Potty-training question/advice wanted

[donaldsgal]

We are going to Disney next week, and my niece, who is 3 months shy of 3, has been potty-training. At this point, I'd say she is entirely trained. She consistently asks at home, the sitter's, in the store, at a restaurant, etc. to go potty, and she can go #1 and #2 when she asks in all those places. She rarely has accidents, but it does happen (last time was last night while she slept, and she's sleeping in pull-ups some nights).

That brings me to my question. My sister was planning to take pull-ups with us to Disney next week as a precaution. I think she may be planning on having DN wear them at least some of the time. So we (the sitter, my mom and I) think this may lead her to regress away from being so well potty-trained. My sister's idea is that, if we make sure she goes before we get in line or go to a show, and we keep her occupied while in line, she will be distracted and not have an accident. Being ON the ride or watching the show will also keep her distracted. Oh, and we can usually tell by the look on her face if she needs to go, even if she hasn't asked yet. I guess I think when she's relaxed, her muscles may relax and she may stop "holding it".

So what are your thoughts? To pull-up or not to pull-up - that is the question! Thanks for your thoughts. By the way, my sister's a fabulous mom; just was seeking advice of veteran moms out there since this is daughter and niece #1 for she and I. We will have 4 other adults with us, so there will be lots of help to make potty runs. Oh, and there are also two other kids (one who is 4 and trained, and one who is 2 and not trained), so she'll have examples of other children to follow as well. The 4yo is her cousin, who she looks up to and is also female, so they can take potty trips together.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[carmie3377]

This is what we did with DD at night after she was potty trained. We were afraid of accidents at night and this worked well. Put panties on her and then the pull-up over the panties. She will still feel like a big girl because she will have panties on. However, if she has an accident, she will feel the wetness but it won't soil her clothes.

DS turned 2 in March. It seem as if he's been ready to potty train for a month or two, but I've been holding off knowing we are going to Disney. As soon as we get home, we are starting training.

 

[perriwinkleblue]

After what seemed like forever...my 3 year old son got the hang of potty training with only the occasional accident. I thought about maybe going "cold turkey" with no pull-ups on our trip. Well, we decided to go the other way and use only pull-ups because (we thought) accidents would be too tough to deal with while touring the parks. Well, long story short, my son totally regressed and thought of the pull-ups as diapers. It was so frustrating. What seemed convenient (for us) turned into a big pain in the neck. We ended up in the baby center buying MORE pull-ups.

So, my opinion is; bring a couple of extra pairs of undies (and dry pants) out with you each day and maybe use pull-ups for overnight.

Good luck and have a nice trip

 

[mjkacmom]

My answer is not there. Have her wear pullups over her underwear.

 

[julie2818]

We took a trip to Washington, D.C. this past spring with my *almost* trained 2 year old. Because we were out walking so much and I didn't think we'd always have immediate access to bathrooms, I put him in pull-ups for most of the trip. That was a mistake. He regressed somewhat and it took us a while to get back to where we were before our trip.

So, my advice is to go into the parks with her wearing underwear as normal. Take a couple changes of clothes AND a pull-up or two. If and only if, she shows that she's not able to tell you when she needs to go, then use the pull-ups. I do say use the pull-ups at night though - over underwear.

I'm probably going to do the same thing with my now 3 year old that has been trained for months. I don't think you can ever be too prepared.

Best of luck!

 

[jodifla]

I'd keep her in underwear with extra changes of clothes and lots of potty stops.

But I'd bring pullups for nightime AND in my carryon for THE PLANE RIDE!


You can get stuck on a runway for hours with no access to a bathroom. I always have a pullup in my carryon bag so there's a plan B for small kids.

 

[amandaraye]

We took my DD2.5 to Six Flags for the day just a week or so into potty training and I struggled with this same issue. I decided no pull-ups. JMO (and as you mentioned) it might cause some unnecessary regression in her training. DD did GREAT all day (12 hours). I brought my fold-up potty seat and we just brought her to the bathroom a few times throughout the day BEFORE she asked to go and she did great. Not one accident . And if there's an accident, then so be it. that's why we have extra undies.
Good luck and have a great trip!!!

