Toddler Potty Training

In my last post, I covered the very basics of infant potty training.  Perhaps you hadn't heard of infant potty training while your baby was young.  Maybe you tried infant potty training but had a few difficulties.  Or you could also have made a conscious decision to teach your child to use the potty as a toddler.  Toddler potty training is not a bad thing nor does it need to be a dreadful experience.

Getting Started

Doctors and society tell us many girls will train between 2-3 and many boys between 3-4.  In those time frames they say to look for signs of readiness including waking up dry, showing interest in using the toilet, and being able to pull his own pants up and down.

Caitlyn had none of these signs.  I was tired of changing and washing two sets of diapers.  I made the decision that potty training at that time was best for our family.

Supplies
Cloth trainers really are the way to go.  Cloth allows your child to feel wet.  Even if you used disposable diapers, cloth trainers are easy and  can be quite economical.

Around the house, we use Gerber training pants.  I bought 12 in white so I can use them for multiple children.  They have no waterproofing.

For going out of the house, I purchased two Flip Potty Trainer kits.  In hindsight, one kit would have been enough for us since we didn't leave the house until Caitlyn was trained well enough to tell us when she needed to go.  Flip is a two piece trainer - a waterproof (PUL) cover with organic cotton pads that attach with hook and loop fasteners.  The side panels have several settings and the front rise snaps down.  These have worked beautifully for us.  My only gripe is with the care instructions.  They did not mention that you MUST leave a pad attached when you wash them to prevent the hook and loop from destroying the outside of the cover.

Another trainer I would really like to try is the GroVia My Choice Trainer.  It has a hemp/cotton core and a pocket to add additional absorbency. The downside to this trainer is that once it is wet, it needs to be washed.  With the Flip trainer, you simply replace the pad.

For the first few weeks of nap time, Caitlyn wore a cloth diaper.  Now she wears a Flip trainer and keeps it dry.  At night, we still use a cloth diaper and will until she wakes up dry every morning for at least a month.

I store my wet/worn trainers in a Planet Wise Pail Liner because I had an extra.  However, I recently discovered Monkey Foot Designs.  I would choose one of their wet bags if I needed to buy something for storing my trainers.  The quality is absolutely amazing.

If the trainers are just wet, I wash in warm water.  If they are soiled, I wash as if they were cloth diapers - warm pre-wash, hot wash, extra rinse.

I also purchased a Baby Bjorn Smart Potty.  I love it.  It is the perfect size for both my 5 month old and my 25 month old.  I like that the bowl can be lifted out of the frame for easier emptying.  Caitlyn will sit on toilets without a seat reducer, but I like having a small potty that she can use by herself.

Puddles are easy to clean up if you have a few prefolds and Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator, with foaming action.

Rewards were very helpful for us.  Caitlyn is addicted to fruit snacks.  We eat Motts Medley's fruit snacks which do not contain artificial colors or flavors.  I would give her one fruit snack as a reward (NOT a pack).

It may seem like a lot of gear, but it makes training so much easier.  If you buy everything gender neutral, you can use it for several children.  Plus, all these things are still much cheaper than keeping your child in diapers or even more expensive disposable training pants.

Setup

I keep the potty in a corner of the kitchen since our bathrooms are far from where we spend most of our time.  After about a week, I showed Caitlyn how to pull her own panties down, sit down, and use the potty.  I taught her to wait there until I come clean her up and help her wash her hands.

You can use cloth wipes (just toss in the wet bag with the trainers) or keep a roll of toilet paper by the potty.

I keep the Gerber trainers nearby in my laundry room and the Flip trainers on my changing table shelves with the diapers.

Execution
I strongly believe in a potty training boot camp.  I expected to stay home for one to three weeks.  I started on a Tuesday.  Since we were all sick the next weekend, we stayed home from church.  By the following Sunday (just short of two weeks), Caitlyn was ready to go out for an extended time.

