Potty Training While Traveling

Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I find myself to be an optimistic person- the glass is usually half-full type of gal. Until recently when my family and I had taken a family vacation: A 10 hour car ride with three children 6 and under traveling through 4 different states to visit various attractions and family members. Yes- the thought of that type of traveling may make you sick to your stomach and leave a sour taste in your mouth for the next week. And I do understand that from the outside looking in I may need a straight jacket with a rubber round room to accompany my mom sized-ego. Would you believe me if I told you that keeping the kids occupied during the ride was the least of my worries? Hello to portable DVD players and sticker books and "Uh- come on now" to potty training!

If there is one aspect about my personality (or flaw as my husband will vouch for) is that I am stubborn. I understand that my little man is not 100% (what I would consider-to-be) potty trained. He is very skilled at peeing on command but lacks in telling me when he has the urge to go on his own. So, unless I am on top of his business he will have an accident. Rest assured he does tell me AFTER the fact that he needs to go when he is soaked in urine. We simply need to fine-tune his timing! Long story short- I refused to put him in diapers for the road trip!

By now you may be wiping the sweat off of your brow and begin to mutter the words- what did you do to prevent accidents while in the car???

Here are three tips from the trenches that I can share with you:

1. {And the most important} limit liquids. We took breaks every two hours from driving and stretched our legs and bladders for a half an hour or so at a time. About twenty minutes before we were going to make a stop I allowed my toddler a non-sugary drink (aka water). Can't get your little one to drink water? I suggest extremely watering down the juice (sugary drinks such as juice can loosen bowels if taken in high amounts). Limit this source of liquid to no more than 6 ounces.

2. Too scared about the no diaper thing when you know no potty is in sight? Remember that changing pad you used to use? Tuck that under your little one to protect the car seat while on the road.

3. At your rest stop take your youngster straight to the bathroom- first thing. Hang out for twenty minutes or so and have them go again to help empty his bladder. I refrained from any major liquids during the rest stops knowing that we would be back on the road again for two hours before we were able to stop again.

There you have it. 10 hours from point A to point B (well, 12 hours with scheduled stops). And another on the way back and only one accident due to an upset belly from eating like a vactioner.

Have you traveled with your not-so-potty trained toddler? What worked for you?

Adventures in Potty Training- Keeping them in one place!

It has been a while since my last update on my little man's potty training progress. How has it been going? So far- great! He is truly understanding that he needs to eliminate his waste products (okay, let's be real here, were adults- poop and pee) into the potty. Is he perfect? No- we are still using diapers for extended outings and sleep time. {There are times, I must secretly admit, that I wish I could do that for myself.} For the most part he is moving in the right direction- we just need to ditch the diapers!

One of the hardest parts of potty training that I have gathered thus far from talking with my girlfriends and family, is getting their child to stay put long enough for them to go- especially poop. I find keeping them entertained while in the sitting position is the key to their success (and yours).

If you were to walk into my bathroom on any given day, you would stop and admire my small children library that rests in a bin next to the toilet. Aside for giving me something to do while I do my duty, it also serves a purpose. Filled with fun stories and interactive experiences, my bathroom library is a great way to keep your young one on the pot for a minute or two. I am also not above bringing toys into the bathroom to aid in the situation- especially if you have a mover and a shaker like mine!

"WAIT! I read and read and read until my little ones heart is content and he does NOTHING!" I cannot even begin to tell you how many times that happened to me with this child. My best advice? Learn about your child's potty behavior. For instance, my little man is actually embarrassed to have a BM in front of me. It really eased the situation when I backed off and let him read to himself being and ear-shot away. Also make notes on the times of day you can expect your child's poops debut- he can't go if he's not ready to!

Remember- every child is different. What works for me may or may not work for you and your child. Learning about your child's personality and tendencies is the most important card to play with in the game of potty training- you will always come out a winner if you stay on top of the game!

The Potty Training Resource Center: A Parent's Toolbox

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...... but I am going to need help getting there- Okay?????"

Type the words "potty training" into any search engine and your results can be endless. What sites are the most supportive and the most helpful? I have spent the last 5 years surfing the web to find answers to all my potty training needs and have concluded it with the list below. Need support? Have a question(s) for an expert? Or are you just looking for resources to aid you (and your little trainee) with your potty training efforts? Look no further than here, my friend.

