If it’s that time in your child’s life to get them out of the nappies and onto a potty, we have some tips by Rachael Forder, creator of LumiPotti, to help guide you through the process which will see your child on the toilet in no time!
Parenting on Female First
Potty Training your child by Rachael Forder
Successfully toilet training will give your child a sense of mastery over their own bodies and is a key developmental stage, but it’s hard to know if your child is ready to toilet train. They may be ready at 18 months on the other hand they could be nearer 3 before they get the hang of it. One thing is certain though, you have to take a deep breath and give your child a chance to break the habit of using a nappy and get their feet wet.
Ask yourself:
Is my child ready for the toilet training journey?
Do they stay dry for a couple of hours?
Do they follow you to the toilet and watch with interest?
Do they have a word for ‘potty’?
Step 1: At home with no nappies – no pants
Whenever you are at home, leave your child’s nappy off, place the potty where your child can easily get to it and be patient. Remember if your child has never wet themselves without a nappy on then they first need to discover what it feels like and realise that it’s not very nice to have wet feet. Regularly ask them to sit on the potty, if they do then reward them just for that, a smile and a hug from Mummy or Daddy will go a long way to telling your child that sitting on the potty is a good thing. Never be angry with them, but its ok to show them that you are disappointed when they have an accident, because now you have to clean it up. By showing disappointment you are giving your child the opportunity to empathise with you, you may find that they will fetch the wipes or something, smile when they do – you’ll feel better and so will they. Keep life easy in this first stage and use toilet training pants at night and for trips out.
If after a week, the accidents are rife then take the pressure off, keep the toilet training pants on and wait 3 or 4 weeks. During this waiting time, don’t hide the potty, keep talking to your child about no1 and no2’s keep asking them to use the potty at key points (after meals, before going out, before bed etc). If your child is at nursery ask them to do the same thing and ask them point out to your child when other children go to use the potty or toilet. After a few weeks try step one again.
Step 2 : At home with Pants
Once your child has learnt to anticipate the need to ‘go’ and can get to the potty, without the complication of clothes – it’s time to introduce pants when you are at home. Go and buy some special ones with your child. Remember, to start with they will probably get through 5 or 6 pairs of pants/knickers a day! If your child is unable to pull pants up and down then make practising fun, perhaps have a race with them to see who can pull their pant up/down over their trousers first. From your child’s perspective wearing pants will feel like a nappy, so don’t be surprised if the accidents start again. Get your child used to using the potty just before bed and first thing in the morning in preparation for step 4 and give them plenty to drink to help increase their bladder capacity.
Step 3: Out and about with pants
Once you feel that your child can anticipate need to go and make it to the potty on time, even if they still need help pull clothes up and down, then try some trips out with the potty to the park. Reward your child for every dry trip out with a big smile and a hug, and perhaps a sticker, story or colouring when you get home. At this point, speak to your child’s other carers ( Nursery or Child-minder) to explain how well your child is doing at that you are sure that with their help – being day dry is near. Do send your child in with 4 or 5 changes of clothes though – as to start with they will be distracted by playing and may have more accidents than at home.
Step 4: Night time dry
Once your child is day dry, don’t wait too long before trying the nights. If they are not already out of a cot then start by get them used to sleeping in a bed with a duvet. They will fall out occasionally for the first couple of weeks so make the area around the bed a soft landing. Once they’ve mastered sleeping in a bed its new pyjama time and no more nappies ever! Prepare your child’s bed by using waterproof mattress covers and bed mats.
To use the potty at night or in the early morning they will need to be able to see their way to the potty, leaving lights on all the time though will not help your child sleep, so get a movement sensitive light, or use a potty with an automatic night light. Place the potty near the bed and always make sure the area is free from tripping hazards. If you have a boy and they still can’t pull up/down their pyjama bottoms then it won’t hurt for them to go bottom less until they are older. Reward your child for every dry night just like you did for using the potty during the day, with a big smile and a hug, and perhaps a sticker, story or colouring.
Expect accidents, it take times to learn to wake yourself up for a wee, but within 3 weeks these should start to ease. Don’t worry if in years to come they lapse occasionally, children often wet the bed if they are worried about things like starting school. Always take your child to see a doctor if after a dry spell they start to frequently wet the bed.
LumiPotti was created by Rachael and Kerry, and is the day to night potty for complete toilet training. Rachael and Kerry set out to see if a little idea could become an easier way to help children toilet train. The idea behind LumiPotti was to give parents a single potty their children could use from the first day, all the way through to a bladder confident child.
LumiPotti aims to become a global brand that is based and built here in England. LumiPotti is the first brand established by Small Ideas Ltd. It is a registered trademark with its own patent held for the LumiPotti invention.
For more information visit www.lumipotti.com