Come on toddler mums - - -share your potty training secrets!!!

[WhipMeIndiana]

dd is 2 on sunday...going to stick her in pants tomorrow

any tips?
what should I expect?
any big no no's?

Make sure she wants to do it.
Make sure she has enough verbal skills to say when she needs to go etc.
only use pull ups for sleeps (not when going out) as they just get confused.
buy enough knickers for 4 accidents per day.
I did the first 2 days at home with no bottoms on (up to 4 days)If they aren't getting most wees in the potty by then, they are not ready.
next 2 days just pants at home. At 2 I would get her practicing pulling knickers up and down but don't insist until she is trained and has good judgements/control.
Last 3 days in full clothes.
Always take a potty/use a hedge/grid etc.
Take spare clothes/wipes and bags (for emergency poos. Scenario of 'I need a poo when in ,the car'.
Cover the car seat with either towel with nappy folded in it or a proper seat protector etc.
Limit outings to places with toilets close by for the first few weeks.k
Cover the buggy seat with the one you use in the car.
Don't make an issue of accidents, just say never mind you tried to get to the potty. You'll do it next time.kely, ,to have a slepping child put a pullup on before you get in the car.
If you are in the car and li

Sorry computer is a bit schitzo! The last line is meant to read. 'If your dd is likely to fall asleep in the car, put a pull up on for long journeys.

god tori, that is ace!

thanks. I will stay around the homestead tomorrow and just see what occurs...

hmmmm. I also need to buy more knickers

tori that is great!! I am about to potty train DS but only have 3 pairs of pants so maybe will wait til the weekend.

is your DD really keen?
If she is, it will probably go really well.

That's the secret, I think!

I am just about to crack on with potty training too and that seems like excellent advice Tori - I will take note!

Is there going to be huge excitement partying and non-routine at the weekend?
I would recommend trying at a quiet time.
Does she know? How does she feel about wearing pants?

Have about 30 pairs of pants at hand!
Expect to go through loads in 1st few days.

Disposible changing mats ideal for buggy, car seats, sofas etc.

Once you have decided to go for pants it's pants all the way - not a nappy here and there for convenience as will only confuse.(Except for nights)

We carried one of those fold-up potties everwhere - Godsend!
If she has an accident make sure she still uses potty/toilet. Ds used to do a bit - realise and stop but still need to go so would do it again.

If she's at nursery/cm make sure you're all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Sticker chart's handy for keeping track of progress.

Give it say a week or so - how's it going?
If it's just dire there's no point being miserable. Stay positive, change back to nappies and try again in a few months.

Let her go at her own pace.
Be prepared for her to want to switch back again.

A week before her 2nd birthday dd announced 'nappy finished', dragged out the potty and used it!
After 2 successful days the GPs arrived. GRRRR. dd went back to nappies.

A week later she announced 'finished nappy' again, and hasn't needed one since.

Have a potty book - something she wants to read that you only let her read on the potty.

Be patient. Be prepared for it go badly, then better, then worse, then better, then back to square one, then improve a bit, and so on & so forth for several months.

Tell her she is doing really well when she gets it right, but don't roll out the flags and blow the trumpets, or she'll suss how important it is to you or freak out with the pressure. Don't tell her off or punish her if she wets herself - it's as much about physical development of control as wanting to wee/poo at the right time/place.

Make it fun, e.g. buy pants with favourite characters on, or make up stories about poos who like to jump into the loo and go for a swim.

Find an old blanket to throw over your sofa.

Keep a perspective on it. Your DD is still relatively young. Very few kids are in nappies when they get to school age, so it will happen.

Chocolate buttons are vital

... or jelly babies

Can I just add: if your dd/ds doesn't 'get' it and the whole things starts to become stressful, just stop and re-visit it in a few weeks/months.

We had a go with my dd when she was 23 months as she seemed ready for it but after a few days (when the novelty wore off, I think) she started holding the wees in and refusing to go on the potty. Because ds was on the way we left it until 29 months and this time round she was dry within a week. The poos have been another matter entirely but we're nearly there. Only six weeks later...

