Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Early Potty Training?

Yesterday, when I picked Raphaela up from Gan, several parents were discussing potty training with their own children, several months older than Raphaela.When we got home, Raphaela insisted on stripping down to nothing, literally, and played and ate dinner and watched our Prime Minister's speech in the nude.  Puddles of pee were everywhere, but she was certainly enjoying herself.

Is it possible that she will toilet train herself before she officially walks?!

2 comments:

koshergourmetmart said...

The best thing to do is not to rush her into doing things she is not ready to do yet. Does she walk at gan and with you she does not b/c she knows you will carry her?

here is a site about potty training
http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/A-Potty-Training-Age-Readiness.html

For her to be potty trained, your child needs to be able to eliminate when s/he wants to (voluntary vs. involuntary), her/his sphincter muscles have to be developed / mature enough to delay excretion for a brief period of time. American Academy of pediatrics says that children's elimination muscles reach full maturity somewhere between 12-24 months, and the average age of maturity is 18 months. Your child's behavior and actions will guide you in knowing how your child is developing in this area.

Physiological readiness signals for potty training are (Bladder & Bowel Control) :

•Childs awareness of the need to go - demonstrated by squatting, grunting, hiding when child feels need to eliminate.

•No BM's through the night

•Dry diaper for long periods of time i.e. from long naps and/or in the morning.

•Urinate a lot at one time (vs. a little through out the day)

•Some regularity of bowel movements.

So, if you think your child has full bladder and bowel control, should you start potty training?

Not necessarily.

koshergourmetmart said...

Motor Skills readiness signals for potty training are:

•Is your child able to undress him/herself?

•Is your child able to pull his/her underpants down?

•Is your child able to pull his/her pants down?

Then they have to figure out where the potty is and find their way there.

Verbal and Cognitive readiness signals for potty training are:

•Has the vocabulary required for potty training - i.e. understands words such as pee, poo, penis, vagina, potty, toilet, wet, dry, underwear, "big girl" etc. or whatever words work best for your family

•Your child can follow instructions - from simple instruction such as show me your nose, to more complex instructions such as putting away toys where they belong. Your child has the ability for symbolic though, planning/problem solving and memory.

•Is able to imitate and model behavior

Social awareness is the ability to observe others and the desire to be like them. At the age of 18 months, children become fascinated by the behavior of other children their own age or older. This is why often the 2nd and 3rd child is potty trained a lot earlier than the first child. By the age of 24-30 months, they start to understand gender differences and focus on imitating the behavior of the same sex parent.

Emotional growth and social awareness readiness signals for potty training are:

•Desire to master one's own body and environment - manifested by "I can do it" or "I am a big boy/girl now"

•Child's desire for parental approval

•Child's desire to imitate and desire to be like others