newly potty trained at WDW?

[asktriplets]

hi.

i'm looking for some "been there, done that" stories on how WDW was with tots who are newly potty trained....anyone have some stories or suggestions for me?

my kids turned 3 last nov. while at wdw, so we made the choice not to start getting serious on the potty training until after that trip (there wasn't a whole lot of interest from my kids, anyway, so it worked out just fine)

.we now have an unexpected trip to WDW planned for the beginning of may (hooray!), but we are nearing the end, hopefully, of potty training (as in kids wear underwear with minimal accidents all day at home) ... we are trying to figure out if we should make a push for ending the use of Pull Ups completely ASAP (which they now only wear while in the car and/or while out in public, but they do "use" the Pull Ups because they know that they can), or if we should just continue to do what we are doing, with the thought that in just over 1 month we'll probably have them wear Pull Ups in the car on the 16+ hr. trip down and while in the parks, JUST IN CASE of an emergency. i don't want to "undo" any potty training work we've already accomplished by allowing them to wear Pull Ups, but i also don't want to make the trip stressful (for the kids or for us), by making "getting to the potty in time" the biggest hourly event on our trip.... i've thought about those vinyl-covered cotton underpants, but those would be darn hot!

my concern is that while my kids are pretty good at knowing when they have to use the bathroom, like most little ones, they don't do such a great job when they are distracted, and i can't imagine a BIGGER distraction than WDW!!

my other concern is the fact that we'll be there when it is hot enough that we'll REALLY have to make sure they are drinking quite a bit to stay hydrated.


as with most things that i have worried about prior to trips to WDW (sleeping through the night, sleeping without pack-n-plays, etc), i'm guessing this will work itself out before our trip, one way or another, but i'd love to hear some stories about how it worked out for some of you. ..


thanks,

 

[EthansMom]

We had this same issue with our trip last year. We ended up using a suggestion from one of the other posters here at the DIS that worked well for us. We put DS in underwear and then put a pull-up on over the underwear, just in case. I also packed an extra pair of underwear, pants, and a ziploc bag in our diaper bag in case of accidents/leaks.

DS did pretty well, but did have a couple of accidents toward the end of the week.

I hope this helps!

 

[lclark0621]

There was another potty training thread on here the other day:
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1058617

This was our experience:
Just got back from WDW with a potty training toddler of 2.5

Well to be honest he is about 99.9% potty trained. We only use Pull Ups when we will be out of the house for long periods of time. And then they are "just in case" we are in traffic or cant get to a bathroom in time. It is VERY rare DS has to use it, but I fell better know if we cant get to a bathroom "RIGHT NOW!", we will be ok.

But...

We put him in pull ups for the trip. He understands they are his "just in case undies". I still use them when we go out of the house for a long time at home to.

He only was wet a couple of times. I was SO proud of him. He told us just about everytime he had to go.

I know some people think the devil invented pull ups, but we love them! Like I said, he only wears them when we will be out of the house for a long time & he even calls them his "just in case undies".

The few times he was wet was when we were on a ride & could not get off in time or things like that. And at that point he asked if it was ok to use them.

Let me tell you, for me, public restrooms are a real pain with my DS! He will ONLY go (in a public restroom) if he can sit backwards. That means we need to completely strip from the waist down. He will tolerate socks.

But I need to get the shoes off, so I can get the pants & pull ups off.

Then I need to store the stuff in the bag hanging from the back of the door, all while juggeling a 36 lb 2.5 year old boy, who is trying to TOUCH everything.

By the time I finally have him sitting on the potty, I am covered in sweat. It is quite a circus act, let me tell you!

I always wipe down the seat with those antibacterial wipes before he sits on it.

Then when he is done, the wiping begins. Oh is that tough in a tiny bathroom stall! I usually put his shoes on him & have him stand on, leaning onto my leg. That must be pleasent to look at. The image is priceless!

Then off come the shoes again, as the pull up & pants go back on, then the shoes go back on. Again, all while juggeling the active boy, trying to prevent him from touching anything or falling.

Yep, it is a sight to see.

If anyone has any better tips, please let me know!

My best advice, is pack an entire new outfit (including socks) every day! You never know when accidents or overflows will happen.

