Let’s Talk…Potty Training!
Recently our little one started showing a keen interest in using the toilet and we were thrilled to support her in reaching this important milestone. To prepare for our ‘Toilet Training Journey’ we dug back into our memories to try and recall the tips and tricks we had learnt a few years earlier with her sister. We found the potties we had stored away and added a special toilet seat reducer to our toilet at home.
We spoke to Nikki and the team at nursery for some valuable advice and words of encouragement. Nikki told us that they would continue to take our little one to the toilet when the other children went to the toilet. We had a little chuckle about how extremely enthusiastic our daughter is about asking to go to the toilet, sometimes multiple times an hour!
To kickstart her potty training journey, we set aside a weekend where we could be at home. We made sure she was dressed in trousers that were easy to pull down and didn't wear any underwear. We had read (in the great and very humorous book - Oh Crap!”) that children can sometimes struggle to distinguish between a nappy and underwear, so we thought it best to introduce the concept of "Big Girl Pants" a little later on. We kept a potty close by at all times, even on our short outings. We made sure to have spare clean trousers with us, just in case.
Things went well and when Monday rolled around, we headed back to the nursery to meet her Key Person and discuss the next steps in her potty training journey. At nursery, they use Bambino Mio’s reuseable training pant for children at this stage. They found it to be much more effective than disposable pull-up nappies because the material was soft, slim, and if there was an accident the child feels wet – which helped them understand they need to take a trip to the toilet. Also, because they are reusable they save tonnes of polluting pull-up nappies from landfill.
Now, about ‘accidents’. The practitioners at nursery don’t actually use the word ‘accident’, Nikki explained to me that any pee (or poo) that ends up in the child's pants is not considered an accident at this stage, but rather a learning experience. They use positive and simple language. Instead of saying, "Oops, you had an accident," they say, "You are learning and you’re doing really well. You peed in your pants, but that's okay! Next time, your poo/pee goes in the toilet."
Our daughter still takes naps, and during nap time at nursery she wears a reusable nappy. The team explain to her, "I'm going to put a nappy on you for your nap because you're still learning. You've done such a good job today, and your nap is a long time. You may not remember to pee when you're sleeping. When you wake up, we'll take it off."
We feel really grateful for the support and guidance we've received from the nursery team. We’re proud of our little one’s progress and together, we're helping her develop important life skills one step at a time!
Be sure to get in touch with Nikki and the team of your little one needs any support with potty training.
