Non-"Daycare" - re:Potty Training

[Spixie33]

Personally for my kids -- I started younger than most other parents. I started around 19 months old.

I also do not recommend getting a potty. I would get a stool they can climb and a soft toilet seat with their fav character. The actual pottys are really messy to clean and then you still have to retrain them from the potty to the big potty after so you have to train twice. Just go straight to the big toilet with a potty seat for their smaller bums and make sure it has a little cup to make sure the boy pee stays in.

I went to walmart and bought some of the training underwear. They are basically waffle underwear that are made of cotton but have a few layers to them.

around 19-20 months or so I would sit the children in the potty to get them used to it a couple of times - not expecting them to do anything. I would also show them how one of their dolls or stuffed toys could sit on the potty and fakely clapped for the doll/toy pretending it had done a pee or poop.

I also got lots of potty books from Chapters. Books like "Caillou Potty Time". They like the book and you show them and explain everything. It helps a lot too.

Then I put the child in the waffle underwear when they were awake with thick jogging pants.

If the child poops - toss the underwear. don't even bother cleaning....but the pee ones you can wash of course.

You will notice that your child suddenly realizes that they went pee/poop because they suddenly feel it on their skin with the cotton. Diapers are actually designed to pull moisture away from the baby/child so children are still quite comfy when they pee...but suddenly having that wet/dirty feeling come to the child brings awareness. Oh...when I push with my bum then poop comes out and I am dirty...oh I peed and that feels wet...etc

So after the child would pee I would put them back on the potty and explain the pee should have gone in the potty. And I would also try and take them there every hour to try to do a pee or poop.

During nap and sleep at night I used pullups. Diapers were gone so there was no confusion. No more changes while laying down...everything was done standing up like a big kid. Underwear and pulls ups were put on standing up and pulled up and down.

I would suggest waiting for a day where your child shows interest in the potty. They will study it, want to sit there on their own because they see you doing it or something or ask about it.

My dck are training now (3 of them) and they are all 3. My own kids were perfectly dry even at night by 2.5 tops. I find that the older kids are not easier to train. I figured they would understand better but they are actually less willing to try and more set in their ways