And pull ups DO work, as long as used correctly!

 

[Schmeck]

I'd keep them in pull-ups, only because you have 3 little ones! You'd most likely never get to stay in line, as 3 can't possibly be synchronized potty-goers Still do regular potty breaks, like a half hour after you eat, right before you get in a long line, etc, but with 3, I'm sure there'd be way too many 'but I have to go now!'s to get anything else done!

Being at WDW is a change in routine anyways - it may take a bit of practice to get back on the potty track, but most everyone gets there eventually!

 

[McKelly]

We had a similar issue a few years ago. We chose to forego the Pull-ups in the park and my little guy did great!! I just made sure when we got close to a bathroom every couple hours we made a stop. The one thing I did use them for was night time. I was afraid he would be so tired after a long day in the parks an sleeping so sound, he might wet the bed. So I put them on him at night, to avoid any accidents. I didn't think the resorts had waterproof mattress pads!!

 

[Magic2000]

We traveled to Washington DC when my DD had just turned 2, and we were in the middle of potty training. She was doing really well with it, but I wasn't sure about walking around at the museums and stuff, if I would be able to find a bathroom quick enough. So I bought the pull ups, and those were her "Big Girl Vacation Panties". We used the pull ups like panties - and everytime I saw a bathroom, I always asked if she had to go. (I felt like I was always scoping out the bathrooms where ever we went!!) But she did really well - no accidents all week. She didn't want to get her "vacation panties" wet.

Good luck!!!!

 

[lauritagoddess]

My DS had been fully trained for a few months, but on our recent trip I put him back in pull-ups for our flights and at night in the hotel. I figured better safe then sorry. During the day at the parks he wore undies, but I made sure that we stopped at bathrooms at least every 1-2 hours. He did fine and never had an accident.

 

[asktriplets]

There was another potty training thread on here theother day:
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1058617

This was our experience:
Just got back from WDW with a potty training toddler of 2.5

Well to be honest he is about 99.9% potty trained. We only use Pull Ups when we will be out of the house for long periods of time. And then they are "just in case" we are in traffic or cant get to a bathroom in time. It is VERY rare DS has to use it, but I fell better know if we cant get to a bathroom "RIGHT NOW!", we will be ok.

But...

We put him in pull ups for the trip. He understands they are his "just in case undies". I still use them when we go out of the house for a long time at home to.

He only was wet a couple of times. I was SO proud of him. He told us just about everytime he had to go.

I know some people think the devil invented pull ups, but we love them! Like I said, he only wears them when we will be out of the house for a long time & he even calls them his "just in case undies".

The few times he was wet was when we were on a ride & could not get off in time or things like that. And at that point he asked if it was ok to use them.

Let me tell you, for me, public restrooms are a real pain with my DS! He will ONLY go (in a public restroom) if he can sit backwards. That means we need to completely strip from the waist down. He will tolerate socks.

But I need to get the shoes off, so I can get the pants & pull ups off.

Then I need to store the stuff in the bag hanging from the back of the door, all while juggeling a 36 lb 2.5 year old boy, who is trying to TOUCH everything.

By the time I finally have him sitting on the potty, I am covered in sweat. It is quite a circus act, let me tell you!

I always wipe down the seat with those antibacterial wipes before he sits on it.

Then when he is done, the wiping begins. Oh is that tough in a tiny bathroom stall! I usually put his shoes on him & have him stand on, leaning onto my leg. That must be pleasent to look at. The image is priceless!

Then off come the shoes again, as the pull up & pants go back on, then the shoes go back on. Again, all while juggeling the active boy, trying to prevent him from touching anything or falling.

Yep, it is a sight to see.

If anyone has any better tips, please let me know!

My best advice, is pack an entire new outfit (including socks) every day! You never know when accidents or overflows will happen.

