Potty Training

Sara Rapp,  M.A Early Childhood Education

SAI Preschool Teacher, Eader Elementary School  

 

My Thoughts on Potty Training…

My assistants and I attended a “Potty Training” presentation this school year  put on by the Regional Center of Orange County entitled “Potty Training:  Patience and Perspiration”.  The speaker was Suzanne Lowe.  Ms. Lowe has her Masters in Education and is a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst).   

 

In my 16 years of teaching Early Intervention, potty training has been one of the toughest areas in child development to train, reinforce and generalize!  All children are different and we cannot make anyone do three things:  (1) talk, (2) eat, or (3) go potty!  

 

With that being said, I have simply outlined my thoughts on the subject by taking the important aspects of the presentation, my experiences, and the countless books/articles I have read on the subject.  Enjoy!

 

THE FIVE P’S OF POTTY TRAINING

 

#1 PRIORITY:  

 

1. Are you ready?   You, the parent, must be fully committed to the task at hand.  It is not easy and requires a lot of time, attention, and patience.  Please make sure you and all caretakers working with your child are ready for this task!

 

2. Is your child ready?   Here is a list of readiness skills to help us know when a child is ready for training.  Not all skills listed are necessary to attain success, but the more skills a child has, the easier the task of being fully potty trained will be.  Please keep this in mind.

   • Follow simple instructions

   • Developmental age of two

   • Able to pull up and down his/her own pants

   • Can stay dry for a few hours at a time

   • Shows some awareness of being wet

   • Dislikes being wet

   • Awareness of having a BM or urination (withdrawal, body positioning)

   • Regular BM’s and no soiling during sleep

   • Stool should be normal in size and consistency.  Soft, well-formed bowel movements are recommended.  Should be no evidence of constipation or diarrhea.  Child’s diet or medications may be a factor in stool formation.  Contact a medical doctor if stood withholding occurs.

   • Able to sit and hold body on toilet (may need adaptations)

   • No medical conditions or medication that make toileting impossible

   • Communicates need to use the bathroom or need to be changed

#2 PREPARATION

 

1. Prepare your child.

• Model toileting for your child

• Let your child observe parents or siblings using the toilet

• Watch a toileting routine:  video model, DVD

• Read toileting books and play with toileting dolls

 

2. Make toileting a comfortable experience

• A step stool so his/her feet are not dangling and he/she can get on and off the toilet independently

• A potty chair or adaptive seat

• If possible, make the room and toilet seat temperature comfortable

 

3. Make toileting fun!

• Have a favorite book or toy in the bathroom that the child only has access to while in the bathroom.

• Have music on while your child is sitting on the toilet

• Make a game out of toileting (like peeing on cheerios for boys)

• Keep the bathroom clean and organized to minimize distractions

 

4. Goodbye diapers….hello pull-ups (or go straight to underwear).

• Have fun underwear with characters

• Place underwear under the pull-up so that your child feels wetness

• A graduation ceremony mya be held to teach the child that he/she has graduated from pull-ups and is a big boy/girl that uses underwear.

• Your child NEEDS to wear clothes that are EASY to pull up and down.

• Avoid snaps, buttons, zippers, or belts!

 

#3 PRACTICE

 

• Utilize appropriate strategies to address other behavioral concerns related to toileting tasks (sitting refusal, tantrums, physical aggression)

• “Rewards with shaping” may be utilized to help your child approach and sit on the toilet for a longer time (start with 10 seconds, then go to 20 seconds). An auditory timer or visual timer may be used as well.

• Don’t make your child sit for too long!  My recommendation is no longer than 10 minutes.  

• Keep your language simple and consistent (“pants down”, “sit on toilet”, “go pee”, “wash hands”).

• Remain neutral if your child has an accident.  Do NOT utilize punishment or negative reactions!  

• Utilize a task analysis:  this involves sequencing the steps of toileting in a series of photos or pictures.  We have these in class, if you are interested, please ask or create one on your own.  Review the steps with your child before, during, and after toileting.

• To increase the likelihood your child will let go while on the toilet:

  1. provide your child with water 15 minutes before a toileting prompt

  2. turn on running water in the bathroom (but not during a drought)

  3. sit your child on the toilet according to his/her typical elimination pattern (stand for #1, sit for #2)

  4. Schedule toileting opportunities often.  I recommend every 30 minutes to start, then adjust according to your child’s need.

 

#4 PARTICIPATION

 

1.  Don’t make toileting an aversive task.

• Don’t force your child.

• If your child is not ready you may need to wait a few weeks and then reintroduce the subject.

• Forcing your child will make the experience more aversive and he/she may develop a fear of toileting

• Do not flush the toilet while your child is still on the toilet

 

2.  Have your child participate in the clean-up/ changing process

• Have him/her clean up if possible.

• Throw away dirty diaper

• Pull up and down own pants

• Empty own diaper into the toilet

• Complete all toileting activities in the bathroom

• Don’t make it fun!  Have your child do the work while you help when needed and supervise.  This will help your child “own” his/her experience.

 

#5 PROGRAM

 

• Take data on a “Toileting Schedule” (attached)

• Establish baseline and notice patterns

• Maintain a toileting routine based on data collected

• Rewards should be used for dry/clean pants, urination on the toilet, and/or BM completion on the toilet

• A visual monitoring system is recommended (sticker chart, token board)

• Use self management if possible

www.rewardcharts4kids.com

www.freeprintablebehaviorcharts.com

www.kidpointz.com