 

[mom2aredhead]

Disney with a newly trained kid is tough - BTDT.
I brought my son to the bathroom what felt like a million times - before a long line, before we ate, after we ate, after an attraction - definitely spent more time there than I wanted to, but it comes with the territory. He only had one accident while we were there - unfortunately I happened to be holding him at the time so although I had a change of clothes for him, I had to spring for a new shirt for myself. I just had to really pay attention to what he was drinking and how long since he had gone previously.
But I think it was still the right thing to do - I can't imagine how confusing it would have been for him to all of a sudden be wearing a diaper again after we made such a big fuss (in a good way) about him wearing underwear and going on the toilet, and being a big boy etc.

 

[poohguys]

I would say do what you normally do at home. We took DS (at the time almost 3) who was potty trained during the day and still had a few accidents at night. He wore underpants during the day and pull ups at nap/night time. We did have to leave in the middle of a few shows to go potty, but that was fine. (also when we ran in to his favorite Peter Pan!) I was glad that he asked rather than have an accident. I would suggest asking when you check in to get a matress pad for the bed. They have the small kind like you would put in a crib. Ds fell asleep one day in the afrernoon on the way back to the room and we did not put the pull ups on and he had an accident on the bed and we had to get a whole new set of sheets. I would say don't strees about it and you will have a great trip!

I just wanted to add that the toilets there have the auto flush and a lot of kids are afraid of them. Other people have suggested bringing a post-it to stick over the sensor so that the toilet does not flush while the child is going and scare them.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I would put her in a Pull Up at night simply because she will be so tired from being in the parks all day. I have had a fully trained child wet on me when he was super tired and fell asleep on my lap.

Keep her in panties during the day, but bring some Pull Ups to put on her when she changes into pajamas.

 

[jodifla]

I would put her in a Pull Up at night simply because she will be so tired from being in the parks all day. I have had a fully trained child wet on me when he was super tired and fell asleep on my lap.

Keep her in panties during the day, but bring some Pull Ups to put on her when she changes into pajamas.

another good reason to use a pullup at night -- some people on these boards have been charged hundreds of dollars for a mattress (staying offsite) when their child has had an accident!

 

[DISNEYFOS]

I would probably have a pull up for the plane and nighttime . The rest of time use underwear bring change of clothes.. Bring exta pull-ups and if she seems to be having lots of accidents move to the pullups then rather than just automatically using them. My DD was 2 1/2 when she was fully trained for about 2 months..She was a flower girl in a Disney wedding.. We made an awful lot of trips to the bathrooms..Mostly because it was a novelty and she wanted to "check them out"...But she suprised me. No accidents.

 

[imthatgirl]

if she uses them at night at home i would bring them for the night.
but i wouldnt use them during the day. that could be confusing for a child. here she is, she just did all that work learning how to use the potty and now shes told she needs to be put back in diapers. i would think that could be a bit insulting.

 

[mmaikisch]

I'm in the same situation =) We will be in disney in December and my dd will be 21/2. She has been potty trained now for about 1 month and only wears pull ups at night. We will also have 3 adults in our party which will make it alot easier if we are in line when she has to go. One of the adults can take her to the bathroom, while the rest stay in line as long as the cm is ok with that =) We also have maps of all the parks that we will be going to so we know where all the bathrooms are beforehand, so they will be easier to find when she "really, really has to go" =) Also, everytime we happen to pass a bathroom, I will take her in for a potty break even if she doesn't have to go, she always seems to be able to go a little once she is on the potty. I'll bring some extra panties and clothing and shoes just in case she has an accident, but hopefully we won't need to use them. (The shoes are just in case she has a big accident and she manages to get her shoes wet, this way she doesn't have to walk around the rest of the day with wet shoes). You can also purchase mattress covers at the dollar store for the resort (I know I've seen them in mine). I'm also bringing a changing pad (one of the small fold up ones) and some shout wipes with me in case she has an accident in her stroller, I can clean her stroller, and then put the changing pad down so that if she sits in the stroller before it is fully able to dry, she won't get her dry clothes wet. I know it seems like alot, but this way we won't have to change the routine that she is used to, and essentially everything will fit into the bag we are already planning on bringing into the park anyway. Hope this helps =)

 

[Camno's Mama]

I've potty trained quite a few kids because I worked in a 2/3 year-old preschool room. I can't stand pull ups. I feel like they were the greatest marketing idea EVER for the diaper companies because they prolong potty training!

