Potty training at WDW

[disneydreamer1970]

Hi, everyone!

DS (2) has decided to start going on the potty this week, and has had only two accidents since Monday! YAHOO!! We are leaving for WDW in 17 days and I am looking for any tips to help him while we are there.

Any help would be appreciated!! He is doing such a great job and I wan't to keep it that way!

Trish

 

[lclark0621]

Potty Training at home is a completely different beast from potty training outside the home...Especially in a place like WDW!

There is so much excitment going on & so much to see & do. I would not even consider "training" in a place like that.

Personally I would put a pull up or something over your child's underwear. Explain it is just for emergency situations.

Because seriously there has got to be nothing worse then getting on the pirate shp on Peter Pan's Flight & hearing "I gotta go NOW!" Or a little one being so excited he has an accident on Mickey's leg. (I am sure that poor Mouse gets peed on about as much as Santa Claus).

And try to remind them to go to the potty over and over again.

Bring a complete change of clothes in the park daily (underwear, socks, shoes, pants & shirt). I can always find plenty of shirts to buy, but underwear & pants? Probably going to be hard to find.

 

[whenuwishuponastarr]

I have a similar situation. DD (2) decided to start going potty recently. Though she is not doing quite as good as ur son. I m going to bring pull ups along bcause Disney is so big and we may not make it to potty in time. we have a little longer than u guys b4m we leave {22 days}. Good Luck! mayb he will b fully trained 4 u.

Medh: ds(20) ds (8) dd(6) dd(2)

 

[PJHuntleyCO]

My DS(3) is too busy and it has been hit or miss on the potty training. We have the Potty box (rewards for pottying in the potty) and that is working. As for potty training while at Disney - I think the little ones will be very busy, and not focused on that, but each child is different.
I would definately bring pull-ups and keep them on all day/night. Make the breaks every at least once every 1 1/2 - 2 hrs for potty, and don't get frustrated, if in line they say I need to go potty - this will happen, just be ready for it, they can't wait, it is in fact a NOW thing.
My DD(14) potty trained herself at 1 - lucky me, then reverted at 2 and was fully potty trained by 2 1/2. So my youngest is an adventure. We are taking pullups and regular diapers for nights, so that we don't have any set backs.
We want to make it fun and not set ourselves or him back,so I am taking little things like Disney Stickers and will get Disney treats for rewards for success.
Have fun!

 

[Kallista]

I took a potty training 3 year old to WDW. We didn't use pull ups.

It went just fine. I made sure that he hit the potty when we went in the entrance -- first thing. I asked him if needed to use the potty about every hour. I kept a careful eye on him for signs of "the potty dance." I took extra clothes and a big ziploc, just in case.

He didn't have any accidents. He actually did better in the parks then he did at home, probably because I was more mindful of it.

 

[minniesmama]

I'm right there with you, too. My DD has been using the potty exclusively for about 2 weeks now. We leave for Disney on Sunday. My plan is to use Pull Ups for times when we just can't guarantee we can get to a potty quickly (on the plane, maybe busy mornings when the lines might be long at the parks etc.) and stick with underwear the rest of the time. I'll bring at least 2 changes of pants and underwear with us every day. I just plan on hitting every restroom as we pass by and hope that's enough! Maybe I'll be able to do a Disney potty review when we get back!
Congratulations to your son!

 

[ktlm]

We were not going to potty train DD until we got back from WDW. Imagine our surprise when 2 weeks before her 1st trip she started consistently going on the potty and refusing to go anywhere else. She wore pull ups at WDW just in case, but had no accidents the entire week. We did have a couple of mad rushes to find a potty though. Our necessary item was a fold-up potty topper. She doesn't like sitting on the adult potty seat by itself. The fold-up sits on top of the regular toilet seat and folds into 1/4s so you can throw it in the stroller. It comes with its own ziplock bag to keep it in. We had one for the parks and one for the hotel (as I'm germaphobe and didn't want the one from the parks touching the toilet we were all using all week- We also had tiny travel bottles of lysol that I took to spray on the potty seat when I picked it up off the park toilets for the same reason). Just try to remember to ask him if he needs to go, or take him, often, especially if you are getting into a long line or going to a show.

 

[ktlm]

I probably should have told you that we got the topper at either Wal-Mart or Target. I can't remember which, but I think they both had them.

 

[CLR4321]

I'd bring pull-ups. This way if he has an accident it's not going to make a mess. A kid is going to be focused on WDW while they are there, not thinking about the fact that they need to go potty. I would suggest asking frequently during the day (maybe everytime you get off a ride or every 30-45 mins) if he needs to go.

