Schedules Make Potty Training Easier
By the time your toddler arrives at their classroom, a potty training schedule is probably already in place. In most toddler child care settings, there’s an activity change every 15 to 30 minutes with little variation. While the bathroom door is usually left open, scheduled potty breaks and diaper changes take place throughout the day.
Expectations vs. Requests
Another thing that most caregivers learn in Toddler Behavior 101 is that you can get a toddler to comply a lot faster and more often if you phrase requests properly. For example, if you say to a toddler, “We’re going to take a potty break, OK?” The “OK?” at the end of the sentence, as well as the intonation of your voice, indicates that you are asking them if they will do something. Even at the tender age of 2 or 3, toddlers can usually tell when they have options—one of which would be to not do what you are asking them to do. You’re a lot less likely to get resistance if you give direct instructions, such as “It’s time to take a potty break. You can go first. Come right to the bathroom, please.” If a child is given these specific directions, they will know that you are expecting them to come to the bathroom. They won’t need to put much thought into it because they are not being asked to make a decision.
Peer Pressure Is a Strong Motivator
Toddlers often have the example of a child who is already completely potty trained at daycare, which can provide a little positive peer pressure. If a child is completely potty trained, they would likely be the first child chosen to go to the bathroom every day. Children who are regular pee-ers, and occasionally those who have just started their potty training journey, would go after. A brand new potty trainee might also hang out in the bathroom just to become more familiar with what their friends are doing. It might sound like an invasion of privacy, but going to the bathroom can be a social activity. It helps toddlers feel less afraid and more confident about the new activity they are trying out.
Routines Reinforce Potty Training Skills
Your toddler has the schedule, the expectation, and the peer pressure in place. All these factors are moving them toward being a skilled potty-goer. A final factor is a routine of going potty. Toddler teachers usually have this down pat and encourage toddlers to be as independent as possible. “Pull your pants down, step up on the stool, sit on the potty, pull your pants back up, flush the toilet, wash your hands, go sit on your carpet square.” Caregivers will give these directions to your child over and over again. The routine is the same each time and comes to be something that your toddler relies on to guide them. It’s a bit like practicing multiplication facts. The more you do it, the better you get. There are typically fewer routines at home than at daycare, which means every potty experience your toddler has might be a little different. Sometimes you will have to handle potty training while you are out shopping at the grocery store, or visiting grandma’s house, or at a restaurant. Other differences might be that while one parent gives verbal instructions at toilet time, the other might not. At times, your toddler will have to contend with layers of clothes or hard-to-manage pajamas, while at other times (such as right before a bath) they might be naked and have less work to do. Likewise, when a child is using pull-up underwear, it’s different than dealing with disposable training pants.
Your Toddler Trusts You
Your toddler trusts that no matter what they do, you’re still going to love them. Even under the best circumstances, your child probably doesn’t place the same level of trust in their child care provider. That doesn’t mean that other caregivers place your child under threat if they don’t go potty, but after staying on their toes all day for them, your child might want to just relax and let loose when they get home.