I would say definitely go without and just bring some extra clothing. If you are willing to make a few potty stops, then I'm sure that she will be fine! Good luck!

 

[Camno's Mama]

I'd keep her in underwear with extra changes of clothes and lots of potty stops.

But I'd bring pullups for nightime AND in my carryon for THE PLANE RIDE!


You can get stuck on a runway for hours with no access to a bathroom. I always have a pullup in my carryon bag so there's a plan B for small kids.

That's a very good point. Never thought of that. If she can't use the bathroom, in that case, that would be a great option. Although, in that case, a diaper would probably be more helpful. Diapers are designed for kids to go in them, and the kids know that. Pulll-ups are supposed to be designed for the kids NOT to go in them. She may have a hard time with that if she has been encouraged to hold it while in them. She may be less confused if you use a diaper for that purpose.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

No pull-ups during the day!

My dd was trained at 27 months. We went to Disney at 29 months. I used some pull-ups during the afternoon because of longer lines and the fear she might fall asleep in the stroller. Well, she quickly regressed, and I had to spend a couple of weeks retraining her.

I would use them at night though! An accident during the day isn't a huge deal, but wet mattresses are!

 

[miksilver]

My DD is in pull ups occassionaly at night as well and we are planning on brining then with us for our upcoming trip to wear with pj's only -- like she does at home. I do not want to have an additional worry about her at night just because she's overly tired some nights.

 

[teedisney]

I voted do what you do at home. We took our son we he finished potty training. We only put a pull-up on for the drive down b/c we were nervous. We actually told him Disney World was his prize for being potty trained. No accidents all week.

 

[donaldsgal]

Thanks for all the replies! We've thought through some options. I like the idea of her wearing her underwear all the time, except at night, which I think it what she does now. During the day, we can resort to having her wear her underwear with her pull-ups OVER them so that, if she had an accident, she still is reinforced by the unpleasantness of wetting her undies.

I think we are shooting for no pull-ups during the day. It'll be underwear with a spare pair of underwear (feel a bit like Dr. Seuss there! ) while in the parks. We can also track for the next couple of days how often she potties during the day so we have a good idea of how much she may need to potty while there. We'll of course take her to potty before rides, before/during/after meals, etc. Since she's rarely having accidents, I'm hopeful we can go accident-free!

A few interesting considerations, though. If she WERE to have an accident on the ride, that would be unsanitary for the next guest. Even more so if we were sitting on cloth seats as you do in attractions like PhilHarmagic (ewww!). All the more reason, I guess, to make sure she goes before we get in line. However, using FPs and getting to rides at times of day when fewer people are at that ride (we use TGM), that should minimize how many lines we wait in.

So this is the plan, I think: wear underwear at all times, except when she does at home, which is most nights and sometimes during naps. Have spare clothes in the "diaper bag" along with a pull-up or two. Oh - and on the plane! It's a direct flight at about 2 hours and 15 minutes, so we should be okay for the flight itself. Ask often if she needs the potty! Use pull-ups when she sleeps, and if she starts having tons of accidents, use them then as well. Oh, and definitely since we are staying on points in a Grand Villa at SSR - I imagine it'd get very costly if we had to keep asking for new sheets since we don't get regular mousekeeping. But the pull-ups when she sleeps (which is her routine at home) should prevent the mattress getting soiled.

Thanks for your input! I'm excited to see how she does. It will be so interesting for her to not need to be changed on diaper tables, to not have to lug a huge diaper bag, and to even have her walking more in the parks (granted she's been walking about 13-14 months, but I imagine she'll use the stroller less this trip. She'll still need it, but she'll want to be out and walking more than last trip, and it was even a fair amount then). I love this age.