Methods for potty training

Summer is the time of year when many parents take advantage of removing the diaper from the baby and teach them how to use it. urinal or the toilet.

To help you with the "potty training operation," there are several methods that we are going to see in detail in this post. These are the Montessori method and the Fellom method.

The Montessori method

The educator and pedagogue Maria Montessori proposes a method for potty training, just like the rest of her theories, based on the child's autonomy.

This process must be respectful of the child and the time they need to achieve it, and while this is happening, parents should provide the child with the necessary tools for it.

The Montessori technique is based on 7 fundamental principles:

1. Age does not demonstrate that the child is ready to stop using diapers.. Wait for the moment when your baby is physiologically ready to start potty training.
2. Even though it is winter, you have to take advantage of the moment to eliminate the diaper if you notice that the baby is ready to stop using it.
3. To promote their autonomy, Leave the potty within reach. Or put a step so they can use the toilet. This way, they won't feel dependent on others to pee or poop.
4. It's better to take the child to the potty when we notice they need to pee and Let's avoid having him sit on the toilet or potty out of obligation., as in this way they could perceive it as a punishment and it could have the opposite effect of what we want to achieve.
5. The process of transitioning out of diapers is something natural that the child must learn, it's nothing special, which is why the pedagogue advises. Avoid giving prizes to the child..
6. Don't scold him. The process can be long and costly, and the leaks will be continuous, but your baby doesn't know any other way to pee., Have patience.
7. It's not something you can achieve in one day. Don't set a completion date., The baby will set the pace.

The Fellom method

Julie Fellom is a preschool teacher from San Francisco, creator of the well-known three-day method.

This method consists of, for three days, ...in which parents have availability, as it is a technique that requires attention, dedication, and commitment., Children should not wear diapers or clothes when they are at home., that is, they will go naked from the waist down. The child will wear clothes when leaving the house, but without a diaper or underwear, only pants.

In this method, just like in the Montessori method, it is advisable to place potties in the rooms of the house where the child spends the most time and have a mop ready to clean up the leaks your child will surely have.

And, unlike Maria Montessori, Fellom does recommend implementing the technique in spring or summer, since as we have mentioned, the child should go without underwear when at home.

Procedure:

One month before To put the method into practice, start talking to your child about it, and they may even accompany you to the bathroom to see how adults use the toilet.

One week before Show them the diapers and tell them that next week there will be no more diapers and they will use their potty or the toilet instead. reducers)

The first day. It is advisable to spend these days at home, as the child should go without a diaper, underwear, or pants, only wearing a T-shirt.

Offer him more water or juice to increase his urge to pee and control it to take him to the potty to pee when you notice he needs it. Or you can also accompany him to the potty every 15 minutes.

Celebrate it! Invent a "potty song" to sing and dance every time you manage to pee by yourself on the potty.

The second day Repeat the steps from the first day, with the exception that today you will be able to go outside for a little while. But do it right after there is pee in the potty.

Don't forget to bring clothes to change and a potty or a reducer. portable toilet.

Of course, when you take the child out, he should not wear a diaper or underwear, only pants.

The third day Repeat the steps from the previous two days. On this day, you can go out for a little while in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Remember that not all children are the same and not all are ready to stop using diapers at the same time. If this method hasn't worked for you, it may be because the child is not ready, so it is best to go back to diapers and try again later when the child is ready.

How to know if a child is ready to stop using diapers

- If your child tells you that they have wet their diaper

- If you notice that he is upset when he has a wet diaper

-If you take off the diaper when you pee

-If he shows interest in going to the toilet and watches how you pee

- If you urinate a large amount at once

- If the diaper only gets wet every three or four hours

Normally, children tend to control their sphincters between the ages of two and three, but each child has their own development. Therefore, if you notice some of these signs, it will be time to start potty training.

What method have you chosen to potty train your children? Has any of these methods worked for you? Do you know of any other methods? Tell us about it!