PT Timing question for WOHparents

How long did it take to potty train your kids? Did you take time off from work? Did your daycare potty train them?

I would hate to use my vacation or sick days (once I finally get some) to spend the time potty training! Is that the only way? I know we have a 3 day weekend coming up, has anyone been successful with a 3 day training regimen?

I think I'm going to procrastinate until Thanksgiving when I have more time.

 

We never did "potty training" as a focused activity. It was a months-long but low-pressure transition for us.

They were introduced to the potty at school at about 18 months because they were the youngest in their class. We introduced it at home around 24 months, but their interest waxed and waned over the next several months. As they got older we encouraged it more and more (and also bribed with M&Ms for several weeks, if not months), but never required them to use it or tried to take their diapers away.

When it seemed like they could use it fairly consistently, we started asking if they wanted to switch to underwear. Amy said yes around 2y9m, and had very few accidents. Sarah wasn't ready (mentally) until 3y3m and then also had very few accidents.

Daycare would not do any kind of intensive potty training, though they were very tolerant of occasional accidents for kids who were in transition. They just wanted us to make sure to have plenty of extra clothes in the cubby.

 

My kiddos moved over to the toddler room around 20 months, and could use the potty if they wanted. Both of them loved using the potties at daycare so we started letting them use the toilet at home as well. After a few months the daycare teachers told us my DD's diaper was staying dry for the most part in between changes and so I should send her to school in underwear, with lots of extras in case of accidents. A month or so later they told me my DS was ready too. With both I did have them wear underwear over a weekend before they wore undies at daycare, and took them potty every 1/2 hour to hour.

 

What I did was start by putting them in underwear when we were home in the evenings and on weekends, but still sent them to daycare in diapers. If we had to go somewhere on the weekends I put them in pull-ups but took them to the public restrooms while we were out to make them realize they needed to use a toilet wherever we were. I also treated their pull-ups like underwear by telling them to try not to pee in them, etc. When they were using the toilet consistently I then put them in pull-ups for daycare and had them start taking the girls to the toilet regularly, and it didn't take them long to realize they were supposed to use the toilet there as well. Then it was an easy transition to underwear. So mine were basically "home-trained" before "daycare" trained, if that makes sense. This was no quick and easy approach but it worked for our situation. Good Luck!

 

ETA: Just to clarify -- when I said our daycare would not do PT, I meant they would not take kids to the potty on any particular schedule other than what they did anyway (right before nap, before outside time, etc.). They also did not allow pull-ups -- it was diapers or underwear, no middle ground. I did have the kids in underwear for a weekend before I sent them to daycare that way, just to make sure they could really handle it.

 

I am not working yet but plan on going back soon. I asked my BF what her daycare did when she was potty training both of her older boys (she was working at the time) and the particular day care they went to was very good about helping out with potty training and trying to make the process as seamless possible. My BF always sent in extra pull ups and a change of clothes to the day care.
I don't know if you've asked your daycare but they might be willing to help you out! Good luck!

 

I trained Lily over a regular 2 day weekend when she was 2y6m. She was quick and easy, and she was wearing pull ups to daycare the next week with absolutely no accidents. I tried Grace at the same time and it was a miserable failure. I tried her once a month for 8 more months...no luck.

I took Friday off before Memorial Day of last year so I had a 4 day weekend and we did a 4-day potty training boot camp with Grace. She was 3y4m, I knew she was fully capable but totally stubborn, so for her it took 4 full days in underwear and lots of accidents to get it to click. It worked, she was day and night trained after that weekend.

My daycare always asked them if they wanted to sit on the potty, Grace typically always refused. But they did not do any sort of organized potty training for us. And they wanted them to wear pull ups when they were first trained, but after about 2-3 weeks they could switch to underwear. My girls had no issue wearing pull ups - they didn't have accidents once they were trained.

 

I have a sitter and not daycare so our situation might be different (my girls are the only kids she watches). I just followed the girls' lead on PT'ing and let W (our sitter) know what we were doing at home so she could do the same at her house. It turned out that Meara decided to fully train while we were on vacation, but I certainly didn't plan it (especially since walking DC with a stroller would have been easier if she was in diapers!). Will your daycare follow what you are doing at home or is it diapers or underwear with nothing in between?

