Potty Training...........

[Evansmom]

Potty learning is also about responding to the child..........The potty schedule needs to fit their needs not the providers.....It needs to be convenient for the child.

I agree with this unless you are teaching a group of children then you need to have a policy and schedule and stick to it. Parents can do what they like at home but they are not working with a group.

I think implementing your potty training policy is a good idea. And I think it's reasonable to take a break to potty every 2 hours.

[Angelwings36]

I do NOT take children to the potty at timed intervals because as far as I'm concerned that's training the parent/provider and not the child! I also don't have the time in my day to do this.

My policy on potty training is as follows:

Potty training is a parental responsibility. Potty training is to be started at home for at least two weeks prior to me starting potty training in my home. Although I will assist you at potty training your child, I will not do it for you. The earliest that I will work with a child to potty train him/her is 24 months. Children must be able to verbally or physically indicate that they need to use the potty before I will work with you on potty training. Children will remain in pull-ups until the child goes two weeks accident free. This procedure is for sanitary reasons.

With that being said children are ONLY to wear pull ups when they are potty training at all other times children are to come in diapers.

I don't stray from this policy.

[daycarediva]

If child doesn't go on their own, I do NOT ask them. Part of toilet training is knowing they have to go. If I have to TELL them to go every couple hours/minutes etc, then they are not trained. I am.



I also disagree with this. I am a group child care, meaning I care for more than one child. It can NOT be at the convenience of the child at all times. I have to do what is best for the group as a whole.


If children require this kind of individual attention to their training process then I fully expect the parent to take some time off over a long weekend or over a vacation period and teach their child on their time.

I will NEVER take a child to the restroom at specifically timed intervals. I will NOT undress or redress a child who is training (they should know these skills BEFORE training). I do NOT allow children to be in underwear while at daycare until they have gone a FULL two weeks without an accident. This is for sanitary reasons and sanitary requirements trump all potty training requirements.

Parents who expect their child care providers to do more than 50% of the work need to really take a step back and realize who is the parent and who is the provider.

Parents parent (or teach) their children toilet use.

Providers provide (or supply) the environment that supports these newly taught skills.

LOVE THIS!

I had a parent request that I take her son potty every 20 minutes. I seriously cracked up! It takes 10 minutes in the bathroom, so we would be in the bathroom, with just this one kid, every 10 minutes. Lady, get a clue!

[Blackcat31]

LOVE THIS!

I had a parent request that I take her son potty every 20 minutes. I seriously cracked up! It takes 10 minutes in the bathroom, so we would be in the bathroom, with just this one kid, every 10 minutes. Lady, get a clue!

I hear ya there! I have had some doozy requests before.

Several years back I had a DCM who requested that I take her 19 month old DD into the bathroom every 20 minutes. Shut the door (because she deserves privacy) and read her a book from the pre-approved book list that mom provided for a minimum of 15 minutes and if necessary, squat next to her rub her back and talk soothingly to her so she can be relaxed enough to pee. Oh and if she has to go poo, I was to make subtle grunting noises to show her what I wanted her to do.

Um, yeah....what did she think I was suppose to do with the other 9 kids I had while I was doing "special" with her princess?

......she was ousted from her not too long after that.

[itlw8]

I do not take them every hour but 2 1/2 hours is too long for one just learning. I send them every 1 1/2 hours and send them is what I do... I follow along but I put it in their hands to do what they need to do.

If parents are working at home on it but we do not during the day it really delays the progress. same the other way around.

When a child nears 3 they often need a push. underware with long pants, stay on a tiled floor room if possible like the kitchen and lots of liquids.

Children used to be ready at 20 months and now close to 3. Are todays children stupid? No parents are on the go to much and use pull ups instead of training pants.

[daycaremom76]

Children used to be ready at 20 months and now close to 3. Are todays children stupid? No parents are on the go to much and use pull ups instead of training pants.

I think about this a lot with my 2's & 3's potty wise I think some parents are just lazy and expect the potty fairy (us) to do it for them. When dcg came in diapers today dcm's response was I don't have money for pull-ups this week so we'll just start again when I have money! It's like she doesn't take it seriously, mean you this is the third time we have tried potty training with dcg!!

She went when she woke up from nap time but her pull-up was still wet, next break is at 5pm so we'll see how she hangs in there! But after going 11x's so far today she still can't pull up/down anything she just stands there and whines when I tell her to do either task. I even tried placing her hands on her waist with mine to show her to pull them down/up and she just shakes her hands free. I'll see what her mom says this afternoon.

UGH!