Oops - x-posted!

you are welcome WMI!, Luckily I had a CM with 20yrs experience to advise me!

I tried DD2 last month when she was 2.4yo complete disaster, did most of the things on here but after 6 days she hadn't done anything on the potty, in fact she has only ever done one wee on the potty. She is very smart but very stubborn and I have decided that SHE will decide when she is ready, I'm not too worried though am 37 weeks pregnant and can't be bothered wiping wee off the carpet 6 times a day.

Will try again in a few months once new baby is settled etc.

PS,, forgot to add that if your dd has any bowel problems such as constipation, sort them out before you start training. If they pass hard stools on the potty they might hold them in for longer and compound the problem.

two questions - see this thread -

DS seems to be ready. BUT sometimes he asks to have a nappy on and does not want to poo on the potty or anything. He will hold it in and get uncomfortable so if I say "do you want a nappy on?" he will say yes.

Also tonight I tried a pair of pants on him and he got upset and said "OFF - Mama help"

DH thinks that was just bad timing but I am not sure. All other signs point to him being ready. Dont want to miss a golden window. WWYD?

aaaaaarrgh

today was totally going to be the first 'pants' day...then dd woke up with a chesty cough and it is blimmin cold here in Manchester so I chickened out...

maybe this is the wrong week to do it as the weekend and Monday are going to be very exciting party days...(tar Ms Pontipine)

thankyou all for that advice,
need about 26 more pairs of pants
chocolate buttons and Jelly babies (those for the mummy?)
carpet cleaner
some waterproof mat thingies

so, next tuesday is going to be day 1 in pants...................................

eenybeeny that thread is fab, lots more ideas.
needs to be warm to be half naked tho, and def. not with a nasty cough.

anyone else dealing with pressure from their mother to do it!!!!!
mine says we were all dry night and day by 2 but she does have a selective memory..

eenybeeny - could you take him to tesco/asda get him to choose his own pants? some have cartoon characters on,,,if I was you Id keep trying the pants and talking it through

loved the ideas off that other thread about showing them their poos - I have never done that with dd!!!

have just successfully potty trained my dd about a month ago. she is 2.5. it was an absolute breeze, and i believe this was totally down to timing.. she basically said she did not want to wear nappies any more one afternoon and we never looked back.. letting her choose the pants was also an important thing but i firmly believe its better that they decide on when to start the process themselves.. good luck!

We started potty training with DD on Sat and so far going really well, v few accidents - but she is nearly 3. DS is 6 mo so have been waiting until I felt like I could cope really well with both before putting myself through it.

Pretty novelty knickers have been a big motivator (Pingu, Dora the Explorer) as has a sticker chart. I definitely found it helpful to start on the weekend when DS was around - even if you've only one child, it takes the pressure off having another pair of hands.

I would definitely wait until you have a few clear days and expect to be househound for a bit. Apart from 2 mornings at nursery, our first 'social' outing will be on Friday.

And yes, my mother was v keen that I start earlier (although in hindsight I should have made the most of it as she used to look after DD 3 afternoons a week when I was still working pre-DS).

I've read somewhere that children did potty train much earlier 20-odd years ago because nappies were not as efficient as they are now and children were more uncomfortable. Don't know if it's true but does make sense.

Prepare yourself for a week at home!

I spent one day in the kitchen with nappy-free DD (just before she was two), and decided I needed a change of scenery on Day Two. Lo and behold, she did a poo in her pants in the library!

We stayed at home for a couple more days after that. It's not very inspiring, but it did the trick very quickly! (Ditto DS at the same sort of age).

I'd also say it's worth persevering even if there are lots of accidents. It's tempting to go back to nappies if they keep having mishaps, but I found it easiest just to throw all the nappies out!

FWIW (which may not be an awful lot), I also stuck to my mum's advice to bin the night-time nappies after two dry nights in a row!!

Personally, I was glad to be rid of nappies - it makes life a lot easier if all you have to carry is spare knickers in every pocket/bag (though DH found himself blowing his nose on the spare knickers he had been carrying around for DD in his coat pocket!!)