The Potty Training Resource Center: A Parent's Toolbox

• Charts:

Need potty charts? Freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com may be just the site you are looking for. This wonderful site includes easy to print charts in many designs- all for free! They also provide a lot of potty training advice and potty training coupons that can make any parent armed and educated!

Want to be more goal specific while potty training? Check out this customizable potty chart from Pull-Ups.com.

• Advice:

Have a question? Want to know how to begin potty training? Check out Baby Center's Potty Training Basics to obtain all the information you need before, during and after you have potty trained your little tike.

Need professional potty training advice that is straight forward? Mayo Clinic's, Potty Training: How to get the job done is honest, informative and straight to the point.


WebMD's Potty Training: How and When to Toilet Train your Child also provides parents with good advice and knowledge that is very useful and informative.

HealthyChildren.org is another great informational site that covers topics from when to start potty training to late trainers all the way to regression.

• Support Groups:

Are you the type who needs a group behind you to chat with and vent through this crucial time? Then check out CafeMom's Potty Training Support Group.

Where have you turned to on the Internet to seek potty training advice?

Adventures in Potty Training- Siblings: Friend or Foe??

A few posts back I told a story about when I potty trained while working in a child care facility and how all the children were wonderful support to one another. It worked out great! Today, as I am potty training my third born child I came across yet another challenging obstacle- the older sister. 

Not that Diva Deville isn't a support system; I just think she takes this potty training tango to the extreme. If I have to step out of the room while we are having his bottomless time, my 3 and a half year old little angel takes over and persists that he sits on the potty. He then becomes discouraged and angry. To make matters worse she becomes very upset and takes it personally when I discuss with her that although she is being a huge help we cannot force the Gavmeister to sit on the potty!

I also find her hovering over him while he is in the bathroom to be a little excessive. It gets really crowded around The John these days.

When he does succeed she wants a treat or a sticker as well. My older son, who usually cares less about his ability to use the potty, will then also take a special interest to his bathroom business and try to sneak one in.

I fear that I cannot win.

However, he does learn a lot from his older siblings and they do encourage him as he is learning. They just sometimes forget that I am the coach and try to over-step their boundaries! For now, I will encourage them as they encourage their younger brother. I will kindly remind them to back-off as it may be too overwhelming for the Gavmeister to learn when they are constantly hovering over him!

Has older siblings been an issue with you while you have tried to potty train?

Adventures in Potty Training- There is no "I" in team

I was very discouraged when I wrote my last post written in My Adventures of Potty Training series. He had almost gone two whole days without success. I was getting very discouraged and starting to show it. The hardest part of being a parent is to not show your emotions when you know that it can hinder the situation or hurt your child's self esteem. Worst of all, I am a control freak and very impatient. My little man is looking at me to be his coach and advisor. What I really needed was one myself. It is times like these when I wish that there was a PTA group (Potty Training Anonymous) where we can meet and discuss our (not our little ones in training) difficulties during this time. 

It would probably sound something like this....................

"Hello, my name is Aimee and I have been potty training for about a week now. At first it was getting him to go on the potty once or twice a day.... then I became addicted. I wanted him to go MORE! I wanted him to be consistent- I DO NOT LIKE TO CHANGE DIAPERS!!!!" 

I would probably have to take a moment and sip on some ice water and then continue....... "But then I became obsessed. I started blaming myself for each failure. That's when I knew that I needed help."

Everyone would then stand up and clap and I would have taken a huge load off my chest. Unfortunately it doesn't work out that way and I needed to start getting it together for the potty success of my little man. Self, "remember he is just learning. You two are a team. He cannot be successful without you and you cannot teach him if you take it personally. This is uncharted territory. Don't give up- just back off!"

That's just what I did. I went back to the relaxed take him at the obvious "have to go" times. I also implemented quality no diaper time. That way he became more aware of his body. I did not give up- I backed off and relaxed.

And now we are back on track! He has gone minimally three times a day for the last two days.

