A little planning can go a long way
You have decided that your child is ready to be potty trained but you are also worried as your child attends crèche and while you can help him at home will the crèche staff help him? The answer is yes crèche staff are well experienced in potty training and if they too think your child is ready to be potty trained they will support you. Here are a few tips on the whole process and hopefully it makes the potty training experience an easy one.
- Talk to the crèche staff- As long as they agree that your child is ready to be potty trained you will find that you have a great ally in your child’s minders. Have a chat about a start date and make sure you are both fully on board as there is no point in your child being trained at home but not at crèche as this will only lead to confusion.
- Prepare your child- Talk to your child about potty training and encourage him to want to use pants like big boys do, for a while you could let him use pull ups if they save on the accidents. Explain that he will be rewarded for his efforts and send him to crèche with the same reward system as home, like stickers or a reward chart. Remind him that he needs to tell his minder when he needs to use the loo and that he should do so in plenty of time.
- Send him to crèche with all that he needs- Extra clothes are going to be needed, so send him with three of everything at least. Trousers, vests, pants, and socks are all needed for those accidents that will inevitably happen.
- Encourage him- Both you and the crèche staff will have to encourage him to ensure he feels special for using the loo like a big person! A few kind words and a very big cuddle after his day at crèche and succeeding in potty training is a sure fire way for your child to want to continue at potty training.
- Communicate with your child’s minder- If you are finding that your child is succeeding at home with potty training but is wetting himself regularly at crèche you need to ask why? Is it because they are forgetting to ask him about using the toilet? It is normal for a child to be more distracted at home than at crèche with all his friends and toys around. Either way you both need to figure it out and likewise if your child is doing great in crèche at potty training but not at home you should ask your child’s minder what their trick is!
- Call it quits if the time isn’t right- If your child is struggling after two weeks at home and at crèche maybe accept that he isn’t ready to be toilet trained and take a break. You can return to potty training in a month or so and that is better than regularly having to berate a kiddie for having accidents.
Don’t worry you will get there, good luck.
Written by Emma, staff writer with www.familyfriendlyhq.ie and Irish mummy blogger. Check out her own blog at emmasmadjotters.com
