What Are Your Policies On Potty Training?

[badams]

I was reading another thread about what to do with soiled underpants in a daycare center/home daycare and now am adding a potty training section to my handbook (forgot to at first!).

What are some of your policies when it comes to potty training. I thought Nannyde had a great policy about being very strict with wearing protection until the child is ready to move to the next stage.

[Blackcat31]

"Potty training is a parental responsibilty. I will assist, support and cheer but will NOT do it for you."

Pull-ups or plastic pants until accident free for a FULL 30 days.

[badams]

I had to look up plastic pants. I had no idea that they existed until your post.

[Blackcat31]

I had to look up plastic pants. I had no idea that they existed until your post.

Yeah, I prefer them to pull-ups. To me, pull-ups are simply diapers that slip on and off. Doesn't help a child feel the experience and too many people forget that toilet training is a sensory experience too.

[Cat Herder]

Potty Training is a parental responsibility. I will assist by taking child to the potty everytime he/she asks verbally.

Child must be accident free for two weeks, in my care, before being allowed to wear cloth undergarments in my home.

I do wash clothing and bathe kids....BUT each accident costs them two weeks back in disposables.

They RARELY go back, here, unless a new baby comes along or other life changing event happens..

I give this out with enrollment papers (I typed it up in ms word):

A child is usually ready for toilet training when he/she can do most of the following:
1. Sit for short periods
2. Follow simple directions and complete simple tasks
3. Understands the meaning of toilet training words
4. Stay dry for at least 2 hours at a time
5. Stay dry during naps
6. Walk to and from the restroom
7. Pull his /her pants up and down
8. Verbally express the need to go
9. Have regularly scheduled bowel movements
10. Show facial expressions, position themselves, or make sounds before urinating or having a bowel movement
11. Control muscles used in the elimination and voiding process
12. Expresses an interest in regular underwear
13. Shows interest in the toilet or potty chair

Techniques for successful toilet training include:
1. Staying calm and maintaining a sense of humor
2. Explaining and showing children exactly what to do
3. Teaching appropriate words for body parts, urine, and bowel movements
4. Recognizing when children are ready to eliminate or void
5. Teaching children the connection between the feeling and having to go
6. Using a potty chair or potty attachment if child sized toilets are unavailable
7. Reading books about toilet training
8. Using easily removed clothing; no zippers, snaps, buttons or belts
9. Helping children on and off the potty
10. Teaching correct wiping, flushing, dressing and hand washing practices
11. Recognize that accidents often occur immediately after leaving the potty; try not to show disappointment, and never show anger or punish accidents
12. Understand that children may regress to needing diapers again during times of stress. Examples include the birth of a new sibling, major move, parent retuning to work, family illness/death or divorce.

[AnneCordelia]

My handbook lists this policy:

"I am more than happy to help with potty training provided that it is not done before I feel the child is ready. The child must be able to independently communicate the need to use the restroom, be able to pull on and off their own pants/underwear, and be able to stay dry for at least an hour. Parents are asked to initiate the training at home (on vacation or long weekend) before starting it at daycare. Once training is initiated, parents are to supply pull-ups until the child has been accident-free at daycare for two weeks, and then underwear may be worn here."

[AnneCordelia]

I'm not such a fan of plastic pants unless they snap at the sides. I cloth diaper my own children and use trainers that snap at the sides. This way, if they poop their pants, you aren't dragging poop all down the leg while trying to get off undies/pants. I encourage my parents to buy the same but so far all have gone the pull-up route.

[Ariana]

In a nutshell my policy states that children are ready between the ages of 2.5-3 yrs. Wait for a lengthy time that the parents will be home before starting as the bulk of training has to take place at home (like a week vacation). I continue what the parent started at daycare.

[momma2girls]

This is what my contract says- I will assist with potty training, this needs to be started at home and child making good progress and totally understand the concept of it, before I will assist with it here. Pullups are required at all times until totally potty trained(this means goies on their own without assistance and reminders from myself and be accident free for quite some time).

