by Teacher Nancy Sivilai
Toddlers age 1 ½ to 2 years usually start being introduced or get potty/toilet training. Some are introduced to potty training or sitting on a potty others prefer toilet training with a child’s trainer seat that clips onto the toilet which makes your child free safe and confident on the toilet.
As you embark on getting your child trained begin by looking for your child’s signs of readiness to stop wearing nappies. Most evident signs of readiness to look for are:
1. Your child will show they need to pee or poo by fidgeting or going somewhere quiet or hidden.
2. They know when they are peeing and may tell you.
3. They know when they have a dirty nappy.
4. They are able to pull their pants up and down.
From previous experience working with parents and children, my advise would be to start potty training at home when your family is having no great changes happening such as the birth of a new child or travel or changes to your normal family routine. Beginning potty/toilet training is a time to have a consistent schedule that does not confuse your child. I know of parents who began their child’s training during a school break when their schedule was more relaxed for them and their child.
At school we will be working closely with the parents to help their child move from nappies to ‘grown up pants’. Parents are advised to notify their class teacher when they want to begin.
In working for success, it is more successful for your child to wear clothes that are easy to change and avoid clothes with zips, buttons or tight clothes that are difficult to remove. The best clothes for your child at this time are easily managed clothing such as pants with elastic tops. The focus will be on the child doing the work to develop his/her own self-help skills with teachers nearby.
Accidents will happen and should always be handled sensitively both at school and at home and the children are always changed in a quiet place. Accidents are often the result of not yet acquiring the rudiments of control, being overly fatigued, new to school, or coming down with an illness.
It is important to always have extra dry pairs of pants at school for emergencies . These are important to your child and teachers when needed and all concerned.
Another important rule is hand-washing. Hand-washing should be a consistent part of toilet/potty training routine. Children generally enjoy it and will gladly take time to enjoy the soap and water experience. The great benefit from this little extra time is the reduction in the spread of contagious virus and germs with a guarantee there will be a reduction in colds and diarrhea that result for everyone is worth the effort.
January 2024
