This isn't unreasonable to ask, is it?

My boys are in a 2-2.5 year old room at daycare. Some kids in their class are potty trained, some are training, others are just in diapers. When we entered that room, I was told that they begin working with the children on potty training by allowing them to try when they ask and/or sitting them on the potty with each diaper change (which is every 2 hours).

My boys trained in mid October, so around 27 mos. Aiden took to it easily...you never had to 'ask' if he had to go, he just told you. Conner, on the other hand, did not. It took a good few weeks til he consistently would tell you he had to go versus you reminding him. He had a TON of accidents at daycare & I was constantly asking them to take him more frequently. They'd do so for a couple of days, but then they'd stop again. I also told them I wanted the boys to go to the bathroom directly before nap so they'd stay dry during nap time. Yet, they always take the kids to the bathroom before lunch...so there are days the boys peed 2 hours before they even FELL ASLEEP! Somehow, we've only had 1 naptime accident there & that was yesterday..with AIDEN, my excellent trainer.

I'm just so frustrated. I don't understand how a room with that age group could not understand the concept of when a child should pee. How can they expect even an expertly trained child to take a nap after not peeing for hours beforehand? And how can they expect a freshly trained child to go 2 hours without peeing? I've constantly talked to them about these things, but the head teacher just seems clueless. So, I'm going to speak with the director. But first I wanted to make sure I wasn't out of line. These aren't things that I'm being overly crazy about, are they? I don't want to be complaining about things that are unreasonable. I understand that there are 12 kids in their class for 2 teachers, but not all the kids are trained. I'd think that they could change diapers before lunch & then take the trained kids to the bathroom after lunch. Plus, they don't even take my kids immediately after nap. One day I got there early & Aiden was having snack. I checked his sheet to see when he had peed last (because I was going to take them with me for errands) & it hadn't been since before nap, yet he had already been awake 30 mins. The one teacher was changing another child's diaper, so I took that as they put a non potty trained child ahead of my already trained one. Again, it wasn't an issue since he didn't have an accident, but I just don't understand how they think that their room is doing well with potty training.

So, is it just me? Should I just leave it be & keep dealing with it for another 2 weeks until we move into our next room (which I pray will be better)? Or do I bring it up for all the future potty trainers heading into that room. Each day I come, I see bags of clothes on hooks, so I know there are tons of accidents in that room. I wonder why....

Thanks in advance. I didn't want to complain & be "THAT" parent if others feel I'm being crazy!

 

I don't think you are out of line in your requests at all. When we were potty training, the kids were put on the potty when they got up, before and after every meal, before and after nap, and every hour in between those things. It is a lot to expect a newly potty trained child or an in training child to hold it for over two hours (at least that is my opinion). I hope that the director can help with this issue.

 

Hey Andrea,

I used to work in a daycare and my kids have been in daycare for years..although it has only been ONE daycare. I totally see what you're saying about the potty train-ing/-ed children. The 2yr class in my childrens daycare is for 2yr olds...they dont move up until they are 3yrs, and they have to be potty trained to move to the 3yr old room.
They do have specific times that they take the children potty, and they also take any child who asks to go in between those times. I am pretty sure they take the newly potty-training children to the bathroom before AND after lunch, so they are using the bathroom immediately before laying down. They should also be taking them as soon as they wake up. It sounds like maybe that daycare (or maybe just that class) has a lack of structure.
From my experience, 12 2yr olds with 2 teachers is not a huge number of kids when your talking about a daycare setting. I worked in daycare when the ratios were higher. It would make sense for one teacher to deal with diapering the non-potty trained children, and the other teacher take the potty-training/trained children to the bathroom. If there is an uneven number that would cause one of the teachers to be out of ratio, there are still ways around it. (For example, if there are 9 non-potty trained, and 3 trained children, the teacher taking the children to the bathroom can take 3 of the non-potty trained children with her, and they can get their diapers changed when they return)

Since you are going to the next room up soon, I might not say anything. It really depends though. At the daycare my children go to, I know the staff, and the Director very well and Im very comfortable talking to them and expressing myself. (theyve been going here for 5 yrs) So, in my case, I would probably speak to the director because I know she would listen. If you are new there, or dont think it is really going to solve anything, and they might just see you as a 'trouble maker' then I wouldnt mention anything to the director. I would wait until they get to the next room, and if there are problems there, then I would speak to the director. .because then it is not just limited to two staff members in one classroom. Ya know? HTH.

 

You are not out of line at all. If you've repeatedly asked the teachers to take them to the potty at certain times throughout the day, they should be doing that or they should be explaining to you why that's not possible. If you're not getting anywhere talking to their teachers, I think it is fine to mention this to the director. As long as you approach it nicely and in a way that shows you're wanting to understand the day care's perspective, you won't be THAT mom.

 

I don't think you're being unreasonable. Of course there will be days where they inadvertently deviate from what would be ideal, but if they're not even trying then I think it's important to try and get through to someone who can make it happen. After all, your kids are 1/6 of the total number of kids in that room!

 

I would say something as a reminder. Personally, I don't think you are out of line and if it helps future kids in that room that is great.

Best of luck!

 

Thanks, guys! I think I'll write up an email early next week! I was going to try to meet with her today when I picked the boys up, but I had to keep them home due to Conner's 105 fever

At least I know I'm not being TOO crazy !

 

We sort of had the same problem. The one teacher in our class seemed like she didn't want to PT kids at all (in fact we wonder why this teacher is even in childcare, she's very odd/eccentric) but the Head teacher was willing to work with us after about the 10th time of us talking to them...

Our issue was that the girls would tell US at home they needed to pee/poop, but for some reason they wouldn't tell their teachers. Either to busy playing, not comfortable.. We don't know but they wouldn't. So at one point the head teacher was taking our girls every 45 minutes to the potty (except at naptime, which they still got diapers at first) after we got over that hurdle, they slowly started leaving the girls in underwear for naptime, but I had to ask them to do that as well, and again, the one teacher (not the head one) looked at us like we had 10 heads and wondered if they were ready for that. This was when they also were 2.5, and in able to move up to the 3yr old room they had to be COMPLETELY PT'd...... All went well in that arena and they had very few accidents at naptime and or any other time for that matter.

Prior to me speaking to them though, they would come home DAILY with dirty clothes. Turned out it was for the same reason you stated, that they only take the kids every 2 hours to the potty, and the girls were ALWAYS, ALWAYS peeing right before they would be taken to the bathroom.