[Oneluckymom]

We are with these toddlers usually 9-10 hours a day. When a child goes home its typically bath, dinner and bed. When would an average working parent have the hours necessary during a typical work day to potty train a child? It needs consistency and several days to accomplish this, so yes I do think it is really the provider who needs to set the routine and training.

Go ahead and flame me but we are with these children more hours than the parent.

[Blackcat31]

Children used to be ready at 20 months and now close to 3. Are todays children stupid? No parents are on the go to much and use pull ups instead of training pants.

Seems funny that the developmental milestones such as using regular cups, toilet training, playing outside without an adult stuck to your side, not being carried to and from places are all achieved at later and later ages, but the academis stuff is being pushed at earlier and earlier ages.... :confused:

Now we have kids going into Kindergarten having only been in underwear for a few short months yet have been writing their names and reciting the alphabet for a couple years before hand.

That gap is what confuses me.

[daycaremom76]

Seems funny that the developmental milestones such as using regular cups, toilet training, playing outside without an adult stuck to your side, not being carried to and from places are all achieved at later and later ages, but the academis stuff is being pushed at earlier and earlier ages.... :confused:

Now we have kids going into Kindergarten having only been in underwear for a few short months yet have been writing their names and reciting the alphabet for a couple years before hand.

That gap is what confuses me.

You hit the nail right on the head..........If I wasn't so stressed out everyday trying to pound ABC's & 123's into these kids heads then I could care less how many times I had to take them to the potty!!!!!! In our area parents demand a pre-k curriculum if I don't do it someone else will and there are little to no parent's that send their kids to daycare for fun anymore! As I said in a PP when I worked outside the home my only demand from daycare was that they came home dirty and had fun! My kids are 10 & 9 and they didn't know how to write their names until they got in Kindergarten and it was fine with me and I paid top dollar for them to play all day!

[cheerfuldom]

I have to disagree with this too! I have 7 kids total and I waited until I took dcg to the bathroom before I responded. DCG does not know how to pull down her own pants, not to mention she is wearing tight jeans so it's that much harder. I gave her a pull-up to put on and she can't pull that down either or pull either up. So I timed it total and it took me 9 minutes from start to finish with her. This is not something that I could do every 30 minutes. Mean while during those 9 minutes the other 6 kids were in a free for all. I asked them to sit at the table while I took her potty but they are 2-3 and their attention spands last 2 minutes while I am out of sight. Not to mention we have a full daily schedule and it isn't fair to the other kids that it is constantly interupted for a potty break. Also taking a child every 30 minutes is only teaching them to pee every 30 minutes and that is only setting them up for failure. What happens when you switch to underpants and go to the store...........30 minutes they are ready to potty again and if you don't take them they have an accident. DCG has gone twice successfully today with telling me however from 6:40am - 11am she has told me about every 10 minutes she had to go............after the 8th time and nothing I stopped taking her when she said she had to go. Once she saw she got a sticker on her chart it became a game, because when I said "no" she freaked out and started screaming and crying so I thought she must really have to go so I took her. Went through the process of taking her stuff off sat her on the potty and a second later she said "All finished can I have a sticker?" This happened 8x (yup I'm a ****er) before I switched back to the set time I do diaper changes.

i dont do rewards but if i did, i would reward for actually pottying....not just trying to potty. thats just me.

[daycaremom76]

i dont do rewards but if i did, i would reward for actually pottying....not just trying to potty. thats just me.

Normally I don't reward either but that is what the parent is doing so I am trying to stick to the same but she only got 2 stickers for the two times she actually went, no way would I have given her one every time cause it was obvious it became a game!

[Country Kids]

We are with these toddlers usually 9-10 hours a day. When a child goes home its typically bath, dinner and bed. When would an average working parent have the hours necessary during a typical work day to potty train a child? It needs consistency and several days to accomplish this, so yes I do think it is really the provider who needs to set the routine and training.

Go ahead and flame me but we are with these children more hours than the parent.

This is me-children here 9-10 hours a day! They are only up 30 min before coming here and maybe 3 hours in the evening. They may only go once before going to bed. I figure they will go for me much faster then if they are only being able to work on it in the evenings. I ususally have them trained in about a week-2 weeks because we are so consistent here.

[daycare]

I have not read all of the responses, but I would change your policy to say:

I will assists you in PT your child when we both agree that they have reached all signs of readiness. ( I don't feel that age is an indication of when a child is ready to start potty training)

I have had my fair share of PT issues with families and have dealt with the same families that are all about keeping up with the Jones'.....

I would tell DCM some kids stay in the play stages longer than others. You can not compare your child to others. thats like comparing apples to oranges.

