Do you MAKE your dcks go potty at certain times?

[Josiegirl]

I've always made my trained kids use the potty before naps and before going outside. Well I have a 4 yo who throws absolute fits when made to do anything and to be honest I just don't have the time nor patience to deal with it all the time. And I have 1 3 yo who I swear is part camel. So the only time I really enforce using the potty now is right before nap, especially if I know the 4 yo has gone kinda recently.

I always ask them, each one by name, if they have to go to the bathroom, before we get ready for outside play. Yesterday, all 6 kids and I **finally** get outside, not 5 minutes later the 4 yo starts screaming I have to go pee NOW!!!! Five minutes ago she didn't???
It's a production to get outdoors once. So I'm not happy. I get everybody back in asap. She goes and does her thing. Then we get back outside. Again not 5 minutes later another dcg says "I'm really sorry, but I have to go poop". Okay, she's forgiven because she goes when I remind her and never gives me a problem whatsoever, a real sweetheart. On our way in again her mom greets us at the front door and dcg is leaving. I tell dcm that her dd said she had to go poop. Now dcg says she can wait.

I will go back to 'making' 4 yo dcg try before we go outside, she will throw a major fit being told what to do and we will all listen to her theatrics. Oh to have another adult here so she could miss her outdoor time just once due to her behavior.

Now that I've vented, how do you handle it?

Oh and when dcm came to pick up and asked her if she had an accident, dcg says I couldn't get her back into the house fast enough so it wasn't her fault. So I had to speak up and say maybe next time when I ask you to go before we go outside, you will. I know, petty of me but man, she knows how to push my buttons.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

yes, when M finishes breakfast he goes in and must sit down to poop As they get down from any meal I send them in to potty (after lunch is before nap). Before we go outside they all potty. Other wise it is as they need to potty.

[Josiegirl]

How do you get those extremely strong-willed children to comply?? I'm so exhausted dealing with just this one child that I stopped battling with her over certain things.
Yeh, *sigh* from now I'll just calmly turn her around and walk her into the bathroom, no matter how many times it takes, or how loud she screams.

I swear her and her7 yo brother are here just to make me go crazy. They are so alike it's scary.

[Rockgirl]

"When everyone has pottied, we will go outside." Of course that only works if they care about going outside. I just don't make it a choice--I send/take everyone. The fits would get dcg in the crying area--just like any other time. I wouldn't make it a power struggle.

[laundrymom]

I supervise all of mine in potty. If someone tells me they have to go, I finish what I'm doing and then send the sex that asked. Then the other sex. We go as a group. Each time someone needs to go. It's easier for me to potty a group of boys, then a group of girls, at one time so we can not have to for an hour or so. It's not optional here. All potty learned kids go at the same time. It keeps me from worrying who has gone, who hasn't etc.
Also, if a diaper one poops/is visibly wet, I check them all at that time. It gets them into the routine as babies of potty routines being shared w the group. If my group was smaller I would probably do it differently. But I have ten full time.

[Gemma]

yes, when M finishes breakfast he goes in and must sit down to poop As they get down from any meal I send them in to potty (after lunch is before nap). Before we go outside they all potty. Other wise it is as they need to potty.

This is what I usually do too!

[Meyou]

They all have to line up and try to go at certain points in the day. We have all day to wait until that happens. If one child refuses everyone else would get to do something super fun while we wait for them to stop refusing.

I also think it's reasonable to ask a 4 year old to hold it for a little bit if they are fully potty trained, have been asked to try and go within the last few minutes and it's a huge burden to drag everyone inside after 5 minutes based on her whim.

[CraftyMom]

Yes, I have them all go at certain times. I tell them by name that it's their turn. If they tell me they don't have to they still have to try, 90% of the time they actually have to go.

I have one dcb that half way through nap every day starts yelling my name and tells me he has to poop. The bathroom is 5 feet away from him. I tell him if he has to go then go, no reason to yell for me and wake everyone up, I will come help him wipe. I have started instructing him to go poop before nap. Sometimes it's a stall tactic for him because he hates nap time and just wants an excuse to get up, sometimes he actually has to go. Usually I have them all go potty before nap and he does, but just pee. Now I tell him "go poop before you lay down" The last 2 days he did He is also my dck that is like your 4 year old. Will say he doesn't have to go before we go outside only to "need to go right now" once we get out there. I have found that most of the time he doesn't actually have to go...he doesn't like going outside so needing to go potty gets him back in the house. That doesn't work with me anymore. Go before we go outside (or try).

[Controlled Chaos]

Everyone goes here at 930am (before we go outside), 1130 (before we go upstairs so I can make lunch) and again at 1pm (before nap), then 3pm (after nap). I tell them J is up to bat, L is on deck and S is in the hole. They know the drill. There are no options. I had a 2yo scream every single time for 3 days when he started, now he goes happily. I used to give the 4s and 5s more freedom but them having to go when we were outside changed my mind. It doesn't hurt anyone to try.

[Crazy8]

I make them go before we go outside and before and after nap. I only have 2 who are potty trained and they don't give me a hard time. If I asked them if they had to go they would probably say no, but I just tell them its time to go and they don't give me a hard time. Never had anyone who would refuse to even try.

[Unregistered]

They all have to line up and try to go at certain points in the day. We have all day to wait until that happens. If one child refuses everyone else would get to do something super fun while we wait for them to stop refusing.

I also think it's reasonable to ask a 4 year old to hold it for a little bit if they are fully potty trained, have been asked to try and go within the last few minutes and it's a huge burden to drag everyone inside after 5 minutes based on her whim.

I ask the children before we go outside. If they don't go they have to wait. Just like if we took a walk away from the daycare.

[AmyKidsCo]

I can't make them go, but they all have to sit on the potty after breakfast, before going outside, after lunch, and after nap. If they have to go while we're outside they have to wait.

[Baby Beluga]

They all have to sit and at least try; my rule is sit and count to 20. If nothing comes out by 20 that is okay but at least you tried.

[Blackcat31]

I can't make them go, but they all have to sit on the potty after breakfast, before going outside, after lunch, and after nap. If they have to go while we're outside they have to wait.

This ^^ ...and a few other transition times through out the day I have the kids take a potty break.

I don't MAKE any of them go or pause until they do.

If they go, they go and if they don't, they don't.

[CraftyMom]

I can't make them go, but they all have to sit on the potty after breakfast, before going outside, after lunch, and after nap. If they have to go while we're outside they have to wait.

I think I meant this ^. I can't make them go, but they have to try