Potty Training at Daycare
Communicating with Your Childcare for Successful Toilet Training
Aug 26, 2008
Potty training can be difficult even under the best of circumstances, but potty training your toddler while he is attending daycare complicates everything. As wonderful as it would be for mom to be able to take time off work to potty train, that is simply not realistic in today’s world.
Be Clear About Your Intentions
Many parents begin potty training their toddler during the times when they are home from work and fail to mention their efforts to their daycare provider. This is a huge mistake. Not only is it confusing for your toddler to be expected to use the potty at home and wear a diaper at daycare, but you are not utilizing one of your best potty training resources. Daycare providers typically have a lot of experience potty training toddlers. They can help give advice about how to successfully potty train your toddler and help you coordinate your efforts with your toddler’s time at daycare.
Communicate With Your Daycare Provider
When you are ready to start potty training your toddler, talk to your daycare provider about what her policy is regarding potty training. Many daycares have general rules they like to follow when a toddler is potty training. Some daycare providers may be willing to work with your toddler from the very beginning while others may not allow your toddler to wear underwear to daycare until he is having moderate success at home. Find out what potty training techniques your daycare provider prefers and be sure and ask whether or not Pull-Up training pants are accepted.
Don’t stop communicating with your daycare provider after you have started potty training. Home life and life at daycare must coordinate in order for a toddler to be successful at potty training. A toddler can become very confused if he is expected to potty train one way at daycare and a completely different way at home. Keep your daycare provider informed of any regression your toddler may be having in terms of potty training at home. Ask to be kept up to date on your toddler’s potty training success while he is at daycare. It may help to have a potty training log or a short daily progress note sent home each day to prevent making daycare pick up times hectic.
Be Flexible
A daycare provider is responsible for caring for a larger group of children and may not be able to help your toddler learn to use the potty in the same way that you may be able to at home. As a working mother, you are likely already aware that having a toddler in daycare requires a little bit of flexibility. If your daycare provider has a set way of helping toddlers potty train while they are at daycare, try and provide some consistency for your toddler by following the same rules at home. If you are not comfortable with the way that your daycare provider is helping to potty train your toddler, schedule a time to discuss your concerns.
Make it Easy for Your Toddler to Succeed
Set your toddler up for success with potty training by sending him to daycare in pants that are easy for him to take off by himself. Elastic waistbands are easy for toddlers to take off by themselves and will help your toddler feel more independent. Pants with zippers or complicated snaps will only frustrate your toddler and your daycare provider and make it more difficult for your toddler to succeed. If you send your toddler to daycare in pants that are not suitable for potty training, don’t be surprised if you find your toddler back in diapers (or in no pants at all) when you go to pick him up from daycare.
Be Prepared for Mistakes
All toddlers will go through an adjustment period as they are learning to use the potty. Mistakes are a part of potty training. Provide your toddler with plenty of positive reinforcement and make sure that your daycare provider has a healthy attitude about mistakes as well. Be sure and send several changes of clothes with your toddler to daycare while he is potty training and keep one set of clothes at daycare even after your toddler has learned to use the potty.
Potty training is a huge step in the life of a toddler and it is a skill that should be praised so that your toddler can be proud of all that he has accomplished.
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