The Art of Toilet Training & A Giveaway
Toilet training. That word alone really didn’t mean much to me in the early stages of parenting until the time came not to many months ago to start toilet training J.D. If I knew what I knew now that word would of struck terror into my heart. I’d been gleaning information and advice from other Mum’s leading up to the big day and I thought I could handle what was ahead of me. Boy was I wrong. The first day alone I had number 1 and number 2’s on all floor coverings – tiles, carpet, rugs and even outside on the deck and concrete. I totally did not have this in the bag. There is no such thing as toilet training in 3 days. It’s all a lie I tell you!! I thought I would write a bit of post about my toilet training experiences thus far and hopefully I can give you a few tips tips that will get you through the first icky stage. I am by no means an expert but this is what I have learned so far:
Create Interest and Conversation:
Get your child interested in the toilet and all things toilet related. If they are watching you on the toilet explain to them this is where we go to the toilet. Keep the conversation running about this throughout the day especially when you are changing nappies etc. and explain to them they can do these things in the toilet/potty whatever you are going to use.
Set the Time: When the time comes to start training set the timer and sit them on the potty regularly throughout the day. This will help them get into the swing of going to the toilet regularly and getting use to sitting on the potty.
Invest in a Good Potty:
I had a cheap potty to start off with and it didn't make the whole process easy or fun for J.D. He would wiggle and squirm on it and in the end out rightly refused to sit on it. I recommend buying a potty with a removable bowl that can be taken to dispose of it's contents easily. I got one with a padded foam seat and this improved our toilet training a lot. You can try getting a toilet training seat for the toilet but I found this to be very intimidating at first for them. Keep it simple to start off with and progress to the toilet at a later date.
Bribes, Bribes, Bribes:
Get all the bribes you can. Chocolates, toys, sticker charts whatever works for you. I started with a sticker chart with J.D. to reward him for doing anything in the potty. After he got bored of that we continued doing stickers along with rewards of smarties every 3-4 times he went. It then went to every time he did anything just to get him to sit on the potty. When that stopped working effectively we went out and bought a very special toy set (of his choosing within the budget we set) and placed it in a spot for him to look at. This was incentive to use the toilet and not do it in his pants. He got a piece of the toy set every time he went to the potty. If he did it in his pants it got put back in the box until he went in the potty again. This may sound mean but we were up to the point where he was defiantly not going to the toilet and deliberately doing it in his pants (we are talking number2’s here). This put back the fun and excitement in wanting to do a number 2 in the potty. It really helped focus him back on the task again. I have talked to other mum's where no incentive would entice there child to sit of the potty. If that is the case take their lead and leave it for a month or so and try again later. Forcing them won't help the situation.
Buy some Training Pants:
Get them into training pants during the day to help catch the accidents but also give them a realisation of the feeling of when they have done a wee etc. Toilet training is really all about making the child start thinking about their bodily functions and asserting control over these feelings and doing something constructive about it. Such as going to the potty and not just doing it in their pants/nappy. I am reviewing the new Baby Love Training Pants below so keep reading for more information.
Hawk Eye:
Watch them throughout the day and get a rough idea of the timing of their bowel movements. Gross I know but this will help you in the long run with “catching” (getting them to sit on the toilet) before they do it in their pants. Trust me on this one but this is how I saved cleaning many a pair of pants out.
Patience is King:
One mum told me the whole process is going to take a lot of patience and she was right. Try and keep your cool during this training process. Trust me I certainly had my days of growling a little over another mess on the floor. Getting angry doesn’t help the process and only makes the toddler feel ashamed and upset over what they have done. Lots of encouragement and praise is necessary at all times. So slap a smile on your face and put your gloves on and be prepared to wipe a few messes up off the floor. The next point will help you keep going.
Buy all the Chocolate & Wine:
Yeah you are going to need it because toilet training is tough work. Using the tips above will definitely help but be prepared for some days that it may feel like that this kid will never get the idea that all manners of toileting should get done in the potty not in the pants or floor. After cleaning out pants three times a day, three days in a row chocolate and wine at the end of the days will sound like a pretty good idea.
For more toilet training tips pop over to the
.
I was given a couple of packets of the new
to review from Baby Love. I reviewed the
a little while back and was glad to be able to give these training pants a trial now that we are in the throes of toilet training. J.D didn’t blink an eye lid putting them on as they are so similar to a nappy. He thought the new Charlie & Lola design was interesting and was happily pointing out the characters on the front along with the insects in the design of the pants. These would have been really helpful in the early stages of training J.D and I actually never thought to look into purchasing training pants at the time. Lesson learned. It would have saved a few stressful moments such as being at the local library and having to deal with urine soaked pants and squishy number 2 in his undies. Yuck. I was trying to be strong and use undies when he probably wasn’t ready for that stage yet. A nappy might have been an idea but I think the training pants are a great idea because they are the next level between a nappy and undies.
The top of the pants are elasticized allowing for easy use in pulling up and down. The thickness of the pants themselves is thinner in make to a nappy and has a feel wet liner, which allows your child to momentarily feel the moisture before it is soaked up. This helps your child understand the difference between wet and dry and also help them realise when they have done a wee etc. This first recognition of the wet from dry is key in getting your child to understand what it means to feel like they do to go. This is really important in the early stages of toilet training. The little insects and heart design on the groin of the pants is actually a wetness indicator and will fade if an accident has occurred. J.D is now very nearly toilet trained during the day but I still use these training pants on occasions when we are going out and it might be difficult to find a toilet or during day time sleeps as we are not to the stage of sleep toilet training yet. These training pants are recommended to be used for daytime use only. I think an investment in a packet of these training pants in the early stages of toilet training would be beneficial and using them alongside the other methods described above to help your child in their toilet training journey. I wish you all the best in your toilet training adventures.
I have been graciously given a Charlie & Lola Prize Pack to giveaway valued at more than $100. It includes a packet of the new Charlie & Lola Training Pants, Charlie & Lola Quilt Set, “My Best Dressed” Lola beanie doll, Charlie & Lola wooden dominoes set and Mini Book Set.
To enter simply enter below. Please note this is for Australian Residents Only. Entries close 31st May 2015.
{Disclosure: I was given a sample of the Training Pants to review. I was not paid to write this post and all opinions are my own}
