New to potty training - Help please

Hello,
I have recently opened my home daycare. I don't have any experience potty training. I have yet to potty train my 2 year old son. I have a 3 year old toddler coming to the daycare and he has been potty training at home for a few weeks. He seems like he is ready to potty trained at the daycare as well if that makes sense. And I have another 2.5 year old who will be starting next week and also has started potty training at home. I have questions on just the basic. They may seem like common sense questions. Again I have never done this before. Apoligies in advance.

Do I take them to the potty every hour even if they don't need to go?
Do you use 1 potty for multiple kids?
How do you clean it (I'm literally asking the step by step process because I can't imagine washing it in my tiny sink near the daycare. So I'm wondering how you clean the poo off)?
At what point are they ready to start using the toilet?

If anyone is willing to tell me the step by step process on how to potty train my daycare kids, I would greatly appreciate it. Of course I will use some tips for my son. Most information I found online is for parents rather than daycare workers. Seems like it would be different for daycare kids. TIA.

Get them off the potty and on the regular toilet (with a seat) ASAP! The only real benefit to a small potty is you can have it close at hand which can be handy for the little one's who aren't always the best at going before the last second. In a daycare setting having a potty in the middle of the playroom isn't really ideal or sanitary.

Even the smallest of kids can manage on a toilet with a step stool and a potty seat.

I pour the pee into the toilet, wipe with toilet paper, flush then wipe with lysol wipe.
For poop try and dump it in the toilet, scrap with toilet paper if needed, then lysol wipe.

Again, did I mention, get them on the toilet ASAP!!

I don’t use a potty due to sanitary issues. Big toilet only with hard plastic ring seat that is easy to disinfect. I don’t run kids to the toilet every hour. That sounds like training the adult not the child. I have 5 scheduled toileting times in my day, and any other time they tell me they need to go. Children need to be able to pull their own pants up& down/wash hands etc/need to be able to tell me they need to go or have gone.
I require pull-ups to be worn and need to be accident free for 2 weeks of consecutive days before we do underwear here. One month of dry nap times with pull-ups then we do underwear.
I don’t start toilet training until the parents have done it for 5-7 days straight at home first. I will assist after they have established the routine at home.

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Originally Posted by bonnie

Hello,
I have recently opened my home daycare. I don't have any experience potty training. I have yet to potty train my 2 year old son. I have a 3 year old toddler coming to the daycare and he has been potty training at home for a few weeks. He seems like he is ready to potty trained at the daycare as well if that makes sense. And I have another 2.5 year old who will be starting next week and also has started potty training at home. I have questions on just the basic. They may seem like common sense questions. Again I have never done this before. Apoligies in advance.

Do I take them to the potty every hour even if they don't need to go?
Do you use 1 potty for multiple kids?
How do you clean it (I'm literally asking the step by step process because I can't imagine washing it in my tiny sink near the daycare. So I'm wondering how you clean the poo off)?
At what point are they ready to start using the toilet?

If anyone is willing to tell me the step by step process on how to potty train my daycare kids, I would greatly appreciate it. Of course I will use some tips for my son. Most information I found online is for parents rather than daycare workers. Seems like it would be different for daycare kids. TIA.

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I do have a potty but it's only for if a toilet training child needs to go now and the toilet is already in use. I purchased one of those toilet seats that has a toddler seat built in for my daycare washroom and have a stepping stool.

Hourly isn't going to be frequent enough for the first few days. More like every 20 mins. I also require real underwear. Some daycares want pull ups due to hygiene issues but I have found real underwear shortens the learning process as a little bit of pee running down their leg is a real lesson in reconsigning the need to go.

If the potty has been used, I dump into the toilet, swirl with water from the sink, then wipe out with lysol wipes and dry with toilet tissue.

I tend to begin toilet training the first business day after their 2nd birthday. It normally takes a good two weeks of real underwear and 20 mins reminders and sticker charts. But before I train a child, at around 18 months, they are pulling their own pants up and down for each diaper change. I will not toilet train a child who is unable to dress and undress their lower half because taking a child to a potty/toilet, pulling their pants down, sitting them down and then wiping them and redressing them is not independent toileting on any level.