How did I know not to wave the white flag and continue? Well, I first knew that he was ready to master potty training by these specific signs:

1. He was dry during naps. What about nights? Well, that's a toughie because my little man is lazy in the mornings and will lie in bed for a half hour-hour before he gets up. I learned not to disturb him as he is not a morning person. When we are truly ready to give up diapers I will then conquer that hurdle.
2. He showed interest. He would watch and comment on our family business in the potty.
3. He knows his private parts. He knows where they are and what they do and he is very proud of it!
4. His diapers were dry more than they were wet.
5. He has a VERY easy going personality!

 Honestly, I was going to give it a few more days. If it didn't pan out I would of backed off completely for a week or two knowing that he mentally was not ready to give up that part of his babyhood.

When did you know your was ready? What signs did you notice?

Adventures in Potty Training- Ready, Set, Go! Or Not?

Ready, Set, Go!

I am now a few days into potty training as I write this post. If you have been following my Adventures in Potty Training you know by now that I have had two totally different potty training experiences from two completely different children. This is my third time around potty training and yet again I am taking a different approach.

Years before I had children or a degree in education, I was a child-care assistant at a local day care for children 18 months - 2 years of age. (The lead teacher was actually a dear friend of mine so the chemistry in the room was fantastic!) With the parents consent, we began potty training these children by leading them to the potty at specific intervals throughout the day (before and after naps, lunch, etc.). With every one child's success came another one. Before you knew it there was a potty support group amongst the young toddlers! Most became potty trained before they moved on and into the next age group!

Why did this work? Taking your child to the bathroom when you know it's a logical time to go leads to more success. More success leads to more practice (so do failures- so don't get discouraged!) What also helped is that it was a supportive, relaxed atmosphere with a lot of peer pressure. Kind of what is going on with my third child now?

You can lead a toddler to the potty, but you can't make them go in it!

I have been potty training the Gavmeister for four days now. The first day ran pretty smooth with only a few minor glitches. He successfully went at least 3 times- one of them even being a poop! The second day- a few more successes and the third day- NOTHING! Nothing? how do you go from a huge start to an empty finish in three days? More importantly- why are you not discouraged?

It's normal. Actually it would worry me if he didn't go through this spurt of rebelliousness. It's a big thing for a toddler to change up there ways. Why would they want to- it's one more thing that they have to do for them self.

What I have been doing about it? I have continued to take the Gavmeister at our regular scheduled potty runs. Giving him encouraging words (although I want to say aloud "What? You should be a pro with this by now! What's going on man?") And praising him for his attempts. {Quick note- encourage and praise for attempts. Save the cheer-leading dances for true success!} He goes poop in his diaper? We just take it and drop it off into the potty and tell it this is where it goes. Potty training is not for the faint of heart.

Twice he told me "No!" when I asked him to go and try. I shrugged it off (well, to him. To me it felt like  a deep wound) and assured him that we would sit and try again later.

The absolute hardest part about potty training is wanting to wave the white flag in defeat when you have only just begun! Hopefully we will have better luck on day 5!

Adventures in Potty Training: Prep and Landing

If there is one piece of knowledge that I can pass on to parents embarking on the journey of potty training, it's this: Preparation and timing is EVERYTHING- execution is only secondary!

Prep- it's what's for breakfast! Preparation is vital and key for potty training to be successful for both coach and the newbie potty-goer. Take it from me and my first mistake with my first child and potty training. I did not educate myself or my child. Although I have read these following books twice- I felt compelled to pick them back up as a refresher course for the third time around. I suggest picking these books up for a good read:



Reading isn't only for adults! There are many potty books for children as well. Not only do they help with visuals and kid friendly explanations of how to use the potty- they also make a great read while trying to keep your tot in one place (like the potty) for a while. Here are some of our favorites:


What else have we been doing to prepare for the BIG Day?

• We have been using our potty talk. I am not ashamed to say that I don't mind talking poop. Every time we have a diaper change we simply talk about that his poop and pee (or bowel movement and urine) are going to be going into the potty soon and that he is a big boy now. We also talk about what body parts they come from.
• We brought out our toddler potty seat and the seat for the toilet. From my previous experience I'd rather have both on hand not knowing which one he will be more comfortable with!
• He has been taking off his own pants for diaper changes. Great practice for when the big moment happens. From my personal experience the ability to pull up and down his or her pants successfully independently is only a help for parents and not a total necessity for potty training.  I know some experts may disagree with that- but I had to help my first born with that a lot before he was able to do it solo. I was more concerned that he was able to tell me that he had to go- I could help with the rest.
• It is his mission to attend bathroom meetings. In other words we (we meaning everyone in the house) has been inviting him into their potty session and talking about it.