And pull ups DO work, as long as used correctly!

hehehe..i promise i'm laughing WITH you, not at you, as i'm trying to imagine that scene in a teeny, tiny bathroom stall! i say that because we just started using public restrooms (don't even get me started on my issues regarding the "ick"-factor of public toilets!!!), and it is the MOST giant pain in my behind that i have yet to experience with raising kids....my kids are going on 3 1/2, so they generally listen and (more importantly) REMEMBER not to put their hands on everything in the bathroom, but it is still a sight to see the 4 of us (plus my big diaper-backpack-bag) in a stall..we are always on "person overflow" in the stall (meaning the door is open and i have kids bouncing around half in and out of the stall), so when i say "it is a sight", i mean, literally, we are IN SIGHT of everyone in the bathroom..... <<sigh.>>

i know this phase will pass quickly, but in the meantime, i'm so glad to hear stories from others "in the trenches".

thanks!!

 

[asktriplets]

We had this same issue with our trip last year. We ended up using a suggestion from one of the other posters here at the DIS that worked well for us. We put DS in underwear and then put a pull-up on over the underwear, just in case. I also packed an extra pair of underwear, pants, and a ziploc bag in our diaper bag in case of accidents/leaks.

DS did pretty well, but did have a couple of accidents toward the end of the week.

I hope this helps!

what a GREAT idea!!

when my kids wet their pullups, they say it is because they can (my 1 daughter explains quite simply, "because it sucks up all my pee, momma"), so i think just the idea of underwear on (even with a pullup) will help remind them to let us know when they have to go to the bathroom!

thank you!!!

 

[tiggerzpalz]

Last summer was our first trip with our little guy freshly potty trained. He did well except for the occasional "very last second no where near a bathroom I gotta go right now" cry. Leading us to search the maps and sprint.

The one thing we did have problems with were the toilets. The automatic flushers freaked him out to the point that he did not want to go. So, I remembered a tip I had seen on here and bought some stickers and we layed them gently over the sensor and it did not flush till we took it off.

 

[asktriplets]

I'd keep them in pull-ups, only because you have 3 little ones! You'd most likely never get to stay in line, as 3 can't possibly be synchronized potty-goers Still do regular potty breaks, like a half hour after you eat, right before you get in a long line, etc, but with 3, I'm sure there'd be way too many 'but I have to go now!'s to get anything else done!

Being at WDW is a change in routine anyways - it may take a bit of practice to get back on the potty track, but most everyone gets there eventually!

you're right, shmeck...

as i said, i'm sure things will be much more settled down over a month from now, but as it is, i am generally in the bathroom with 1 child or another every 15-30 minutes throughout the day (and this is not including using a public bathroom!) ....thank goodness for pullups!!

thanks!

 

[asktriplets]

Last summer was our first trip with our little guy freshly potty trained. He did well except for the occasional "very last second no where near a bathroom I gotta go right now" cry. Leading us to search the maps and sprint.

The one thing we did have problems with were the toilets. The automatic flushers freaked him out to the point that he did not want to go. So, I remembered a tip I had seen on here and bought some stickers and we layed them gently over the sensor and it did not flush till we took it off.

ooooh, i'm SO glad you reminded me!!!! i've been reading about that tip for over a year now, and would have forgotten all about it for our trip!!! my kids HATE being anywhere NEAR the toilet when i flush it! i can't imagine the trauma if it happened to them while they were sitting there, unknowing!!!!

thank you!!!

 

[asktriplets]

thanks for your replies!

so glad to hear that your trips went well, with few accidents, and that your kids didn't completely revert back after some time in pullups!

 

[BuzzNutt]

Been there...done that. Kept him in the pull ups for the just incase sinario (sp?) and carried and extra change of clothes in the back pack. Had one accident and all was fine.
I was worried ab out pushing to have it end and worry that I pushed too hard to have accidents. It worked for us. Good luck!

 

[mommyceratops]

I held off on potty training both my kids!! The last 2 times we were there. My DS is fully potty trained but I talked him into doing pullups the last time we were there just in case. He finally agreed, he did fine but there were those few times, we were getting on the safari ride for one and of course the "I have to go now" I asked him what he wanted to do, he said go on the ride, he made it but it gave me a feeling of cofidence knowing if he HAD to go....

Potty poncho I bought this and it was great for my younger son who we are working on potty training. But I kept him in diapers...now we are going back in Dec and he is almost trained...not sure what I would do.

I personally did pull ups for my peace of mind. Knowing I wouldn't have to deal with wet clothes.

Good luck!