A child needs to be able to just be verbally reminded to go and try, they need to be able to undress their lower half themselves and they need to be able to sit on the potty or toilet themselves. I teach the child to wipe themselves from the get go and I just double check they are clean before the child redresses themselves.

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

Get them off the potty and on the regular toilet (with a seat) ASAP! The only real benefit to a small potty is you can have it close at hand which can be handy for the little one's who aren't always the best at going before the last second. In a daycare setting having a potty in the middle of the playroom isn't really ideal or sanitary.

Even the smallest of kids can manage on a toilet with a step stool and a potty seat.

I pour the pee into the toilet, wipe with toilet paper, flush then wipe with lysol wipe.
For poop try and dump it in the toilet, scrap with toilet paper if needed, then lysol wipe.

Again, did I mention, get them on the toilet ASAP!!

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Thank you so much for your advice. Makes more sense to use a toilet seat. Easier to clean. I wasn't sure if I can go straight to a toilet seat and skip the potty or not. But that's exactly what I will do. Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by Busy ECE mommy

I don’t use a potty due to sanitary issues. Big toilet only with hard plastic ring seat that is easy to disinfect. I don’t run kids to the toilet every hour. That sounds like training the adult not the child. I have 5 scheduled toileting times in my day, and any other time they tell me they need to go. Children need to be able to pull their own pants up& down/wash hands etc/need to be able to tell me they need to go or have gone.
I require pull-ups to be worn and need to be accident free for 2 weeks of consecutive days before we do underwear here. One month of dry nap times with pull-ups then we do underwear.
I don’t start toilet training until the parents have done it for 5-7 days straight at home first. I will assist after they have established the routine at home.

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Thank you so much for your advise. I have my policy to start potty training here after they have been potty trained at home for 4 weeks. I got this policy from an RECE who mentored me awhile ago. After the 4 weeks, I think I should be able to get away with scheduled bathroom breaks throughout the day instead of every hour. I was just guessing every hour because I read it somewhere. I usually have my diaper change times set to once in the morning, after lunch, after nap, and once in the early evenings. I think I will start off by offering washroom breaks to the toddlers around the same time as my diaper change times. Maybe even add an extra one before lunch. Thanks so much for your advise again!

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Originally Posted by Suzie_Homemaker

I do have a potty but it's only for if a toilet training child needs to go now and the toilet is already in use. I purchased one of those toilet seats that has a toddler seat built in for my daycare washroom and have a stepping stool.

Hourly isn't going to be frequent enough for the first few days. More like every 20 mins. I also require real underwear. Some daycares want pull ups due to hygiene issues but I have found real underwear shortens the learning process as a little bit of pee running down their leg is a real lesson in reconsigning the need to go.

If the potty has been used, I dump into the toilet, swirl with water from the sink, then wipe out with lysol wipes and dry with toilet tissue.

I tend to begin toilet training the first business day after their 2nd birthday. It normally takes a good two weeks of real underwear and 20 mins reminders and sticker charts. But before I train a child, at around 18 months, they are pulling their own pants up and down for each diaper change. I will not toilet train a child who is unable to dress and undress their lower half because taking a child to a potty/toilet, pulling their pants down, sitting them down and then wiping them and redressing them is not independent toileting on any level.

A child needs to be able to just be verbally reminded to go and try, they need to be able to undress their lower half themselves and they need to be able to sit on the potty or toilet themselves. I teach the child to wipe themselves from the get go and I just double check they are clean before the child redresses themselves.

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Thank you. I like the idea of them being in underwear. I have read that it does make the learning process quicker. And since my kids will have been trained at home for 4 weeks, I think underwear should work out. Or at least, I can try it from the start. Thanks again.

Thanks so much for all the advise and for not judging me :):D I felt very self conscious about asking these questions. But you all were great!

I do start the potty training here. My thoughts are: a child spends most of the day here so it is easy for me to start them sooner. Children are fully trained by two and two and a half. I only use diapers not cloth diapers or training pants that look and are diapers and i use ikea potties.

