Potty Training 201:
Forward Progress!
Copyright
© 2004 Helen Davis All Rights Reserved
If your child has started potty training
and is not taking initiative on his/her own, here are some ideas to
consider to help him make progress towards initiating.
- Am I the one who is
reminding
him/her to go potty (am I the one "potty trained")?
Remember, the
ultimate goal is to have "them" responsible for doing all the work -
going to the toilet, going potty and then finishing the process.
- Are his/her pants
big enough to
make the process easy or does he need my help to pull pants off?
If he needs my help, try loose-fitting pants.
- Have I confused
him/her by
inconsistency with the rules?
Do you sometimes help
pull down his pants and at other times make him do it? Are you
changing the order of things he should do?
Be consistent with the steps of the process so
there's not confusion.
- Do you need to step
up the
rewards again to reignite interest?
Maybe you need to
change the rewards. Instead of treats, would your child like a
chart that he/she can put stickers on to see how many times
he goes potty? Maybe he would be motivated by
getting a special treat if he is dry all day or all week.
Sometimes we stop giving rewards and the child loses
motivation. Try it again and see if it helps. Eventually
your child will simply go potty because it's "part of life." Just
give it some
time.
- If he is forgetting
to run to
the toilet, "practices" are a really good way to help them.
- The way I like to do
practices is: if they look like they need to go potty or they have wet
or pooped in their pants, physically grab their hand and help them run
to the toilet.
- If they already had
an accident, clean up and get them cleaned up. Then start the
"practices."
- It is recommended in
"Potty Training in Less than a Day" to do 10 practices. This is
where you need to choose what is best for your child.
- A practice is where
you take the child to the place where he/she had the accident and then
say "Let's pretend you need to go potty. What should you
do?" Help them run quickly to the
toilet, pull their pants down and get on the toilet. Then
congratulate them. The key is to make it fun
so they are encouraged that they can do it. Sometimes, it may
seem like a punishment. If this is the case, then only do it once
or twice. Do some practices at neutral times
too, when they are not thinking about going potty, so they'll learn how
to shift from what they're doing to quickly and make it to the
toilet. Make it fun, have a race, include brothers and sisters,
then everyone can get the rewards together.
Woo hoo!
If you have questions or specific
circumstances you need help with,
please email me at beezie@convergent-technologies.com. I'd love
to help you in your situation!
Steps of Potty Training
- Run to the toilet
- Pull down
pants/panties
- Sit down (hold down)
- Wipe (if they can't
reach you may have to help them)
- Pull up
pants/panties
- Flush
- Wash hands
- Treat or special
reward
Helen Davis is an early childhood expert.
Her mother founded and ran the famous Sunny Beam Nursery School on
Mercer Island, WA. She inherited her mother's gifting and love of
children and has been involved in early childhood care for over 20
years. To read more of her articles, visit Successful Family Chores
|
