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Thursday, May 21, 2009

My Potty Issues

Obviously, I haven't had much success at potty training yet. When I sit Marguerite in the potty, she usually pees, but I still find myself washing wet and soiled undies. I can't tell you how much I want a copy of Elizabeth Pantley's "The No-Cry Potty Training Solution". I've actually stopped crying, but I'd love some progress anyway.:)

Anyway, here are some excerpts from Ms. Pantley's book:

The No-Cry Potty Training Solution
Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers


Quick Facts About Potty Training

Potty training can be natural, easy, and peaceful. The first step is to know the facts.

♦ The perfect age to begin potty training is different for every child. Your child's best starting age could be anywhere from eighteen to thirty-two months. Pre-potty training preparation can begin when a child is as young as ten months.

♦ You can begin training at any age, but your child's biology, skills, and readiness will determine when he can take over his own toileting.

♦ Teaching your child how to use the toilet can, and should, be as natural as teaching him to build a block tower or use a spoon.

♦ No matter the age that toilet training begins, most children become physically capable of independent toileting between ages two and a half and four.

♦ It takes three to twelve months from the start of training to daytime toilet independence. The more readiness skills that a child possesses, the quicker the process will be.

♦ The age that a child masters toileting has absolutely no correlation to future abilities or intelligence.

♦ There isn’t only one right way to potty train - any approach you use can work - if you are pleasant, positive and patient.

♦ Nighttime dryness is achieved only when a child's physiology supports this--you can't rush it.

♦ A parent's readiness to train is just as important as a child's readiness to learn.

♦ Potty training need not be expensive. A potty chair, a dozen pairs of training pants and a relaxed and pleasant attitude are all that you really need. Anything else is truly optional.

♦ Most toddlers urinate four to eight times each day, usually about every two hours or so.

♦ Most toddlers have one or two bowel movements each day, some have three, and others skip a day or two in between movements. In general, each child has a regular pattern.

♦ More than 80 percent of children experience setbacks in toilet training. This means that what we call “setbacks” are really just the usual path to mastery of toileting.

♦ Ninety-eight percent of children are completely daytime independent by age four.



The Potty Training Readiness Quiz


Potty training is easier and happens faster if your child is truly ready in all three areas: physical, cognitive and social. But the big question is: how do you know when your child is ready? If you have never traveled this road before, you likely don’t even know what signs to look for. Take this quiz to find out where your child is on the readiness spectrum.

1. I can tell by watching that my child is wetting or filling his diaper:

a. Never.

b. Sometimes.

c. Usually.

2. My toddler's diaper needs to be changed:

a. Frequently, every hour or two.

b. It varies.

c. Every two to three hours--sometimes less frequently.

3. My child understands the meaning of wet, dry, clean, wash, sit, and go:

a. No.

b. Some of them.

c. Yes.

4. When my child communicates her needs, she:

a. Says or signs a few basic words and I guess the rest.

b. Gets her essential points across to me.

c. Has a good vocabulary and talks to me in sentences.

5. If I give my child a simple direction, such as, "put this in the toy box," she:

a. Doesn't understand or doesn't follow directions.

b. Will do it if I coach or help her.

c. Understands me and does it.

6. My child can take his pants off and put them on:

a. No.

b. With help he can.

c. Yes.


7. When I read a book to my child, he:


a. He ignores me.

b. Sometimes listens, sometimes wanders off.

c. Sits, listens and enjoys the story.


8. My toddler wants to do things “all by myself”:


a. Never.

b. Sometimes.

c. All the time!

9. I think that it's the right time to begin potty training:


a. No.

b. I'm undecided.

c. Yes.

Total the number of responses for each letter:

a. __________

b. __________

c. __________

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most answers are a:

Wait.

Your little one doesn't seem to be ready just yet. Test again in a month or two.

Most answers are b:

Time for pre-potty training--get ready!

Your child is not quite ready for active training, but you can take many steps to prepare your toddler for the future. Gradual introduction of terms and ideas will make potty training easier when the time comes.

Most answers are c:

Your toddler is ready to use the potty!

It's time to start your potty training adventure. Good luck, and have fun!

Are you between two scores?

Just like any parenting situation, there are choices to make. If your child is hovering between two categories, it's time to put your intuition to good use. Your knowledge of your own child can direct you toward the right plan of action.

3 comments:

maf said...

interesting and useful. thanks for sharing!

echolage said...

have you tried to make the whole experience a ritual? My son loved the idea that he could carry the potty to the toilet and dump it in and then flush the toilet. After I rinsed the toilet he got out his little spray bottle and cleaned it again. On the other hand I know that there is a trend towards not rushing children to be toilet learned, that their bodies will naturally do it when they are ready. Of course next week there will be a study saying just the opposite.

spinninglovelydays said...

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that one. :)