Easy Potty Training

Fred Flint

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Easy Potty Training
by Lora Jensen

Is Your Child Ready?

One of the biggest mistakes a parent can make when potty training their child is waiting too long to start. Many moms and dads tell me that they are waiting for their child to show signs of readiness before they begin. Some moms are still saying that when the child is 3, 4 and even 5 years old. I personally believe that 96% of all kids are ready at a much earlier age.

I get many moms and dads that say that their child doesn?t talk well or they don?t understand everything that is said to them. Let me just say that your child does not, let me repeat, does not need to know how to talk well. He or she does not need to be able to say ?Mommy, I need to go to the bathroom because I need to use the potty.? Baby talk works just as well.

Now with the understanding that your child doesn?t need to talk well to be ready for potty training, what are some of the signs of readiness?

There is a test that you can do to check for readiness but first you need to make sure your child is not going to bed with a bottle or cup. This is very important. Besides the fact that it?s very unhealthy for a child to sleep with a bottle, children that sleep with bottles or sipper cups cannot wake up dry in the morning, it?s just impossible. So before you can begin potty training your little one you need to work on breaking them from this habit.

Once a child stops drinking from a bottle or sipper through the night, you will be ready to do your readiness test. This test is a test only you can do and it?s a true test to the readiness of your little one.

1) Stop giving your child liquids about 2 hours before bedtime.

2) You need to put a clean dry diaper on your little one just before you put them down for bed.

3) In the morning, just as your child is waking up you need to go and check the diaper. If your child?s diaper is dry, he is ready!!!!

An important note: It is very important that you check your little ones diaper just as he or she is waking up. You can even wake him or her up to check. Most bed wetting is done just as the child is waking up.

 

FAQ?s about readiness

At what age can I start doing the readiness test on my child?

You can start checking for readiness as early as 16 months but I have found that girls are usually ready around 18 months and boys are usually ready around 22 months.

My child can?t tell me that he has to go to the bathroom, should I wait until he?s older?

 

There is no need to wait until your child can talk. Your child can show you signs. My son is now 3 ? and still can?t talk but he was potty trained at 22 months and in less then two days. So please don?t let your little ones lack of verbal skills keep you from potty training.

My child is 3 years old and he still wakes up wet, what do I do?

Try this when testing your little one. Stop liquids two to three hours before bed. Change his diaper just before you put him down for bed. Once he?s gone to sleep and just before you head to bed yourself, go in and check his diaper. If he?s wet then he could be wetting his diaper just as he settles down for the night and this will resolve itself during training. If he?s dry then make sure to go into his bedroom about an hour before he usually wakes up and check his diaper. He might be waking sooner than you think.

My child has a bottle before bed, can I still potty train?

Yes you can, but keep in mind that you should make sure to do the readiness test. If you find that the night time bottle or cup is causing your child to still wet the bed at night, then you should consider eliminating that bottle altogether.

My child likes to have a drink before going to bed, will this be ok?

If your child is use to getting a drink before bed then yes, go ahead but try just putting a few sips on water in a cup for your little one, just enough to wet their throat.

 

My little one just turned two, should I wait to potty train?

Nope, you should do the readiness test and if they are ready then you should potty train ASAP. I have found that most children are ready by the time they are 2 years old, regardless if they are a boy or girl. My boys have all been potty trained at the age of 22 months, and my foster daughter was potty trained at 19 months. I also believe that the older the child gets the harder the training is on both the child and the parent. Don?t put it off!!

 

The thing is?children are usually ready long before their parents are! So the big question is?

Are You Ready?

I know that sounds like a funny question to be asking because it?s the child that?s being potty trained, not the parent?but honestly, are you ready?

So why am I asking this question? It?s because to follow my method of potty training you (the parent) must truly be ready. You need to be resigned to the fact that you are going to have an ugly mess on your hands for about three days. Let?s face it; changing potty diapers is much easier than changing potty underwear.

PLAIN and SIMPLE - You have to be willing to give up three days. If you are a working mother you need to plan on staying home on a Friday or on a Monday to do this. I suggest taking both off so you can celebrate on the fourth day! That and get some sleep.

If you are a stay at home mom, that?s even better! If you have other children at home, you might want to have them stay with someone during the days so you can focus on the child that is being potty trained. You really don?t have to do this but it could help.

Another important reason for me asking if you are ready is because once you start using this method you can?t stop, no matter how hard it gets. It?s really messy and you will get discouraged during these three days, but you must stick with it because if you don?t, you will be sending your child mixed signals and messages about potty training. Also if you start and then give up it?s going to be very hard to potty train your little one later.

