Potty Training and Disney

[reginaastralis]

Ok, so I was going to be a little selfish and try to hold back on potty training since we're going back to Disney on Labor Day. Maybe I'm just crazy, but the thought of dragging my lovely 20 month old to every single restroom at Disney does not sound fun.

Well, she changed my mind, b/c two weeks ago she started going potty in the potty. ACK!

So, what's a girl to do? In the next three weeks, I know she won't be a "pro", but should I be considering what it will be like for our trip to stop at every bathroom invested into the parks? Are there anyways to make this easier?

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Amanda and Juliette

 

[Mouse House Mama]

We are in the same boat. DD will not be a pro either in another week. I bought pullups with the princesses on them but she knows they are only for bed time and won't wear them during the day. I will just have to be vigilant and make frequent potty stops. Instead of drinking around the world we'll be tinkling aroung the world!

 

[KimWDW]

Wow... 20 months, that's so young!

 

[reginaastralis]

"Instead of drinking around the world we'll be tinkling aroung the world!"

LOL!! I'm seriously considering taking a picture at every bathroom. I mean, it is going to be such a big part of our trip.

And yep, 20 months. The best part, she closes the door for privacy .... sigh, aren't they great?

Amanda

 

[KimWDW]

One tip: bring post-it notes to cover up the automatic flush. I have a boy, so he stands up and it doesn't pose a problem. But I've heard that some little girls can get terrified if they're sitting on a Disney toilet and the loud auto flush goes off.

 

[winjos]

Make sure and check out the Baby centers at the parks. I know that at DL, they have a toddler potty. It is the perfect size. My DD was terrified of the toilets at DL (automated-- although we call them "magic" potties) and would only go at the baby center. I never thought of the post-it -- great idea!

Potty training is a double edge sword: You really want them out of diapers, but man, sometimes getting them to use the potty seems way more work!!

My DS just started potty training last Friday. He's 2.5 and has really done a fantastic job. He really likes to use the potty.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[100AcreWood]

I did this last year with my dd. She decided to finally start using the potty two weeks before our trip. We definitely had to take more potty breaks but it worked out well! We decided to buy a lot of extra underwear. I think we actually took more than 20 pairs of the Gerber training underwear (the kind with the extra padding in the pee area). We didn't use them all. Dd averaged 2-3 accidents a day. Some days more, some less. I just made sure to take her about every hour or hour and a half. We definitely did a potty break before any long lines/parades/fireworks. We took diapers for bedtime.

I didn't know the baby care centers had small potties then or I would have definitely utilized them when possible. Especially when she had to do #2.

Good luck!

 

[MyZoeJane]

My DD starting using the potty sporadically at that age, too... but honestly? I'd have to argue that for MOST toddlers that age it's simply too early. What actually ends up happening if you DO get the out of diapers is a form of glorified "parenting training." At that age I let my DD sit on her potty at home as much as she wanted to... but she still wore diapers because she didn't have the control necessary to REALLY hold it if out and about... or if distracted.

However, the upside to waiting til she was 30 months old is that the diapers were gone virutally overnight! Once she started to keep her diapers dry for hours on end, consistently told me she had to go rather than going in her diaper, and stayed dry overnight... I knew it was time to kiss the diapers goodbye for good.

It's only my humble opinion, but I think that if you try to take a toddler completely out of diapers without meeting all of these milestones, then it's too early for them to be REALLY potty trained. If you're asking every 30 minutes if she has to go, or insisting she sit on the potty then it's too soon. But if she's meeting these milestones already then I'd say go for it! Pick up a folding potty seat (I LOVE it!) and have fun!

 

[reginaastralis]

Thanks Ali

We're not working really hard at potty training, she's just ... kinda demanding it. I'm just worried in the next two-three weeks she's going to be even more demanding about potty time. Just wondering how people have done it at Disney.

I'm not ready for her to potty train! Don't I get a say in this?!?!

I'm off to look for a folding potty seat.

Amanda

 

[crl]

We used pull-ups at that age just in case we didn't make it in time. She knew they were her big girl undies with Princesses for the week. We got a folding seat to fit on adult sized seats. And we stopped often.

I disagree with 20 months being to young. Our DD started asking at 19 months, and we did a Disney trip at 21 months were she had no accidents.

Also if you don't feel comfy with pull-ups, get some gerber pull on diaper covers to put on over regular undies to keep her clothes dry if there is an accident.

