STAGE 2: the child tells you he is wetting.
He recognizes the sensation of wetting his diaper.

Physical and Psychological signs of Toilet Learning readiness:

* Stays dry for a long time
* Has bowel movements at regular times
* Can undress himself and pull up his own pants.
* Emotionally ready.
* Awareness and knowledge of the world beyond himself
* Can follow three of four step instructions.

Before we begin:

Toilet learning should be a positive experience for everyone involved.
It should take a short period of time if a child is ready.
Problems arise when adults don't pay attention
to the child's lack of readiness.
They pressure the child through weeks of failure rather
then realize the timing is wrong.
Toilet learning is as individual as learning to walk.
There is no right age by which all children should be toilet learned.

Once we all see and agree on the stages and signs in your child,
we can try toilet learning your child for 10 working days.
If your child shows no interest, too many fears or too many accidents,
your child will go back to regular diapers until we feel
he is ready to start again. Ask yourself during the process:
Who is doing all the work? You or the your child?
When children are really ready, you show them how they will
undress themselves to use the toilet or change themselves after
an accident and will remember and follow the steps to toileting
(pee, wipe, flush and wash) When he/she is ready,
it’ll go alot easier and faster too!

SPECIAL NOTE TO PARENTS:

Start this process on a weekend.
It is very important that parents be the one to start this process
and not the provider. After a weekend of testing this out,
if you still feel your child is ready then let the provider
know on Monday, to continue the process or to wait
and start another time.

Here are some requirements for toilet learning that will not only
help me & you, but will help limit some frustrations for your child.

1. Child will wear lose fitting clothes (for them to pull up & down),
pull on pants and shorts, sweat pants, etc.

2. No overalls, zippered pants, or belts,
no T-shirts that snap between legs.

3. No dresses. Children cannot see to pull down their underwear.

4. A bag with three pairs of extra clothes, and three diaper covers,
(plastic pants) including socks must be brought to childcare everyday.

5. For inside of the house the child will need to wear a diaper cover,
to avoid accidents on the carpet and furniture
and for health and hygiene reasons.

6. Bring an extra pair of shoes, if possible.

7. Caregiver will not be able to wash out soiled clothes
due to health regulations.

8. Child must wear thick cotton underwear.
No pull-up diapers please, they are too much like diapers.

9. Child will wear a diaper during naptime and bedtime until
the child is completely trained and no longer wets
during naps or bedtime.

10. Child goes potty every 30-45 minutes the first week
and as necessary the second week (a child's bladder can fill
up every 20-30 min.)
Cut back on the juices, and other liquids.

11. Please avoid using diapers for any situation
(like going to store etc., once you start stick to it)

12. You as the parent know your child better than anyone,
so potty training will start at your house the weekend
before the child starts at day care. Most preferably following
the steps mentioned above. Then, let me know if your
little one is ready or not.

13. Continue positive reinforcement at home.

If these requirements are not followed, I will discontinue
the process due to lack of cooperation.

Top 10 Tips for Potty Training Your Child

Dr. Clare Albright, Psychologist, shares her top ten potty training tips.

What parent feels knowledgeable and confident about potty training
their child? Potty training is one of the greatest challenges
that both children and their parents face in the first few years
of a child's life.

1. Dress your child in underwear at about 24-48 months of age
when the child is at home. Today's disposable diapers
provide almost no feedback to the child about when they are wet.
Your child will feel uncomfortable in their 'big kid' pants
when they are wet and may therefore feel motivated to try the potty.

2. Allow your child to run around naked when you are at home.
Having to deal with the urge to eliminate will be much more
noticeable to your child when there is nothing to catch
it in but the potty-chair.

3. Look for signs of potty training readiness in your child.
These signs of readiness may include: telling you when they
are peeing or pooping in their diaper, requesting that you change
a poopy diaper, keeping their diaper dry for hours at a time,
showing enthusiasm for their potty, etc.

4. Begin potty training at an appropriate age.
Potty training becomes less difficult as your child gets older.
Potty training prematurely can make a child feel misunderstood,
alone and rebellious. It is often best to wait until the child
is three years old to focus on potty training.

5. Make potty training fun by giving your child little rewards
for sitting on the potty with no diaper on.
You could use stickers, crackers, small, inexpensive toys, etc.
Using candy could produce sugar cravings and tooth decay.

6. Purchase a couple of potty training videos designed
for toddler viewing. The research shows that the best way
to teach any behavior is to have role models
demonstrating the behavior. (Live models are more effective
than video modeling.)

7. Pour cheerios or crackers into the toilet
for little boys to take 'aim' at.
This challenge taps into a little boy's natural
interest in hitting targets.

8. Consider allowing other trusted adults to help you
to potty train your child. Many pre-schoolers respond
more quickly to input from grandparents, aunts, and trusted
babysitters than they do to input from their parents in the area
of potty training. Some parents report that a grandparent
was able to potty train their child in one weekend away.

9. Purchase several toddler-level books about children
being potty trained. Potty training feels more natural and
less stressful to a child who has been exposed to the process
at "storybook time".

10. Make potty training a top priority on a consistent basis
when you have the emotional and physical energy to do it.
Even if your child shows signs of potty training readiness,
you may not be ready for it as a parent!

Additional Reading: