to the potty. We also used the little $10 seats that fit onto the regular potty (our girls though the potty chair was "gross" and liked to flush!). You can find them anywhere Taget, Walmart, kmart. I always though they were cleaner and elimated another transition. Best wishes.

You've got a lot of time to potty train before Sept. I'm sure she'll be fine by then.
Get her the book Once Upon A Potty (girl version). My son loved that book. It really made the whole potty training idea click for him.
Let her check out a potty....she will let you know when she is interested...let her pretend her dolls are using the potty etc.
When she is aware of the use for a toilet/potty, shows interest, knows when she has to pee or poop, those are signs that she is ready. Don't rush it--you have plenty of time.

By age 3, she probably has a good idea of when she has to go. She knows exactly what she is doing when she hides in a corner or behind a chair. I would not wait until March, I would start encouraging her to sit on the potty now. My daughter just turned two and has a natural curiousity about the potty. I put her on the potty every time I change her diaper. She has gone in the potty every day since I started. There is no pressure but she has now begun to ask for the potty as soon as I start removing her diaper. She is very proud of herself! Katz has a great book about going to the bathroom in the potty. My daughter gets to look at the book every time she sits down.

As far as preschool, September is a long way off. I would definitely put her in the classroom with the 3 and 4 year olds. The two year olds are going to seem like babies to her by September.

Hi. My daughter turned 3 in Sept. Children should show interest when ready. They will tell you when they pee and poop. Does she ever sit on the potty? My daughter woulp pee on the potty months before she actually became potty trained. I would sit her on the potty ALL THE TIME, and just read, and talk about why we have the potty(ex....so we dont sit in our poop and smell, and so our hinnies are not wet), ya know....Once they are ready, it is cake.....seriously.....I would sit her on everytime i needed to go potty....sometimes i really did not have to go, but pretended.....I would even make a game out of it....Lets see who can pee first....LOL......I did not have the issue with the poop(she was so excited to go poop in the potty)....The first time she did poop(I am laughing as I type this), she said,"Mommy...I pooped lil meatballs....i dont eat these meatballs"....LOL....Dont pressure, but encourage......Dont get upset if she regresses a bit, she will do it....As for wiping herself, she will want to do that herself....just to show she can......Call me blessed with the potty training, but they do it when they are ready and comfortable.....with there bodies

If you are interested in seeing more advice and suggestions on potty training, click on "Requests and Responses" at the top of the page. Then, on the left side, click on "Family & Parenting", then "Other Family & Parenting". I responded to this request: 10/24/08 Erin S. "Potty Training" if you want to see mine and other people's advice in addition to the responses that you get. I too believe in giving them no pressure and seeing if they are ready before totally diving in. I also believe that you have plenty of time and will be fine by September. Definitely sign her up for the older group. It'll all work out! Every child is different, but be encouraged that girls tend to potty train earlier and more easily than boys. At least that's what I've been told and have noticed (I have a boy). Oh, and here are some fun ways to teach her some good hand-washing habits if she's gonna be wiping herself. I tell kids (I help run the nursery at my church) they have to make lots of bubbles with their hands and then rub and wash all the bubbles and germs away, and we say "Goodbye, bubbles! Goodbye germs!" They always love it! I also used to blow bubbles with my hands and let my son catch them with his soapy hands. He always looked forward to washing!

The only way you'll know if she is ready is to try.
If you are not ready to committ to taking her to the bathroom when she says she has to go, I would enroll her in the younger room at daycare, and I'm sure they would help train her while you are at work during the day.

Hey there~ Here are some questions I ask my students' parents:

Does she know the difference between wet and dry?
Is she bothered by having a wet diaper?
Make potty training exciting for her- read her lots of books about it and help her really understand the whole process.
Have her try often and while she's on the potty sing the abcs or another song so that she sits for more than 2 seconds.
Make it exciting for her~ take her out to buy big girl panties, and let her wear them when she is no longer having accidents.

Bottom line, she has to be ready. If she stays in that classroom, as long as it's cognitively developmentally appropriate, then it won't hurt anything:)

I really think you will have this accomplished by the time she starts the class! Read up on some approaches, be ready and gentle with her and she will do fine. I found that the reward program helped with my boys. Keep a basket of dollar store toys way up high where she can see it but can't get to it. Each time she puts something in the potty she gets to choose a toy. Every child is different so you might have to figure out what motivates her, but you will figure it out! My first son did well for plastic animals and my second son loved tattoos and stickers. Whatever she likes, it should work! Good luck!

I am a mom or four, and a preschool teacher... Register her for the school and don't worry about it for a few more months. Closer to three is a very typical age for kids to train. If you are stressed about it, they will or can make it a power struggle. My best advice is that YOU need to be ready. Once you start it is best to stay the course. If the message is mixed, training becomes a several month long event. Buy 'big girl undies' and plastic pants (old fashioned kind). Start talking about it with her. Reward staying dry for even small periods of time, no negative feedback for wetting. Pull ups at night until she is dry on her own for a while. Most times day comes first. Good luck, all four of my experiences were different. I did stay with it once I started and that seemed to work.
Good Luck
M.

At three years old she is beyond ready. I am a firm believer that it has to do with consistancy and effort and not age. I am also one of the moms who i guess potty trained early (18 mo-2 years). I never realized until i got on mamasource that people waited so long.

Please do not put her in with the younger children. She will grow more positively with children her own age. I promise you that it will be easier than you think. I did it with four :-)

does she any interest in the toilet? does she complain or tell you when her diaper is wet or dirty?

she should go to the 3-4 group.

buy her a toilet and have her sit on it when you go get a book movie they at the libraries to take out

why in the world would you wait. I started training both my children at around 18months. I never pressured, It was just part of our routine like getting a bath and brushing our teeth. Both my children were completely trained by 28 and 27 months. I know every child is different, but if you don't even start trying how can you know how fast she will learn? I sincerely hope you start NOW, school or no school! Good luck to you, I'm sure once you start she will pick it up quickly.

-t/#