PT - coordinating with daycare questions

[emily]

I'm hoping to take a few days off this month and get serious about PTing 28mo DD. She's been using the potty off and on for about 8 months now but we haven't really been proactive about it. I think I'm finally ready. So assuming we're pretty successful over say a four day weekend, what do I do when she goes to daycare? I don't want to use pull ups. Do I put her in training pants, send extra clothes and hope for the best? I will, of course, tell her teacher but her teacher hasn't really worked with us very well in the PT department. When I mentioned that she was using the potty in the previous classroom and that I wanted DD to be encouraged to use the potty as in the the previous classroom, I got totally blown off and was told, "she's still wearing diapers, she's not PTed".

Also, I may totally be getting ahead of myself here, but what do you do when you're out and about? The thought of DD touching a public bathroom, ICK! I know they sell seat covers that you can carry around, but that kinda grosses me out too (carrying something in my bag that has touched public toilets).

Please share your wisdom.

[wellyes]

We're just about to start PT too, so I can't answer your first question, but ...
I know they sell seat covers that you can carry around, but that kinda grosses me out too (carrying something in my bag that has touched public toilets).

Right there with ya on that. My plan for out-and-about is to use a Potette http://www.potette.com/. It's a portable potty that you don't have to wash it out after use since the waste goes into a disposable bag.

[egoldber]

Does her teacher want to work with her? I think part of the issue is some teachers are really into it and motivated to help and some aren't. Younger DD's teachers last year were not and so we never did. But this summer, her camp teacher was VERY motivated to do it. Over July 4th weekend we did "potty bootcamp" and then sent her to school on Monday morning in underwear and she's been great ever since. She does still wear pull-ups for nap there.

But they really didn't want us sending them in underwear until they were able to be accident free at home for a good part of the day.

ETA: Well, I can't be bothered to carry a potty or cover, so we just use regular toilets. They do just fine, really. :) Just wash their hands well afterwards.

ETA2: I keep about 3 pairs of underwear and clothes in DD's school backpack, so she has plenty of changes for school.

[emily]

We're just about to start PT too, so I can't answer your first question, but ...

Right there with ya on that. My plan for out-and-about is to use a Potette http://www.potette.com/. It's a portable potty that you don't have to wash it out after use since the waste goes into a disposable bag.

do you have to use the Potette liners or can you just use any old plastic bag?

[emily]

Does her teacher want to work with her? I think part of the issue is some teachers are really into it and motivated to help and some aren't. Younger DD's teachers last year were not and so we never did. But this summer, her camp teacher was VERY motivated to do it. Over July 4th weekend we did "potty bootcamp" and then sent her to school on Monday morning in underwear and she's been great ever since. She does still wear pull-ups for nap there.

But they really didn't want us sending them in underwear until they were able to be accident free at home for a good part of the day.

ETA2: I keep about 3 pairs of underwear and clothes in DD's school backpack, so she has plenty of changes for school.

This is our problem. Her previous teacher was all gungho about PT. She was peeing and pooping daily in the potty at 18mos at daycare. But her new teacher (and she will be in her class for at least another 6-8 months), is just lazy (not just about PT, either). I guess I will ask if there is a policy re: underwear, training pants, or pull ups. Does anyone else have any insight? Do most daycares require pull ups until they are totally accident free? How is accident free defined anyway? I gotta think DD will have accidents outside the home vs. inside, no? at least in the beginning.
what did all you successful PT parents do?

[egoldber]

My older DD potty trained in the summer so we never had to deal with this at preschool. But kids will have accidents for a LONG time after being "potty trained". You can reasonably expect kids to have occasional accidents until they are in K!

Our preschool/daycare asks you to keep 2 changes of clothes (and underwear) for all kids. I think it is reasonable to expect an accident every month or two even for a "potty trained" 4 year old. A kid learning could have an accident a day or even more.

I think younger DD probably had 1 or 2 accidents a day at daycare the first week she was "training". She's had about one a week since then. But they take them to the potty quite often.

[wellyes]

do you have to use the Potette liners or can you just use any old plastic bag?You can use any old bag, up to 3 at a time. I'd suggest multi-layering since some grocery bags do have holes..... yuck.

The liners are nice in that they have a little absorbant pad at the bottom. I imagine that if you have a heavy wetter the bags would be worth it.

The other nice thing about the Potette is that it snaps flat and is very very small - would fit unobtrusively into a diaper bag. It comes with a plastic bag to carry in.

But it is small and low to the ground so wouldn't work for all kids to use on a regular basis (I do think that even after PT, we'll use it for stuff like camping.)

[hillview]

I'd sit down with the teacher and say that you plan to PT on this weekend and that after that you plan to send her to school in underpants and extra clothes. I'd ask specifically for them to ask your daughter to go potty every 15 minutes for a week. If they are on board that is great. If it is becoming too difficult I'd rethink the plan after a week. I'd communiate all this clearly and see what day care says.

WRT the out and about it is SUPER gross. I bring hand sanitizer and try to ignore the fact that it makes me want to puke with how much DS2 touches the bathroom stuff. GACK. We wash hands a long time in restaurants etc. It does get better.
/hillary

[wendibird22]

DD1 recently potty trained. Once we started we let the daycare director know and she told us to tell DD's teacher how we wanted it to go and that they'd follow our lead. We sent DD to school in unders and sent several changes of pants/shorts and unders. It's routine in her room to have regular potty breaks for all kids (before meals, snacks, naptime, outside or gym time, etc) so we didn't need to ask them to do it any more often than that. They did put her in a pull up for nap for quite a while until we all knew she had the hang of it and they are still consistent on making sure she goes potty right before and right after nap. The first week or so we also put a pull up on her for the drive to/from daycare (which is only 5mins away). We don't do that any longer but do make sure she goes before getting the car.

[Wondermom]

At our day care, potty training is expected when they hit the 2-3 yo class. The teachers are like clockwork telling the kids frequently to go use the potty, and it's the parents who have to be reminded to keep up the rountine at home.

Your day care teacher should want to support you on this. How frequently does your day care teacher change DD's diapers right now? Tell her that you're planning to switch to underwear, and that you want her to remind your DD to use the potty once an hour or at least with the same frequency that she would have changed diapers.

We used pull ups briefly, but went to underwear within a month or so of DS switching to his 2-3 yo class. We now keep 2 changes of clothes (and underwear) at day care. I think one time they had to use an extra pull up we had there b/c he wet himself 3 times in one day.

We're now in the habit of trying to make DS go every hour, but he really doesn't need to go that frequently and sometimes gets annoyed with us for making him. Our day care teacher says you'll know you've turned a corner once they start going to the potty without being prompted. I think we've just turned that corner. It's taken nearly a year.

Hang in there!