[Unregistered]

My potty-training rules:

Child must show signs of readiness
Parents must start the process
Parents have to provide underwear with plastic cover for sanitation reasons
We do not use diapers or pullups during the pt process because they aren't as effective
Parents had to give me 3 extra changes of clothes
Parents would have to agree for me to bag up any soiled clothing and they would wash in their own home on their time.

[Rachel]

I guess I am not as strict than you all. I don't expect kids to be accident free for 2 weeks, and I would never put a kid back in diapers for one accident (heck ds who is almost 4 and has been trained since 2.5 had an accident at pre-k last week).

I expect the parents to start at home. I expect there to be more peeing in the potty than on my floor, and if no progress is being made after a few days, I suggest waiting a month and trying again. Usually if they start at the weekend the first day they have 2 accidents max, the second onward maybe 1, and then they are pretty much accident free after a few days.

[Meeko]

My handbook lists this policy:

"I am more than happy to help with potty training provided that it is not done before I feel the child is ready. The child must be able to independently communicate the need to use the restroom, be able to pull on and off their own pants/underwear, and be able to stay dry for at least an hour. Parents are asked to initiate the training at home (on vacation or long weekend) before starting it at daycare. Once training is initiated, parents are to supply pull-ups until the child has been accident-free at daycare for two weeks, and then underwear may be worn here."

My policy is almost exactly the same as this.

I make parents know that any accidents MUST be contained for the health of the other children and the cleanliness of my floors.

So Spiderman undies are not an option for a long time!!!! Pull ups or thick, layered training pants with plastic pants over them are mandatory.

[MrsB]

my toilet training

All my own kids were potty trained before age 2.5, 2 of them before age 2. I used the 3day naked/underwear method. In those three days they werent completely potty trained but they learned in three days how to hold it at least. Then you get to learn the look on their face and the hopping from one foot to the other to know that they need to go eventhough they haven't communicated it to you.Pull ups are great for naptimes and car rides or going to the store because they can still take them up and down but never for actual potty training. If my DC parents want me to start I have them use the padded training undies and plastic pants. At daycare we use the potty before and after meal times and then I set the "potty timer" (the stove timer) for every 45mins-1hr and we all go when the timer goes off. I have worked on potty training with well over 50 kids and have never had a time when pullups were successful. Pull ups are great for naptimes and car rides or going to the store because they can still take them up and down but never for actual potty training. Every child has a potty chart and they get a sticker when they potty in the toilet and 2 stickers when they poo-poo. When they fill up the chart (About 16 spots) They get to pick amongst a few items that go with the next snack or meal time (So they get to choose whether the group with have bananas, peaches, or grapes with lunch) They also get to help me with that meal. Generally speaking, within a week or two of starting or so all of them are completely dry during awake hours. usually about week 3 or 4 they will start spontaneously telling me when they need to go. I always tell my daycare parents that potty training is one of those things that the result is based on how much effort and positive attitude you put into it and pretty much nothing to do with the kids "ability". I have noticed over the years that kids are getting older and older when they become potty trained and that parents have a real difficult time telling their kids its time to go sit on the toilet. Rather they ask them if they have to go. Dont they get that at first you are asking the child would you rather sit and play here with your toys or go sit on some big,hard, cold thing that makes you feel really weird and like your going to fall. And then they wonder why they get the response "No". For along time I told the parents that they needed to do it at home first. Now I say " Ultimately it is parents responsibility to do the potty training at home. I do have ALOT of experience though so I am more than happy to help. This is what I do at daycare and works best for daycare, you are more than welcome to follow up at home how you wish." All the kids that I have over the age of 2 are potty trained here at daycare! The ones that have parents that are good at following through, are potty trained at home too. The ones that aren't so good at follow through, not potty trained at home. Of course Monday is a retraining day for most everything for these kids! But I would rather have an accident or two on Monday and be dry the rest of the week then be changing diapers all week. Of course, it always feels good, when those parents that "struggle" at home say "she is really having a hard time with potty training at home, how is she here at daycare?" and I get to say "She is completly dry and hasn't had an accident in a month!"