 

FAQ?s about the parent being ready

I don?t have three days to potty train as I cannot get time off from work; can this still work for me?

It could be hard but many kids do potty train in less than the three days. You should probably start the potty training process the second you get home from work on Friday and then really focus and follow the method very closely and you should be ok. Make sure that your daycare provider understands that you had potty trained over the weekend and to not put a diaper on the child.

 

I have other kids at home and I can?t leave them with a sitter, how do I handle this?

Trust me, I have five boys and a baby girl, I know how hard it is to get someone that can watch the others while you potty train. So if you can?t?that I just fine. Just plan your days out before you start the potty training process. Make sure you have things for the other kids to do so you can focus mainly on the little one you are training.

 

What if I do get frustrated and I just can?t handle the mess, then what?

Try to remember that if you start and then stop, you are only sending mixed messages to your little one and it will be hard to potty train him or her when you try again. You can also think about the money you will be saving by potty training. The savings of having your little one potty trained is about $150. That?s a good penny!!

 

 

Well now that your little one is ready and YOU are ready for this adventure?

What do you need?

Yup there are some things you will need to get before you can start. You might already have these things and if you do, that?s super but if you don?t you can easily find the following things at a cheap price at your local Wal-Mart.

Liquids

You will need to have a lot of yummy liquids on hand. Does your child like juice boxes? Then get those. Does your child like juice from a can? Then get that. I like juice boxes and those juices that come in those pouches. My kids love them and they are quick to use and to clean up. But water, milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, flavored waters, Kool-aid, spritzers or any other type of liquid will be good. Just have lots of good ones on hand for your little one.

Snacks

You will need to get snacks/treats. I like 100% fruit juice snacks but you can do your choice of snack be it fruit, cookies or anything else. You will need lots of snacks/treats. Wal-Mart has a smiley face fruit snack that is like under a dollar for a box of 10.

Underwear

I?m sure you already know that you will need underwear but you probably need more then what you think. You will need LOTS of them, at least 20 pair. Let your little one go with you to the store to help pick some of them out. Let him or her pick their favorite character.

Do not purchase Pull Ups. These are a waste of money and will confuse your child. If you are going to use my methods you cannot use Pull Ups. You also need to make sure you buy regular underwear, not the padded kind. I think the padded ones are called ?Training Pants?. Please do not buy these either. You do not have to buy all the same size. You can purchase some that are a size or two bigger then what they need this way when you have finished potty training your little one, you can put the bigger ones away until they grow into them.

Potty Chair

 

You can purchase a potty chair if you like. I have always purchased one each time I have potty trained but most of my kids have preferred the big toilet but it?s still good to have a potty chair on hand. You can also try a potty seat to put on the potty. I have never tried them but some moms swear by them.

 

FAQ?s about what you need

I don?t feel comfortable with giving my child sugary drinks, what do I do?

No need to give them sugary drinks. You can give them water, flavored waters, milk or anything sugar-free! The key is just having drinks that your child likes on hand.

I have lots of pull-ups that I would like to use up, will this be ok?

NO!! To use my Easy Potty Training Method, you can NOT use Pull-Ups, not even at night. You must get rid of them.

Why can?t I use padded underwear or pull-ups?

 

Pull-ups and padded underwear make your child feel like they are wearing a diaper. This will make them feel that it?s ok to pee in them. There is more info later in the guide about this subject.

 

Do I have to give snacks/treats to my child?

It does work well for the method but you are welcome to not give a food item. You can do small little tiny toys or stickers.

Well now that you have all the supplies you need??

Let?s get started!!

On the day you start have your child put on the ?Big Boy/Girl Pants?. Make sure to call them that. Once they have put them on be sure to tell your child how big they look and how proud you are of them for being SO big. They like being called big so remember to call your little one a big boy or big girl often!

Now you take your child and have them throw away all the unused diapers. All of them!! You have to do this for you and for your little one.

There is NO going back now. Tell your child that they don?t need those yucky baby diapers anymore. They are Big and all grown up! If at anytime your child says he wants the diaper tell him that they are all gone. Make sure you stick to this. They might ask or even cry for them back because of the comfort they have with them. After all, they have been wearing them for about 2 years!! I suggest you just put the underwear and shirt on him/her. Don?t put pants or a dress on. It?s harder to see what they are doing when they have them on.

Now, start giving the little one their favorite liquids. Never stop offering them the liquids. Have them drink all day. If they are tired of one kind of liquid, try another. The more they drink the more they will need to go to the bathroom which means more opportunities to train.