 

[Oceana]

I dont think 20 months is too young. My older son started at 18 months and does just fine unless he gets upset because Daddy goes on a business trip. He has been in underpants for a year now and is 3. We did cloth diaper and that makes a difference though

We used Disney as an incentive to get a move on and get 100%. you know your kid... why not start and use a pull up and try whenever near a potty/

goodluck

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Anyone have advice when their kids are doing great at #1 but not even attempting #2 in the potty? At home, we are just cleaning up after her since I don't want to confuse her by putting her in pullups (she only uses them at night) BUT do people really carry around dirty clothing all day? I bought those HandySaks to bring with us to put the clothes in and thought that I could possibly use the laundry machines at the hotel if needed. But then my selfish side takes over and again I think...do I really want to carry the clothes around AND spend time on my vaca doing laundry? Can any veteran moms (or dads- let's be fair here!!) help???

PS. We are going in 3 weeks so I doubt that she was all of a sudden get the hang of the #2 thing Oh and in terms of the 20 month old. I say CONGRATS to you...DD started going on the potty at 18 months. Then she completely stopped after a couple of weeks and she is now 34 months and is just getting the hang of it again!

 

[ReadingMama]

My DS just started potty training too. But he's almost 3, lol. On the bright side, he started one day and I think has only had one accident since then, so it did happen quite suddenly.

We still have him in pull-ups and will until after we go to WDW. I agree, we will go to the bathroom before any long lines/parades, etc. One tip I read, was not to ask if they have to go, just take them!

 

[WDWorBUST]

I think it depends on #2 - I was so tired of cleaning up poopy panties but we didn't want to go backwards and thought she would NEVER get it.....almost overnight she GOT it....she's been poopy accident free for over two weeks now. She still has the occasional pee pee accident when she's playing or distracted - but once she got it - she got it. She is 33 months old now though - she started going pee pee in the potty this past December - but we really started potty training the last 3 months or so. She also was the one who showed the interest right before a Disney trip - we let her when she asked but we didn't try to start training until we were back home - and she'd lost interest by that point. So we waited and tried again a little later while still encouraging her to go on the potty and she was ready again. It has taken longer than I would have liked but it's a big process for a little girl.

 

[Oceana]

Anyone have advice when their kids are doing great at #1 but not even attempting #2 in the potty?

#2 is just harder. If you are concerned about the underpants confusion may I suggest cloth trainers? They are cloth and not very absorbant. they have snaps on teh sides so you can remove them like a diaper in case. Also the act of putting the poop where it goes is a great learning tool to get number 2 learned

wash them without softner is the only speacial thing to do.

http://www.emibeans.com/catalog.php?item=81&catid=19&ret=catalog.php?category=19

I guess I should add, they will keep the poop contained. Then you only carry your underpants and not everything she was wearing

 

[tmarquez]

I went through a similar thing with DD now 3.5. Alot of people gave me grief because she was "too young"...but each kid is ready at different times.

What we did was practice going on the big potty without the extra seat for a couple of weeks so she would be ready for whatever kind of toilet was available when she had to go. The poster who mentioned post-its...right on...I didn't think of this and at one point after an auto flush while she was sitting on it, I thought she'd never get up there again!

She wore those thicker cotton trainging underwear (just in case) that are comfy, yet very absorbant and brought a change of clothes. Luckily we never had an accident.

We also did scheduled potty breaks (for everyone). She knew when she had to go, but she didn't yet have the ability to know that she will have to go in say 30 minutes. There was no need to go to every bathroom we saw...we went every few hours regardless if you need to or not (reminds me of road trips with mom and dad!).

We still do this, just because it's easier and things don't get interupted.

Good luck...have a blast!

 

[Donald - my hero]

Well you might all think I am just but our daughter was close to 4 years before we even tried! Yup I used cloth diapers so lots of laundry -- had her brother still in them as well for about a year so for 2 years I had both in diapers. Then another 2 for her. <sigh> She suffered from severe food allergies and honestly did not have much control over even her bladder. We would ask her if she needed to go. Nope she said as it ran down her legs. I finally gave up on the cloth one when I had them soaking everywhere! Poor kid looked like a cowboy at night cause we had to put so many layers on her at night! Then I bought a pack of those pull-up thingees (had just came out) she hated how they felt. The next day POOF dry at night. Took about 2 weeks till day was finished as well. I told everyone, she won't go to school in diapers so I'm not worried