My approach is same as in a centre we do it as a routine. I have 5 potties and the toilet with the child seat included. Everyone sits at the same time even babies (only if they want to) I keep a stash of bathroom books; we sing at least three songs there wash hands etc. (Creating a positive experience helps to potty train sooner) I had children potty trained by routine at 16 months and as soon as they develop language and fine motor skills they're fully trained and transitioned to cloth training undies (Walmart). My children love our bathroom time.

I know, many think it is training the adult but, in my case it makes my days go absolutely smooth when I only have to deal with one or max two babies in diapers and the rest is trained.

Parents are very appreciative and they follow the lead. Also I had clients coming here with older children that didn't get potty trained in other daycares I do not promise anything but in a matter of three days their children were trained. No rewards, no celebrations just love and patience. Now, I absolutely do not advertise my services as potty trainer because every child is different and every body functions differently, I only create a pleasant experience and that's it. And parents can not believe on how easy it gets for them when their young children are trained earlier (thats another reason I also do not sell the idea of cloth diapers, in my group all get trained sooner). During summer I just carry one or two potties and still continue with our busy days.

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Originally Posted by Peacefulbird

I do start the potty training here. My thoughts are: a child spends most of the day here so it is easy for me to start them sooner. Children are fully trained by two and two and a half. I only use diapers not cloth diapers or training pants that look and are diapers and i use ikea potties.

My approach is same as in a centre we do it as a routine. I have 5 potties and the toilet with the child seat included. Everyone sits at the same time even babies (only if they want to) I keep a stash of bathroom books; we sing at least three songs there wash hands etc. (Creating a positive experience helps to potty train sooner) I had children potty trained by routine at 16 months and as soon as they develop language and fine motor skills they're fully trained and transitioned to cloth training undies (Walmart). My children love our bathroom time.

I know, many think it is training the adult but, in my case it makes my days go absolutely smooth when I only have to deal with one or max two babies in diapers and the rest is trained.

Parents are very appreciative and they follow the lead. Also I had clients coming here with older children that didn't get potty trained in other daycares I do not promise anything but in a matter of three days their children were trained. No rewards, no celebrations just love and patience. Now, I absolutely do not advertise my services as potty trainer because every child is different and every body functions differently, I only create a pleasant experience and that's it. And parents can not believe on how easy it gets for them when their young children are trained earlier (thats another reason I also do not sell the idea of cloth diapers, in my group all get trained sooner). During summer I just carry one or two potties and still continue with our busy days.

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Sorry for the late response Peacefulbird. I'm not on here much so I just saw this. Thanks so much for sharing. Sounds really good what you do. I do agree that it is much easier for me once they are potty trained as you have less kids in diapers to deal with. It is easier when they are self sufficient.

Just to update on what's going on now - I think for now, since I am new at this, will let the training be done at home. Once they have been in underwear for 4 weeks (accident free for the last 2), I will allow underwear in my home. So the oldest is now in underwear. He had a couple of accidents. I believe he is ready but he would rather play than go to the bathroom which was the reason for his accidents. So I have started giving him stickers and tell him to take a washroom break at specific times. I'm not sure if this is considered training or the fact that he is not ready but it is working for us. Once the stickers are finished, there will be not more stickers. I don't feel as lost anymore. Thanks again everyone! :)

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I have started giving him stickers and tell him to take a washroom break at specific times. I'm not sure if this is considered training or the fact that he is not ready but it is working for us.*]

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Wonderful! If that works it is great, as I mentioned before every child is different. Some like and work for rewards (because their brains have been conditioned that way); and I observed that some do not like the wet feeling (which also shows when they do arts, do not like doing anything messy); some get motivated because they really like your attention (and they will go when you remind them, but also I noticed if I get distracted with another adult they called my attention with the potty subject), and so on.

You're in right track. Keep the stickers and reminders going and eventually his brain will get the message that when he feels it is time to go he must. And he will. (Then you'll find out that he went with out a reminder) then it is trained. Some children can still tell you and ask for their sticker, many do not care anymore. (Their brain has being trained to listen their bodily funtion).

My only requests to parents is to please leave the potties in the same spot where there shoulD be. Do not move it from location to location. I leave mine in the bathroom but also my bathroom doesn't lock it has a very easy access, it absolutely helps when training and becoming independent.

Pull ups are that idiotic! Must be training pants!