How we go about toilet training at Rosie’s

 

Parents need to provide

• 10 pairs of knickers/pants (It’s a good idea to get ones you know your child will absolutely love!!)

 

• 10 pairs of leggings / jogging bottoms (must be very easy for child to take up and down on their own and they

       don’t have to be brand new – charity shops often have these)

 

• At least 2 tops / t-shirts and spare shoes and socks as well (They will get wet too!)

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Little accidents happen and it is important to be prepared well for when they do. This is a normal part of the process. Make sure child knows this is “OK” by adults saying, “It’s OK. We’ll try to keep the next pair dry all day.” Choose a 3 week block that is suitable for all i.e. No weddings, moving house, going on holiday or any other major stressful or busy time.

The process involves all parents and carers doing the same thing together. Having some books on the topic will help keep the task in everyone’s mind. Read regularly and make it as fun and enjoyable. It is also necessary for the child to have the speech and language skills to say, “I need a wee!”

Once it is decided to say “Goodbye to Pull Ups / Nappies”, that’s it. Pull Ups / Nappies only go on at sleep time. They draw urine and poo away from the skin which doesn’t allow the child to recognise that they don’t like that wet feeling. Going back to using nappies/pull-ups only confuses the child and prolongs the process. (Obviously, if your child becomes very unwell – that would be the only time you would consider going back to pull-ups)

In about 3 weeks of consistent toilet training, at home and at Rosie’s, we will know if the child is ready to stay in knickers/pants to keep learning this new skill which is achieving control over their bladder and bowel movements.

Offer the toilet first thing in the morning and after waking from sleep.

Offer drinks often too. (This helps to increase the number of times for using the toilet – and children get the hang of it more with lots of practice)

Offer toilet before and after eating meals.

We find using an egg timer is fantastic – set it for every 20 minutes. This also reminds adults too. It is easy for the adults and the child to get engrossed in something and the egg timer helps to keep a focus on the toilet training.

Saying “It’s wee time now” or “let’s go for a wee now”. Hold hands, skip and sing to the loo or whatever….it must be made into a fun activity.
It is a tricky skill to learn and like learning anything new there are ups and downs, and good and bad feelings we have about ourselves and the skill we are trying to master.

Patience, perseverance and understanding is required by the adults. It is normal for a child to say they “don’t want to” if they are playing or busy doing something. Do not be put off by this. We will say “that’s okay, you can bring it with you” or “it will wait for you to finish your wee. Then you can play with it.” It is important that the child doesn’t feel they are losing out on some exciting activity when they are learning this new skill. If the child wants to get off the toilet too soon be prepared with a book to use as a distraction. It could be on the topic to help keep the focus.

Remember KEEP IT LIGHT and HAPPY

It is a good idea to quickly place a white piece of toilet paper in the toilet first so that you can actually tell if a wee has been done. DON’T ALWAYS TAKE YOUR CHILD’S WORD FOR IT. They want to get back and play…… If they haven’t done a wee say, “OK, we will try later.”

Wash hands and then back to play. And make sure you do try again!!

When OUT and ABOUT, do not be tempted to put pull ups on as this hampers the process. Put a towel folded many times or use a Pampers Bedding Protector on a buggy or car seat. If the child does wet / poo themselves, remember this is part of the process of learning this new skill. We all went through it.

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK
Rosie and Team