Potty training advice???

[ChristieK0310]

Hi,

hope this is the best place to post this!

We are off to disney 3 weeks tomorrow and for some reason my dd (2) has decided that she wants to use her potty and the toilet during the day. She is wearing normal underwear and perhaps having one accident a day but we are taking her to the bathroom every 30 - 45 mins for her to go.

Really not sure what to do for our holiday and am looking for advice!


Up to now she has been wearing pull ups but she will go to the bathroom in them if she has them on so its either all or nothing. Dont want to set her back but also don't want her to be stressed on holiday and I also would like to relax and I think I'd be worrying constantly about where the next rest room is.

Any thoughts/advice/comments welcome!

Christie

 

[brergnat]

Are you flying or driving? Either way, I'd DEFINITELY put her in pull ups for the travel portion of the trip! Anything can happen where you cannot get to a bathroom in time (esp. on a plane, where there is typically a long wait to use the bathroom, if you can even take off your seatbelt!). We flew earlier this year and even though we only had a 1 hr flight, we put our OLDER son (almost 5 at the time) in a pull up for the plane ride. He had been potty trained for over a year and a half at that point, but we didn't want to have an "accident" if we were not able to get to a potty. He was fine, and we changed him into "regular" underwear in the airport bathroom upon arrival.

The thing is, even if your DD is doing well, you will STILL need to put her in pull ups at night, for a LONG time from now (until you are confident in her ability to get out of bed in the middle of the night and use the bathroom unsupervised, and then get back into bed by herself). I JUST started putting my DS5 in regular underwear at night, as in literally a couple days ago.

If I were you, I'd definitely NOT expect her to be in JUST underwear for this trip. You can pack Pull Ups (enough for the duration of the trip) and underwear. She is still early enough in the process where you can dictate what she will wear when. I'd maybe let her wear the regular underwear while you are at the resort hanging out, since you will know where the bathrooms are, and you can go change her clothes back in the room IF she has an accident!

If she is still peeing in the pull ups when she has them on, then she is NOT really ready for underwear. When she can go SEVERAL days in a row without going in the pull up, that would be a better indication. For now, allow her to use her potty at home, but if she insists on wearing underwear when you have to go out, just slip a pull up OVER the underwear, for extra protection.

Also to be aware of, is she okay with using a PUBLIC toilet? Not the same as a "potty". Have you tried that while out with her? My kids were afraid to use a public toilet for some time. They would literally just hold it for HOURS if we had to go out, in fear of using a "big potty" with an auto flush. They got over it eventually, but something to keep in mind...

 

[Dee77]

I know exactly what you are going through. My DD is also very interested and almost there with potty training but with our trip coming up in just over 2 weeks, I have decided to keep her in pull ups. In the mornings and evenings at the resort we will reinforce her potty training but during the day and in bed she will wear her pull ups. When she has an accident she gets very upset and I don't want to "set her up" for that happening because we are on a bus or on line for a ride etc. Plus I am concerned about the availability and cleanliness of public bathrooms.

Good luck with your decision and have a great holiday!

 

[Minniemama350]

Consider putting the underwear under the pull-up. Then, if she goes she will feel that she is wet. Consequently, she won't want to go, but can if she really needs to. You know her best though. If you think this will upset her don't do it. It is a tactic we use in special needs potty training when they can't tell if they have gone or not because the diaper/pull-up is too absorbent. Good luck!

 

[ChristieK0310]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Our plane journey is 9 hours so she'll def be in pull ups! I think she still goes in the pull ups because she know that it will absorb it and it isnt uncomfortable like underwear is! She also wears a regular nappy at night and will do for quite a while yet - trying to make night time nappy different so she knows that I 'm not punishing her.

I think its a good idea about the resort in underwear and pull ups for the park thing - am just so scared of her going backwards again so to speak! She has been in day care from 5 months and picks up on things really quickly as she sees others doing them so she is doing so well there and I don't want to mess up her great efforts when I take her out for December.

She is fine with big toilets but we don't have any with an auto flush and I'd totally forgotten about that - it will scare the life out of her! Is there any way around the auto flush - do I keep my hand over the sensor until she is off it? We have our travel potty anyway but would be good to know!

If I'm honest it would be much easier for me to keep her in pull ups but I feel guilty about it! Who ever thought being a mummy was so hard!!!