Any "Potty Pros" reading this post? What have you done to prep your little one?

Adventures in Potty Training- Introduction

Subject's Name: Gavmiester
Subject's Age: 20 months
Gender of Subject: Male
Prior Experience: None
Other information: The Gavmiester is number 3 of 3. He comes from a long line of potty knowledge from watching his older siblings do the "business" daily.

Special Training Agent: Aimee (A.K.A Classified: Mom)
Age: Rather not say
Gender: Female
Prior Experience: Has successfully potty trained 1 boy and 1 girl using two drastically different approaches while employed. Will see if this time around as a work-at-home-mom will have any more advantages?
Other information: Despises potty training but realizes that it has to be done either now or in college!

Background:
Aimee has successfully potty trained her two prior children- the boy whom we will call "Bubba" at 2 years and 4 months. And a girl- named "Diva DeVill"  at 20 months.

These are their stories:

1st Attempt: Bubba's first attempt at potty training was at 18 months old. I knew EVERYTHING about parenting- that was until I became a parent myself. I thought that since he could walk and occasionally talk that he could be potty trained. That failed miserably and ended in tears on my part. He was clearly not ready and neither was I.

Second Attempt: A few months later I tried again around 23 months. He had all the signs that every darn potty book claims: knows when he has to go, knows his potty body parts, hides when he does his "business", can communicate his wants and needs, likes to organize things, and on and on and on. But he was stubborn and was never good with change  (nor is he today at 5 years of age.) This time I took on the "keep taking him to the potty when I "think" he has to go" approach. Well, let's just say that every single time I did it was very frustrating! Why? I would sit with him, read him potty books, run water, and sing potty songs. After about 15 minutes we both got tired. I would put his diaper back on and sure enough 5 minutes later he would poo or pee in it! Seriously. I grew exhausted, mainly because I was about 5 months pregnant at the time and he became more discouraged with all of his failures. It was not a good time for either of us. Timing is everything- regardless of what all the "signs" say.

Third Attempt: Bubba was 2 years and 4 months old and his newborn sister was about 3 weeks. I went from changing a little itty bitty newborn tush to changing (what looked like) a monstrous huge hinny! I couldn't do it anymore and most importantly I didn't want to pay for two sets of diapers! That was it- I had to do something! I picked up every potty book known to mom and read. One that inspired me the most was Potty Training For Dummies . It was my Bible of Potty Training. I also took advice from Elmo and his DVD  Sesame Street - Elmo's Potty Time. Together we were unstoppable- or were we?

What worked for me: I set aside one weekend and called it "Potty Boot-camp." Well, I told my son it was simply "potty weekend." My son's very complex personality was one issue that I had to tend to while I planned for this weekend. I made a reward chart, purchased his favorite character underwear and stocked up on his favorite candy for a reward. And yes I did reward with candy- not a fan but it sure does work! It also helped to quarantine him  to one room in the house where he was allowed to run freely with no pants on! No pants? Yes- it is so much easier for the both of us to see when he was going than it was to guess when he went!

He was stubborn and I wanted the party to start. I allowed him to drink as much watered-down juice, water and Freezy Pops as he wished. The more "accidents"- the more tries- the more successes. I did this from sun up to sun down. I focused the entire weekend on him and nothing else. I made no issues about his failures but threw huge cheer-leading bashes for every success. Yes there were messes, a little bit of set-backs and some feuds. But guess what? In one weekend I successfully trained my little dude!

The story of Diva DeVill. My little angel is a totally different person. She has a very strong can-do personality. I would love to say that I potty trained her, but truth is I didn't entirely. She did most of the work and I was there to supply her with Skittles. The only thing I can say is that I prepped her by introducing the small potty (which she did not use because she went straight for the big one) and read her potty books before she climbed on the toilet herself and went. So yes, there are freak stories like this one out there.

Child #3- The Gavmiester is different than the two above. But I will save that for another day.

So, if you are new to potty training and are looking for advice, or are pro and just needs to laugh at someone else as they go through it... again. Please join me as I capture the ups and downs of potty training yet another child!