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Re-Thinking Potty Training
Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford from Child Development
Ah, the holidays. There were parties, presents, too much food, and potty training?
Potty training? I had a friend whose goal over the holiday break was to toilet train her little man.
She's savvy, she's smart (a teacher) and she had everything in place: rewards, make-it-fun, new undies, a plan to stick close to home, a timer, stickers.
You name it, she had thought of it and was jazzed up to begin this new adventure.
She shared her potty training progress via Facebook. I loved the updates.
Day 1: "Looking for tips/ideas/strategies! We are ready to potty train!"
Day 2: "Six pairs of underwear, but finally success! It was worth the six pairs of underwear."
Day 3: "It's not even 10am and I've been peed on multiple times. No success. Will I make it through the day?"
Day 4: All is quiet on Facebook.
She then private messages a few of us who had been cheering her on. She began to question whether this was going to work OR NOT. Her munchkin had a few successes, but they had been home for four days and there seemed to be no magic moment on the horizon that was going to signal her kiddo was officially potty trained and ready to head out of the house in his big boy underwear. She was tired. She was discouraged. She had spent four days at home with the best of intentions only to wonder if they were going to be met with success.
What would YOU do at this moment? As her friend, what do YOU say?
I had to ask the questions, "What was the point in trying to make this happen RIGHT now? Did he have to be potty trained to enter into a new program?"
After finding out that it was just about thinking it "was time, he was old enough," I suggested she come back to it another day.
Not to give up, but back off.
What is your strategy for toilet training? What is working? What is not?
Toilet training can seem like rocket science. Figuring out what works for some kids, IS harder than rocket science.
Then, there are some kids who just get it. Right away.
Like most things in parenting, you have to figure out when and what is the right thing for your child.
For my buddy, backing off took the pressure off her and her kiddo. They got out of the house. They enjoyed the rest holiday break together. The pull-ups came back out, but the underwear stayed out too.
It was time to re-think potty training. Some days are like that.
What are you re-thinking today when it comes to helping your child develop the skills they need to grow?
Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Jeannie Fleming-Gifford is a mama to one little lady, freelance writer, and the director of education for a non-profit community school of the arts. Graduating with a B.A. in Music and a M.A. in Child Development, Jeannie began her career in quality child developme...Read More
