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The See Shell Baby Carrier is an infant carrier only, NOT A CAR SEAT. |
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10% DISCOUNT
ON ALL "SNUGGLE
QUILTS" ORDERED FROM NOW UNTIL December 31, 2008!!! "SNUGGLE
QUILTS" MAKE WONDERFUL BABY SHOWER GIFTS!!! |
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The Inspiration for the See Shell Baby Carrier Introducing a NEW section on
Baby See Shell!
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Potty Training Advice
There are many schools of thought when it comes to potty training advice. But honestly there are some basic rules that need to be tailored to each individual child. You need to look at the child, at the situation and then come up with what will work for both of you. My Experiences What qualifies me to write this article is that I have 5 children, 4 of whom have been successfully potty trained. Right now, I’m in the midst of training my 22 month old. I took the basic rules and bent them to each child. The 4 that are trained all trained at different ages. Each child had their own time table. Two trained at 2 ½ years and 1 trained at 3 years and the other at 3 ½ years. Of my children, the child that trained at 3 ½ years had a baby sister before she was two. I believe she wanted to still be the “baby” and therefore potty training took a back seat to what was important to her. She basically trained with her baby sister, and in the end it worked out. The Basics AGE The age at which you begin to potty train a child depends on the child’s development and readiness. This can range from 12 months to up to 3 years. Look for cues or little signals they give when they are ready to be trained. They can hold their bladders longer – they give outward signs of needing to “go potty”, such as holding themselves. They may wake up with a dry diaper. Starting a child at 12 months is doable if the child is ready. Normally, however, 18 to 24 months is more realistic as a starting point for most children to being their journey in the land of “Potty Time”. EQUIPMENT Obviously the potty chair is the main piece of equipment when potty training. I like simple ones that are easy to clean. If you are training a boy make sure you have a nice splash guard because he will have to sit down. For later – either have a potty chair that converts onto the big toilet or a stool for ease of transition. For the first attempt have the potty chair in the bathroom. It’s very good for a child to watch an adult or older sibling correctly use the main toilet so they can get the idea of what’s expected of them. Set the child on the potty chair fully clothed at first. Give them time to be comfortable with it. If they try to get up right away – put the chair away for a bit and bring them back to it. When they are truly ready – they will want to stay on the chair with interest. Then you can convert them over to pulling their pants down to sit. If your child shows resistance, don’t force the issue. If they are not ready, you can’t expect them to do something that they simply will not do. The closer to the age of 3 they are – the more aggressive you should become with their training. Aggressive meaning you should stick with them with persistence until they learn how. Potty Training Tips Always train them with patience. When the child is ready they will make honest attempts to sit on the potty long enough to do their job. Start out sitting them down with a timer, until they finally urinate. Take them with you each time you are in the bathroom. Let them know that’s what it’s for. Encourage them to go “pee-pee” in the potty, praise them for their efforts and reward them for their accomplishments. Offer a reward for a job well done. Acquire an item that they really want, a toy or piece of clothing. Let them see the item and tell them they can have it if they do their business in the potty. When they do – reward them with the item, telling them if they slip and wet in their pants you will take it back. Sometimes the best reward can be a nice package of “big kids” underwear. Make them want to earn the right to wear them. When you get serious to have your child trained, you will want to put “real” cloth underwear on them. As long as they wear disposable pants, they will be more relaxed about wetting them. If you’re worried about wetting their clothing or furniture, purchase some plastic pants to wear over the cloth. This will help them to feel the wetness when they do wet their pants and will help them to realize if they use the potty they will stay dry. Remember to train with plenty of love and patience. Encourage and reward your child when they accomplish the job. Even if it takes a couple of years, all children are different. They will learn through your encouragement and persistence.
Contributed by Lori Ramsey of Stages in Pregnancy. |
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