Dear Director,

Can you give me a few potty training tips to help me get my two year more excited about learning to use the use potty?

Tired of paying for diapers.

Dorchester, MA

Dear Tired,

As I am sure you are learning if you let it, potty training can become a very stressful time for parent and child. So here are some tips to making the experience a bonding one for you and your child.

• Start the potty training process with a store of patience and a sense of shared adventure; I can’t stress enough that these qualities will improve your chances of making it though the potty training process with a lot less drama.
• Using a smaller “training Potty” provides children with a sense of independence because they can sit by themselves.
•  Talk to your child, before, during and after each attempt to use the potty. “We are going to sit on the potty now”, “I am so glad you are going to use the potty you are such a big boy/girl” are examples. Congratulate your child for sitting on the potty even if they did not use the potty. Smiling and clapping are great rewards for a toddler.
•  Try to schedule use of the potty as close as possible to the time the child usually has a diaper change.
• You can enhance your child’s sense of independence by dressing him or her in easily managed clothing; shorts or underpants with elastic waistband, this will enable them to pull down their own clothing when they are ready to sit on the potty.

Potty training is a marathon, not a sprint. Be prepared for attitude reversals, toddlers are developing their own unique identities and they may decide that they are absolutely not going to use the potty. If this happens patience andcontinued communication are essential. Reassure your toddler about the joys of the potty. Forcing a toddler to sit on the potty is counter-productive. You don’t want to lose the sense of the shared adventure, the thrill of learning to use the potty.

Tartt’s Day Care Center’s Boston based childcare centers operating since 1946 specialize in the care and education of infants and toddlers. We realize that toilet training is a partnership between parents and educators. Parents at our centers receive a daily toilet training report, a helpful tool for parents when they continue the toilet training process at home. Parents are encouraged to communicate any concerns and challenges they face at home so together we can further develop the child’s toilet training skills. It is important to remember when teaching our children any new skill patience and love makes all of the difference.

Send your childcare questions to WANDA@TARTTS.COM

“Ask The Director “ is written by Wanda Geer in collaboration with Anita Handy and Nida Wright.  Director’s at Tartt’s Day Care Centers Inc. their combined childcare experience totals 40 years.