 

I used my vacation time to work on it (lucky me)! But, I waited until the boys were FULLY ready so that I wasn't wasting my vacation days stuck in a house cleaning up pee . I had 5 days off (over a weekend) so I started in on Aiden. During that time, when I wasn't focusing on Conner, Conner kinda trained himself! However, he wasn't fully ready for undies yet when they returned to daycare. So, LOTS of extra clothes were sent with him & I told the teachers what we had been doing at home so they could try to continue it there. Aiden was awesome & never had an accident there (except peeing ON himself, but that's a boy thing not a potty training thing), but Conner had a lot. I actually had to sit down with our teachers to discuss my concerns that they just weren't taking him enough (really, 2 hours between potty breaks for a child JUST training?). Aiden would say when he had to go, but it took Conner some time to get there (remember, I wasn't planning on training him yet). So, between the daycare teachers & myself, we finally got it all worked out...home & daycare...in about 3 weeks.

I'd ask your daycare specifics about potty training before you start. Then, I'd make sure your kids are showing all the signs before you devote any time off for it. Like others have said, I'd start 'working' on it at home, but not actually switch straight to underwear til you're ready to deal with that . Hopefully you can swing it & get them remotely trained over even a 3 day weekend (Aiden did it in 3 days...Conner was longer). And some daycares are awesome...ours was not.

Good luck! I hated potty training...I'm so glad it's done!

 

My daycare provider and I sat down to discuss a plan of action. We found something that worked for us both. She followed the plan during the day and I picked up during the evening and weekends.

Good Luck!

 

Hi, trying to remember what we did but it appears I have successfully blocked it. The kids' daycare did potty training and took the kids to the potty in regular intervals. We sent plenty of pullups and then switched over to underwear. We did a "potty-training boot camp" weekend where we had them in underwear all weekend, lots of accidents but it worked pretty well for my daughter. For the boy, he decided right before he turned three that he was done with pullups and that was it. So, the girl was first and it probably took about 6-8 months of pullup wearing.

Good luck!

 

Hahahahahaaa. Thank you for the giggle this morning.

 

Day care has to be on board, but I'd do a long weekend potty boot camp and then let day care participate when you know it's been successful. I did it with all of mine, Kayci was the most intense (she's a stubborn little thing!) Basically, the little potty stayed wherever we were, she was in panties and got TONS of drinks. For the first day and half all I did was clean up HUMONGOUS puddles of pee and thought I was nuts for trying to do this with her over Thanksgiving. The next day she'd start to pee and get to the potty (sometimes sitting down and going right through the panties!). By Saturday she was mostly staying dry and on Sunday she didn't have a single accident. I sent her to school Monday with 4 or 5 changes of clothes (and clean shoes) for a 3.5 hr day. That week she had a few accidents at school but nothing too bad. Oh, she got a treat every time she got any pee in the potty the first two days, then it was only if the panties were dry and she peed in the potty. So, that's the short version of what we did when we only had a few days. In my experience (my own five and several others who were in my home day care) if the child is ready it shouldn't take more than a few days. Just hole up in the house with lots of treats (and time for laundry!) and give it a shot!

 

I don't post much, but I wanted to add to this. My twins are just shy of 2 yrs 8 months. I have a nanny so there isn't that scheduled "everyone goes to the potty now" time. I know she would/does whatever we want, but for some reason I felt like it was my job to potty train them. They showed interest at 2 yrs, but then it kind of died down and they never wanted to sit on the potty. My daughter has serious constipation issues and I am trying to get that under control before pushing the PTing on her. My son seems to have good control and started telling me to leave him alone when he goes in his diaper. I decided he was ready but needed to be pushed. I took off last Friday and we did the 3-day potty training weekend and it went really well. I went cold turkey. Underwear all day - even naps and bedtime. Friday he had a few accidents. None during any of the naps. Friday and Saturday overnight he did have accidnets. No accident overnight last night. Yesterday two accidents, but one I wasn't watching him and the other he was running for the bathroom. He is doing great. I do think sometimes you might need to just do it, but you know your child. Like I said - my daughter has some issues so I am waiting for her.