 

[nmmom95]

I took a potty training 3 year old to WDW. We didn't use pull ups.

It went just fine. I made sure that he hit the potty when we went in the entrance -- first thing. I asked him if needed to use the potty about every hour. I kept a careful eye on him for signs of "the potty dance." I took extra clothes and a big ziploc, just in case.

He didn't have any accidents. He actually did better in the parks then he did at home, probably because I was more mindful of it.

This is what I did for both of my boys when they were potty training and it works. As long as you take him about every hour, you will usually be ahead of any accidents. Pull ups, after a few weeks of potty training, may confuse him. I carried a change of clothes in a ziploc as well, but never needed them. Also, both of my boys were 2 when they were trained and had no accidents after about 2 weeks, so 17 days may be enough time for him to be fully trained.

 

[rileysmommy]

Also, warn your child about the automatic flushing toilets. They can be loud and frighten some children, especially if they are still sitting on it at the time. If you have any stores around you that have these "magic potties" (as we call them at our house) I would try taking your child there and use the potties. I know our Lowe's has them and so will be taking my ds there for some potty time this summer to prep him.

 

[boltfans]

I took my son last June when he was about a month into potty training and we survived the week with just 1 accident, and that was only because there was a huge line for the toilet and he couldn't wait any longer (and no one was willing to let us cut the line, lucky me). Anyway, he did better in WDW than he had been doing at home. I just sat him on the toilet every hour to be sure there were no accidents, and in between that he would tell me he had to go as well. So sometimes we were in the bathroom every 30 minutes, but hey, at least he was dry.

FWIW, he was 22 months at the time and we had not at all planned to train him them. He started preschool that winter (at 18 months) and was the youngest kid in the class, most of them were turning 3yo that summer. He also had a 4yo sister who obviously used the toilet and he loves to be like her. So they were all trained except him so he did not want to be in diapers anymore and started taking them off as soon as we could get them on. I finally caved and decided to train him.

We went back this past April, he was then 2.5yo, fully trained for about 8 months, and I still took him to the bathroom at regular intervals. Not every hour like last year, but every 2 hours if he didn't ask to go in between then. He hadn't had an accident in months, but I couldn't help but think that he'd get so distracted with all there was to see and do and 'forget' to use the potty.

 

[HerdOHuds]

I just wanted to offer some encouragement.

My kids were on year 2 of training and we were stocked up on the pull-ups for our trip to WDW. 2 were completely trained in all areas. 1 was nowhere close and 1 was just having a hard time with sit-down jobs. In the months before our trip I reiterated again and again, when there would be an accident, that they don't let children have accidents in WDW. Everyone has to wear big kids pants and if we have an accident then we have to leave the park and return to the room to change clothes. (I did carry changes of clothes just in case, but we kept them in a backpack that was mostly in a locker. It was our insurance!)

Once we got there, my 2 that were still having problems worked SO HARD to keep their pants clean and dry. They didn't have a single accident, though we were in pull-ups just in case. We came home from WDW fully trained.

I realize that the kids were basically waiting for the 'perfect storm' to be trained and I am glad it was WDW that did it. We were finally at the end of a really long dark tunnel and so glad to see the light!

Good luck!

 

[BayouMouseketeer]

One piece of advice I can give is when you get there, ask at each park for the location of a bathroom with a potty that does not flush automatically! I found out too late that there is one in each park. My DD was 2 and had been PT'ed for about 2 months when we went. The first time one of those potties flushed automatically, she FREAKED and I had a very hard time getting her back in a bathroom after that. After a week of misery, I mentioned something to a CM in MK and she told me where a "traditional" bathroom was located and said there is one in every park.

 

[MickeyMouse'sBFF]

Don't let the "world" intimidate you. I potty trained our son 5 years ago at disney and it turned out to work GREAT! Go to potty..wait in line for a ride..go on ride.. get all excited.. go to bathroom after get off ride.. repete Workes like a charm. Sure, there may be accidents, but jus come prepared for them l;ike you would if you were at home. It turns out to be a LOT more fun. Dont stress it

 

[HappyPeach]

I would use pull-ups. My son didn't have confusion if there were places he wore a pull-up rather than underwear. I carry a folding potty ring that fits nicely in a gallon sized zip-loc. I also carry a travel size of clorox wipes to clean the potty ring after use. I'd continue asking frequently and everytime you see a restroom I'd point it out and ask again. I'm a big fan of giving stickers or other small rewards (M&Ms!) for going potty, trying to go and staying dry. Good luck! Maybe he will surprise you and totally train himself before you leave.