I would also tell DCM that if she pushes the issue before the child is ready that it will backfire and end up taking longer than need be.

Can DCG pull her own pants up and down without assistance?? If not, I would start there and teach DCG the potty process.

Take down pants
sit on the toilet
wipe
flush
pull up pants
wash hands
dry hands
turn off the light

I make all of my dck do this before I will start to PT them. I only take the NON-PT kids that are still in diapers when they either had an accident or during scheduled toilet brakes. I walk them through the process every time when we go in. I have the others sit and watch each one of the kids do it and then we get through the line faster.

Also, I would suggest maybe telling mom to do underwear first then pull up after so that you can secure the accidents should she have one.

I do this so that the parents can see that their little one is having a million accidents a day and is not ready yet. I send all dirty clothes home, so the parents get to wash it................ after a few days of this, they get over it and realize that their child is not ready

[daycaremom76]

No she cannot pull her own pants up or down and that was one of my complaints. After DCM read the letter and sat down and thought about it she saw my concerns. She was also here when I had dcb that peed on my carpets so much they had to be replaced so she understands the reason I want to use pull-ups first. DCG did pretty good the rest of the day. Only one accident in the afternoon so we'll see what the rest of the week brings!

[Holiday Park]

wow...before a year!That's awesome.

I wanted to clarify something. My son was not potty trained,and still is not. However it is still what it is. Taking him to the potty at regular times, as well as when he asks to be taken.
Maybe I shouldn't have used him as an example,but i figured it probably applies to all kids in regards to some needing to feel comfortable in the new environment. What he has done and from early infancy is called Elimination Communication,and often times (if the communication part is done right) as a result/side effect the child can end up becoming potty training in the end. He wears cloth diapers at all times, but at night where it's night time disposables.
E.C. is not "training the parent" because the child really IS learning. When my son starts walking, or gets closer to 18 months, OR can begin holding it for longer periods (haven't decided) , I will begin formal Potty training,and stick him straight in undies. I only care for 1 FT infant,and 1 PT toddler,so I am in a better position to take my son every hour ,if needed. I do understand in a regular daycare setting, with more children than what I have,each day it would be too hard to do what I do with my son. I was blessed that other provider was willing & enthusiastic to even take him potty,instead of flat out telling me no.

Potty learning is also about responding to the child..........The potty schedule needs to fit their needs not the providers.....It needs to be convenient for the child.

This is how I feel too.

I do NOT take children to the potty at timed intervals because as far as I'm concerned that's training the parent/provider and not the child! I also don't have the time in my day to do this.

I have to disagree. I have seen the learning process of several different toddlers, when doing very early potty training,or E.C. and the success,when done that way. But we can agree to disagree :-)

We are with these toddlers usually 9-10 hours a day. When a child goes home its typically bath, dinner and bed. When would an average working parent have the hours necessary during a typical work day to potty train a child? It needs consistency and several days to accomplish this, so yes I do think it is really the provider who needs to set the routine and training.

Go ahead and flame me but we are with these children more hours than the parent.

This is why I feel I personally should be more involved. However, I will not waste my time starting the training on a PT client,or client who doesn't trust my abilities or their child's abilities. Once I had a 2.5 yr old fully potty trained in undies (no accidents) for 10 months before mom&dad decided to stop letting him wear diapers at home. I didn't care what they did at home,because he was here FT,it didn't affect him here. That's why I said only FT kids will I put the extra effort into it. Oh and he was in undies by week two ,after I started him.

Seems funny that the developmental milestones such as using regular cups, toilet training, playing outside without an adult stuck to your side, not being carried to and from places are all achieved at later and later ages, but the academis stuff is being pushed at earlier and earlier ages.... :confused:

Now we have kids going into Kindergarten having only been in underwear for a few short months yet have been writing their names and reciting the alphabet for a couple years before hand.

That gap is what confuses me.

I think it is because despite how much kids are proving they can learn at an earlier age, parents and even some 'experts" , can't seem to see how smart kids really are ! It's also like some one saying a child shouldn't breast feed past the age of 1, but they can be in diapers/**** a paci/bottle until 3 .

This is me-children here 9-10 hours a day! They are only up 30 min before coming here and maybe 3 hours in the evening. They may only go once before going to bed. I figure they will go for me much faster then if they are only being able to work on it in the evenings. I usually have them trained in about a week-2 weeks because we are so consistent here.

Yes, I agree. Why not get it over with sooner,and out of the way for every one. But I do understand that everyone has different beliefs on WHAT potty training even means, and so it just boils down to what is your belief and policy,and if that is a good fit for the client or not.