[blparent] Please help, potty training

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

You will probably receive a lot of repeat info, so sorry, grin, but
here' my suggestions.

When we were potty training Penny, there were a few things we did
religiously. She started around 15 months. Before and after naps, we sat
on the potty along with after meals. No matter how annoying or
inconvenient it was, we did this every day. We asked throughout the day
if she needed to potty. We did not use physical items as rewards like
candy or toys, but we did a lot of praising. We also bought a potty
chair that looked like a pink princess throne, and when she went into
it, it played whimsical music. As she's always been into very girly
things like princesses, she loved this, smile. If she made a mess in the
bathroom she was allowed to help clean up because she loved to help. By
the time she was two-and-a-half, she was fully potty trained. Actually,
it was last Mother's Day, grin.

Also, kids learn this in their own time. If a child isn't picking it up,
or like Penny will go through phrases, it's not because there's a
problem or the child is behaving badly; it's because the child isn't
quite ready. Potty training is one thing that can't be forced. The
psychology of a child is vastly different than that of an adult or older
child, but more importantly, potty training is a very physical response.
Their bodies are learning to respond to something in a completely
different way. If they are not picking it up or doing it quickly, it
means their body and mind are not ready.

This doesn't mean you put aside the training, but just understand that
it may be a process, but there's nothing wrong with this.

My nephew, Caiden, literally taught himself. Around 15 months, he just
started using a potty. My sister hadn't really started any training or
discussing it, but he upped and walked into the bathroom one day and
used the potty. He never really went in his pants again. I have another
nephew, Asher,  who is three, and he's still learning the process. Penny
took a year, but she just decided one day that going the bathroom in her
pants wasn't the thing for her. I have an eight-month-old who can't
stand a wet diaper. Even if it's just a little squirt of pee, he will
literally scream at you until you change him. We have been told this
will be helpful when potty training. We shall see, grin.

Good luck.

Bridgit
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:23:42 -0500
From: Joanna West <joanna.west41 at gmail.com>
To: "blparent at nfbnet.org" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blparent] Help please... Potty training.
Message-ID: <5393620B-014A-4BE3-BF74-8796180082BF at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=us-ascii

Hi,

my husband and I have two daughters. The older one is almost 22 months,
and the younger one is almost 3 months. The 22-month-old is learning how
to use the potty. I know this topic has probably been talked about
before but we would appreciate all suggestions.

Thanks so much.