The first morning, I showed Caitlyn her new "panties" and helped her get in them.  After a minute, I asked her if she was dry.  She said yes.  I made a big deal about it and gave her a fruit snack.  I then helped her use the potty.  She was successful and got another treat (I must mention that she was very familiar with using the potty.  From the time she was a few months old, we set her on the potty before her bath.). 

I set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes and repeated the process.  The emphasis was on being DRY.  I gradually increased the time.  After a few days, she got upset with me for asking if she needed to go.  I asked her to show me that she could pull her trainers down by herself.  She could.  I told her to go when she needed to.  At first, she needed new trainers every time she went to the potty.  Sometimes a puddle would accompany the wet trainers.  That didn't last long, though.

I had a plan for dealing with battles.  I was determined that we were not going to quit.  Just a few days into potty training, Caitlyn needed a time out.  For more than an hour, I had been asking her if she needed the bathroom.  She kept insisting that she didn't.  I put her in her time out spot fully expecting to see a puddle when I returned in two minutes.  Indeed I did.  She watched intently to see what I would do.  I calmly took her to the bathroom and set her on the toilet while I cleaned up the mess.  Then I cleaned her up and put her back in trainers.  That was the last battle we had.

As I mentioned earlier, I allow Caitlyn tell me when she needs to use the bathroom.  The only exceptions to this are before we leave to go somewhere, before sleep, and in the church nursery.  We allow her to tell us when she needs the bathroom when we go out, too.  She rarely needs to, though.

That's it!  I am not an expert.  I have only potty trained one child.  This worked for us, though, and I do hope that my experiences will benefit someone else.

Infant Potty Training - What, Why, How, and When

Infant potty training.  Sounds crazy, right?  
What - Infant potty training encourages your infant to poop in the toilet rather than a diaper. It's main focus is not to catch pees in the toilet.  You will get some.  If you become really interested and desire to also catch pees, you certainly can.

Why -  How would you like to never change a messy diaper again?  That in itself was enough for me!  Infant potty training is especially  helpful in preventing toddler fear and aversion to using the toilet.  The toilet is big and seems to have an even bigger hole!  Imagine a proportional toilet for an adult.  That gives a different perspective, huh?  Infant potty training gets baby comfortable with the toilet.  Another way to encourage familiarity is to take your baby to the bathroom with you.  I have always placed my babies on the carpet of our bedroom while I use the toilet so I could talk to them and get them accustomed to the sounds of the bathroom.

How - Infant potty training is easy.  Set your baby on the toilet for a few minutes every day.  That's it. No need to make it more complicated than it is.  In the photo above, Caitlyn was just under 5 months old.  You can start as early as you are ready.  I've started earlier with Sean and have had even better success.  The first day, he peed twice and pooped once.  However, you can still start even if your baby is older.  Ten months is still easier than thirty-six months!

I used a Bumbo potty seat with Caitlyn.   I hold Sean on the seat as an adult would sit but with his bottom down in the hole of the seat.  The key is that baby's bottom needs to be lower than his legs.  See Caitlyn's?  This is what you must look for if you choose to buy a seat.  This squat position encourages elimination.  You can also sit on the seat with baby or hold baby against your body in the squat position.

When baby pees or poops, make a big deal out of it.  "You're peeing in the potty!  Way to go!  What a great job you're doing!  You pooped!  Yes!"  Make sure your expression an tone convey your pleasure to them as well.

When - As much as you like.  If you notice that baby is trying to have a bowel movement, go!  I try to take Sean for a minute or two every time I change his diaper.  Before bath is a very natural time to put baby on the toilet.  You don't need to stay there long. You are simply getting baby comfortable with the toilet.  Don't expect any elimination at first.

Infant potty training has been an enriching part of our lives.  I truly enjoy cloth diapering and find that infant potty training is a natural extension for us.  Unfortunately, Caitlyn had  a "falling out" with her potty seat.  Look for a post on toddler potty training soon!