Now spend the whole day around your child. Become buddies. This doesn?t mean you have to never take your eyes off of them BUT you should stay close and be near him/her. You should try playing with them on the floor. It?s so important to catch them in the act of going pee or pooping each and EVERY TIME. The more you catch them in the act the faster the training will go.

Tell your little one to ?tell mommy/daddy when you have to go pee because you are a big boy/girl.? Remind your little one every couple of minutes to tell you if they need to go ?pee-pee? or ?potty?. This is very important. You must keep reminding them because it helps them to remember. You can ask them if they have to go pee or potty, but if they always say ?NO? then you should mix it up with asking them to tell you when they have to go.

When you see your child peeing or pooping in their pants, pick your little one up in the middle of him/her going and run them to the bathroom and sit them on the toilet as fast as you can. Have them finish on the toilet. When you are picking them up don?t yell, don?t call them bad. Just say ?Yuck, that?s gross. You?re a big boy/girl; you?re supposed to go pee-pee/potty in the big boy/girl toilet.?

After you have placed them on the toilet and they finish up in the toilet say ?Good boy/girl, I knew you could do it.? Now give them a snack. Don?t say the snack is for going pee or pooping in the toilet though.

You will repeat this step over and over. You will probably need to do laundry if you don?t have enough underwear. My oldest son went through 46 pairs of underwear his first day. But by the end of day two he was done.

Keep asking your child about having to go pee/potty. When you finally get a yes and they do go in the toilet, without first starting somewhere else, you go ?crazy?. Jump up and down, tell them how big they are and how proud you are of them and how they are all grown up. Keep clapping your hands and really make them feel good about themselves.

Once they are done going you need to tell them ?let?s call Daddy at work? or ?let?s call grandma?. Actually you can call anyone that would praise your little one. Make the biggest deal out of this!! They need to see how great of an act it was for them to go in the potty.

Be aware that you will still need to ask about them needing to go pee-pee. But every time they go in the toilet act the same way.

Don?t ever make the child just sit on the toilet. This is a mistake a lot of parents make. They get so discouraged about the child peeing in their pants that they place them on the toilet and say that they are staying there until they go. This is a bad mistake. It causes the child to be scared of using the toilet and will cause the child to have a harder time with training.

My boys have all liked standing to go pee and that?s why they have all liked the big toilet over the baby one. But that?s another reason I have had such a mess. It is ok for you to help your child go to the bathroom. Even three year olds need help with aiming and getting on the toilet. They might even need help with wiping. My boys have all needed to stand on my feet so they could reach. If you don?t want to help your child every time then maybe you are not ready for this.

I have also found that my boys like sitting backwards on the potty because they don?t feel as if they are going to fall in. This works well for both boys and girls.

Once bed time comes, stop giving your little one liquids about two to three hours before bed time. Take them to the bathroom and say ?it?s time to go pee.? And if they need to go have them go and then put them to bed. Make sure you don?t put a diaper, a pull up or training pants on him/her. The child needs to feel if they are going to the bathroom. If they pee in the middle of the night, get up change things and put them back to bed. It is very important to wake up before they do so as soon as you see them waking up you can have them go to the bathroom and go pee. All children need to go when they wake up, so be quick.

Everyday after the first day will be the same. But some time in the three days it will just click, and they will be potty trained. But even though they don?t pee or potty their pants anymore doesn?t mean you can stop asking them if they need to go. Children get distracted. They need reminding.

Please remember to only use underwear. It?s the feeling of pee dripping down their little legs that really feels gross. It is what helps them train. Also make sure you never threaten your child with putting the diaper back on them, no matter how discouraged you get. And remember that it will get better.

The first day is the worst. The more you use this method the better you will get. Also, if you do need to go somewhere anytime during the three days or anytime after the first week, make sure that you still keep asking them if they need to go, and if they do, pull over, get to something quick!!!! My advice is to just stay home, it?s easier.

 

After the three days, if you have a boy, just bring a cup so if you are in the car and can?t stop they can pee in that. If you have a girl bring a little potty so they can use that. This was a tip my sister-in-law shared as she keeps one in her van for her girls.

FAQ?s about training

I have a baby that still uses diapers so I can?t throw all the diapers away. How will this work?

Make sure that you keep your son/daughters diapers separate from the baby?s diapers for about a week. Call the baby?s diapers the ?baby?s diapers?. Make sure they know that they are different sizes.

I can?t get my child to drink very much, what can I do?

Don?t force your child to drink. You can keep offering them the liquids but NEVER force the liquids as that is not healthy. One of the things you can try to get your little one to drink more is to try a different type of drink. You can have him/her help you mix up the drink. You can also try popsicles.

