Question: What if they pee on the pot but poo in their pants and then hide it?
Be calm, don’t mind the mess, and never shame your child for natural functions. Someone along the line has made them feel bad about pooping.
You don’t want your child to hold it in and get constipated. I read that “Constipation is the thief of HEALTH!”
Let them know it’s quite natural to poo and you can’t wait till you see them going on the pot! Sit with your child while he is trying and use it as a chance to talk about the day. It will make it fun and not something to be ashamed of. Let them know how proud you are when they do it in the right place. Usually after a meal people have the urge to go. Give ’em more liquids and watch ’em go! But above all, Don’t shame them for ‘accidents’. I LOVE the approach of a wonderful mom named Tara. Check out her blog on potty training here. What she is doing is really the thing that makes any ‘technique’ work- the love and cooperative spirit that you show in being there for your kids. You are on their side, and they can feel it, see it and know it for the great support that it is. How could they NOT want to cooperate with someone like that?
Question: What about while they are learning? Should I use ‘pullups’ or regular underwear?
HEIDI (a fantastic mother of FIVE) made this wise observation ABOUT ‘pull-ups’:
“Pullups = a diaper ; a DIAPER = go ahead and pee.”
I agree! SMART MAMA, HEIDI! THANKS for your contribution to the mom’s and kids of the world! I could never afford pullups anyway and thought they were probably invented to get more of my hard-earned money! Some ‘experts’ believe that children actually learn faster when they can feel their ‘mistake’ running down their legs, but you do have to be able to afford the time and handling more mess to allow it! But what about kids DOESN’T involve mess? There’s no avoiding it – JUMP RIGHT IN FOLKS! Join the FUN!
What about teaching them to WIPE? Here are some great links to help kids learn to wipe:
LINK 1: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Pediatrics-1429/teaching-child-clean-BM.htm
LINK 2: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/8/586186
—From this site I read a cute ‘game’ you can make of wiping skills:
“We make a game of how many wipes it will take, so I will say, ‘I think it is a 3 wipe poo’ and he will say, ‘nope it is 5’, and promptly wipe and check, wipe and check and see who had the best guess before his bottom is clean!”
LINK 3: http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/potty/wiping.html
LINK 4: http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/how-to-teach-your-child-to-wipe-while-learning-to-use-the-potty/
Question: What about CONSTIPATION?
The one thing that always seems to be the problem in that area is a need for more more water in the diet, (grape juice works wonders too, plus fiber and probiotics (good yogurt works for that too).
To show the kids how drinking more water helps them go to the bathroom easier, I would show them a little demonstration using an empty toilet paper tube, toilet paper and a glass of water. Stuff a wad of toilet paper into the empty tube, hold it over the sink and try to shake the paper out the bottom of the tube. Tell them, “Imagine the paper is the food we eat and the tube is our intestines.This won’t come out, because it’s dry, but if I pour water into the tube, it will come right out the bottom.”
The kids are amazed at the trick and understand the concept immediately!
There is a lady named Brenda Watson who tells all about FIBER and it’s benefits: – she does the HOPE method to improve health – Have you heard about her on PBS? Hope stands for:
H= High Fiber
O= Omega three oils
P= Probiotics
E= Enzymes
http://www.brendawatson.com/In-the-News/Brenda’s-News/HOPE/
I’ve learned a lot from watching her, and now I’ve lost 10 lbs without trying, plus never have constipation if I follow the diet that way.
I heard someone say long ago:
“CONSTIPATION IS THE THIEF OF HEALTH” and it seems to be true!
Though it is a rather ‘crappy’ topic to discuss, it is important. Learn what you can, do your best and don’t worry – everything will come out all right in the end!