 

[ChristieK0310]

Consider putting the underwear under the pull-up. Then, if she goes she will feel that she is wet. Consequently, she won't want to go, but can if she really needs to. You know her best though. If you think this will upset her don't do it. It is a tactic we use in special needs potty training when they can't tell if they have gone or not because the diaper/pull-up is too absorbent. Good luck!

I really like this idea - brergnat mentioned it too and I was just thinking about what she said when I read your post. Def going to try this.

Thanks to you all.

 

[Minniemama350]

I tried to put one of mine in pull ups for a road trip once. He wouldn't go. He chose that moment to stay dry. Kids are so funny! I was excited and frustrated all at the same time!

 

[ChristieK0310]

I tried to put one of mine in pull ups for a road trip once. He wouldn't go. He chose that moment to stay dry. Kids are so funny! I was excited and frustrated all at the same time!

Thats exactly how I feel now!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Consider putting the underwear under the pull-up. Then, if she goes she will feel that she is wet. Consequently, she won't want to go, but can if she really needs to. You know her best though. If you think this will upset her don't do it. It is a tactic we use in special needs potty training when they can't tell if they have gone or not because the diaper/pull-up is too absorbent. Good luck!

I also do special needs potty training and we use this technique, too. It helps the kids become aware of what it feels like to be wet since pull-ups are so good at absorbing the wetness and keeping it away from their skin.

I may be the lone dissenter but I think I would back off on the potty training until after the trip. Continue putting her in pull-ups and encouraging her to tell you when she has to go. Take her to bathroom when she says she has to go. Keep doing this through the trip. Buy some Disney underwear on the trip and make a big deal of letting her pick it out and tell she's going to wear it when you get home. Then do the training full-on after the trip. I bet she'll be ready to do it by then and you won't have to worry about it on the trip And remember that full potty training means she can tell you everytime she needs to go and then hold it until she gets to the toilet. If she only goes when you take her but doesn't tell you when she has to go, then she's only schedule trained but not truly potty trained. Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

 

[allyphoe]

Is there any way around the auto flush - do I keep my hand over the sensor until she is off it?

Your hand works. Some people carry post-it notes, but I just used my hand.

I suggest taking a couple changes of clothing if there's a chance she'll be in underwear - they sell little-girl underwear all over the parks (including at kiosks that have no visible display of said underwear), but it's quite expensive.

 

[mjkacmom]

In your situation, I'd use pullups, over underwear.

 

[scottish mum]

My DD was potty trained when we took her to disney just before her 3rd birthday. The auto flush toilets really scared her and set her backwards she was terrified to go on any toilet for ages afterwards. Post it notes over the sensor work but it took me a few days to work that out and by then she was already terrified. She is now 5 and still asks if the toilets flush themselves when we use public ones.

If I were you I would just put her in pull ups and let her wear her underwear at the resort. When she is in the parks she is likely to be overwhelmed by everthing and needing the toilet will be the last thing on her mind. She will probably be drinking more than normal too as it will be hotter and you could find yourself constantly looking for toilets rather than enjoying all the parks.

Good luck

 

[brergnat]

RE: Auto Flush Toilets

The SMALL (1" square) Post-It notes work the best. They are small enough to keep in your pocket and use as needed. My son call them "stickers". Actually, only my older son needs them (and it's not due to fear anymore, but over OCD issues related to Autism...in his mind, if the toilet flushes while he is "going", the world has ended).

I carry them in my back pocket and hand him one when he has to go wherever there is an auto flush toilet. He will peek in, and if it's a regular flush one, he knows he doesn't need a "sticker".

Using your hand is kinda gross...all the backsplash from the previous flushes is all over that sensor. Plus, your DD might need "help" or support from you while she is going, and if you are crammed in the stall holding the sensor, you won't be able to help her at all.

 

[tinkmom2]

I agree with all the advice everyone has given. My daughter only potty trained over the summer. She was pretty late. She started K3 in the fall and hasn't had any day time accidents for a long time. She does have accidents at night however so I use a pull up for her at night. (Except for when I forgot the other night and she was laying on her comforter not her sheet and had a accident.)

Our trip for Disney is only 2 hours on Monday but I plan on leaving her in a pull up with underware underneath. It took a bit for her to pee on a public potty because she was afraid she would fall in. I used to carry around a insert for her to put in the potty and sit on but now she knows how to sit and hold onto it. I can only imagine her being afraid of the airplane potty so I plan on taking her to the bathroom before we board and limiting her liquids on the flight. If she knows there is a bathroom on the plane she is more likely to want to get up and "use" it even if she doesn't