What if I can?t catch my child messing their pants?

This is one question I get a lot and it?s the one question that frustrates me the most. You shouldn?t be having a problem catching your child in the act of going pee or pooping if you are staying close to them. It?s so important to make these three days all about them. If you are sitting with him/her, watching TV, or playing a game with him/her, I promise you will know when they are going in their pants. You must catch them in the act as close to EVERY SINGLE TIME. The more you catch them in the act, the faster the training will go, I promise!!

 

Do I give a snack/treat even if they don?t finish in the potty?

No, you should only give the treat if they finish going on the potty. Even a little bit is good.

How long do I need to give them a snack/treat?

Only until they start going on their own. Once they are going pee and potty more in the toilet then in their pants you can stop with the snacks.

Do I have to stay inside the whole three days?

No you do not but you should remember that you need to stay close to your little one. You should make sure to be close to the bathroom. Going outside and playing is ok if you are playing with him/her.

 

Can I just put a diaper on him at night?

No, this method is for day and night training and should not do one without the other. This will also give mixed signals to your child about the whole diaper thing.

 

It?s the end of the first day and I see no sign of this working for my son, what should I do?

Do NOT give up. Some kids show no sign that they are getting this but if you are consistent and catch them in the act every single time you will see things ?click? for your little one in the second or third day.

 

My child seemed to have fun with this on the first day but now she won?t even sit on the potty. How do I get her to have fun with it again?

 

Well it doesn?t need to be ?fun? but you should not give up. The newness might have worn off and now you must be consistent to show your little one that this is how it must be. Be consistent and it will end up clicking for your little one.

How can I potty train my child when he is so scared of the toilet?

A few suggestions on this ? One, you might want to let them go to the store with you to help you pick out a potty or seat cover. They have some really fun seat covers now. They have Dora, Sponge Bob and a few others at Wal-Mart. You can also try letting your child sit on the potty backwards, this will make them not feel like they are falling in. Remember to never force your child to just sit on the potty, even though they don?t have to go.

My child sits on the potty and doesn?t go, and when she gets up, she goes pee on the floor, can I make her sit on the potty until she does go?

You should never make her just sit on the potty. Try turning the water on and letting it run. The sound of the water running helps with the urge to go. If this doesn?t help, just make sure that when she starts to get up and then starts going, have her sit right back down on the potty.

 

Your method is working like a charm on the pee part of the training but my little guy is having trouble with going poop. He seems to be holding it. Do you have any suggestions on how to get him to go potty?

Please Note: Only do these steps if the regular method wasn?t working. The Easy Potty Training Method really works for poop as well as pee. Again the key is catching the child in the act. The more you catch them in the act the faster the training will go.

If your little one seems to have a problem with the potty part try sitting him down and have him help you make a chart. Tell him that you will give him a star for each time he goes poop in the potty. Let him know that after he gets 10 stars he will get a ??.? Make it something he really wants. You can also try high fiber foods!

 

Consistency:

Consistency is SO important to your child?s success. If you can?t be consistent with your child you will find that following this or any other method will simply be unsuccessful. Consistency in dealing with children is recommended if you want to be an effective parent and potty trainer. Some level of consistency is needed for children to learn the lessons of potty training.

Children learn easier when learning conditions remain consistent.

I have found that consistency is the reason why some parents can potty train faster then others. If you truly want this to work and you want to succeed then please be willing to be consistent. It?s ONLY three days!!

 

Here are a few tips!

Don?t let your spouse help you do this. Not during the first three days. The child needs only one person doing this with him/her. The other parent should only be there for praising.

If you have been trying to potty train your child and it hasn?t worked and that is why you bought this guide, do me a favor and stop doing everything you are doing and wait for 30 days, never talking about potty training to the child. It?s not good to confuse the child. Then start fresh.

PLEASE NOTE:

If you would still like to start the potty training and not wait the 30 days, it can still work but might take a little longer.

You are welcome to write me and get my opinion on if waiting is a good thing or not for your situation.

It?s very important that you stay close to your child. Make sure you catch them in the act EVERY single time. The more you catch him/her the faster the training will work. This works for both pee & poop.

It helps to say ?yucky? and ?pew? when you change your child?s diaper for about a month or more before they are ready to potty train. Get them really hating to have that diaper on.

Don?t let your child run around naked during the potty training. It doesn?t help.

Good Luck. I really hope this guide helps you. Be patient, and please don?t forget to love your child!

A closing note: I wrote this guide to help others. This method has worked for me and many other parents. I am not a doctor and I do not claim to be one. If you are concerned about your child please consult their doctor.