Potty training...guidance

I am potty-training 2 2yo boys in my daycare. My criteria is: the child has to be self-aware of the need to go BEFOREhand.....otherwise it's simply a matter of the adult initiating the process. & because of this, quite often families have to stop/start the process multiple times before potty-training is a success.

Until the child show self-awareness, the entire process is delayed. I also believe that using pull-ups/diapers simply delays the process further. :)

In a perfect world, I wait for self-awareness. About age 2, I begin introducing the concept of using a potty. We read books about it, we talk about the older kids using the bathroom, & we discuss diapers/babies vs. big kids. In other words, I set the stage.....

When the child begins to tell me "after the fact"....then I begin encouraging recognizing self-awareness. For me, this is a process... which takes time. I am also very adamant about not allowing potty time to become a game or playtime. No toys, no books.....& we have to sit still. I sit on the toilet lid & wait for them. In other words, I "model" the desired behavior. :)

As for your concerns about the babysitter, ask her about her policy & methods for training. Try to reach a common ground in approach. I think my worst case was when the parents allowed the child to carry the potty chair all over the house....nope, no way, not in my house! With all of my families, I requested: sweatpants (no jeans), at least 2 sets of clothes, & extra socks/shoes. Until recently, I also requested NO pull-ups & used only the thick training undies & plastic pants. I have lightened up on that request now that pull-ups have velcro tabs. :) Hope this helps......

She will do it when she's ready, so if you try and it's not "working", take a break. For us (and I think all kids are different), we found a long weekend - or take some time from work 1-2 days if you can. Be inside all day. Take off the diapers and put on the undies. Show her the potty and what it's for. Reminder to try to sit on it frequently (I never set a timer or forced her). Then when she does go - get EXCITED, clap, sing, dance etc. When she goes in her pants, calmly say "Uh oh" where does the potty go? Yep, in the potty". Then clean her up and say, we'll try it again next time. If at all possible once the daytime diapers are "gone" keep it that way. My son was done in 3 days (at 3.5 years) my daughter took longer but started at 21 mos... Then discuss with the babysitter, but try not to put her in and out of diapers...

The babysitter does not need to be running around cleaning up pee so send pullups with your child to her house. Otherwise do it however it works for you. I prefer to not have all the extra laundry so I used pullups. They can get them up and down like normal underwear so that keeps the mess localized. If they are not feeling the urge to pee then they are going to pee no matter what. So when someone says that pull ups are useless, they go in them just like diapers that's a bit true but still who wants to clean up pee and pooh off the furniture and flooring all the time.

Well, I used pull ups. I know some people don't like the pull ups, but they were more convienent since my kids were in daycare. I used all sorts of things before we actually got there. I had a jar of M&Ms in the bathroom...one for number 1 and two for number 2. I also tried a potty timer and made them go sit and try every hour or half hour. That being said...I think both of mine were probably 3.5 before they really were trained during the day. My son was probably 5 before he was night trained and we still have an accident every once in a while...

I potty trained my 2.5 yo daughter by accident and it was super easy! Maybe I just got lucky but it totally worked. We were at the same point as you but her antibiotics gave her a nasty diaper rash so I put her in panties to give her some relief. I set a timer (microwave or cell phone) for every 20 minutes, when it beeped, we raced to the potty. After a day of this we went to 30 minutes, then the next day we did 45 minutes for a few days, then an hour. We got to the point where I would just show her my phone that the timer went off and she would just run to the potty, like it was a game! We were at the Christmas dinner table and it went off and she yelled, "I will be right back, my timer is beeping!" After about 2 weeks of increasing the time she was over the timer and now she just goes when she needs to. We talked about how special it is to wear panties and who gets to wear them. She got to pick which ones she wanted to wear each day. We also talked that if she has an accident we have to stop playing for a long time but if she goes potty we only stop playing for a little time. It has been 2 months and NO accidents! I am so proud of her! She stops playing where ever we are and just goes! I can't believe it! The first few days were exhausting, I have never spent so much time in the bathroom! But totally worth it because I have seen so many kids regress if they aren't ready. Best of luck and it really is awesome to see them have success!