Some Children Will Cling to Nappies
It’s certainly true that some children tend to prefer nappies or at least it seems that way. But it’s also important to keep in mind that children often like routine and they prefer to keep things the same. Which means any kind of change can be fought against by your child at the start.
That’s not a reason to give up or to halt or delay the process of potty training though. It’s in your child’s best interest to be consistent with potty training even if it seems like they prefer nappies. Just because they seem to be clinging to the nappies for now, that doesn’t mean a breakthrough isn’t imminent.
It’s Important Not to Force the Issue
As a parent, it can be easy to lose patience and to start pushing the issue a little too forcefully. However, if you’re going to succeed in gradually weaning your child off nappies and to begin finding success with potty training, you need to tread carefully and not force the issue too much.
If you start pushing the issue of potty training onto them too forcefully, they might just end up resisting more. Nappies might play a part in that because it’s an option that parents and children alike will fall back on, so it’s important to try persevere, but in a caring and encouraging way. You can try to reassure your child that potties are fun to use and let them know that if they have a couple of accidents, it’s nothing to worry about. You could use role play with dolls to demonstrate to them in an entertaining and child-friendly way how to use the potty, or read an age-appropriate book that will help better their understanding on what to do and what to expect when potty training.
Encouragement Strategies Are Vital
If you’re going to find success with your potty training plans, it’s important to find the right encouragement strategies that work for them. You should do what you can to encourage them without resorting to bribes and too many incentives because that strategy doesn’t tend to work well either.
Give them reasons to want to leave nappies behind. For example, some parents introduce new underwear emblazoned with their favourite characters. The little one will then realise that if they want to wear the underwear, they will have to leave nappies behind and master potty training instead.
Look for Alternatives and Encourage them Gently but Consistently
The encouragement you offer needs to be gentle but consistent. You don’t want to unnecessarily stress them out or put them under pressure because that definitely won’t want to lead them to potty training mastery. It will help if you’re consistent and persistent with your efforts though.
There are certainly circumstances in which nappies can stunt the ability of a child to properly potty train perhaps as they get older. You don’t want nappies to be the fall back position if this stops them from wanting to master potty training. So it’s certainly something you should keep an eye on and think about carefully as a parent or caregiver.
Start potty training with a Pottiagogo travel potty.
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]]>Offer regular prompts to use the potty to help stop your little one from having accidents every day. They could be having accidents because they don’t take regular trips to the potty. One of the many benefits of Pottiagogo’s Travel Potty is that you can bring it anywhere with you, so your potty training efforts don’t have to stop when you’re out and about. The Pottiagogo Travel Potty comes in various colours that can help your little one to show an interest in their potty training. Prompt your little one to use their potty every thirty to forty minutes to see if they would like to go. Regular prompts will help your little one to remember that they need to go sometimes and will be less likely to have an accident if they try going.
Your little one might not be able to tell you that they need to go, which can lead to potty training accidents. Instead look for non-verbal cues that may suggest they need to go. Is your little one doing the ‘potty dance’, pulling at their nappy or making unusual grunting noises? Has their body language changed or have they gone quiet all of a sudden? These can all indicate that something is happening before your little one has the chance to verbally tell you.
If you notice your little one about to have an accident, say something along the lines of “oh, you’re about to go to the toilet! Can you hold it?” And try to pick them up and sit them on their potty to finish. The idea of this is to teach your little one the feeling of needing to go and controlling it until they're on their potty. Remember to stay calm and say well done for all potty attempts.
Parents have said that putting your little one in looser trousers means you can quickly help them to pull them down easier and get to the potty before an accident happens. Practice pulling the trousers up and down together while they are learning how to use the potty. If the weather at home is warm enough, parents suggest letting your little one run around in the garden in their pants while potty training to help make things a little easier for them.
Whilst prompting is one way to help with potty training, prompting too frequently can have the opposite effect. Your little one may begin to resist their potty training if they are being prompted too frequently, so it’s ideal to find the right balance between prompting and over-prompting your little one to avoid potty accidents. Parents suggest using a timer as a prompt every 10 minutes to remind both of you to try.
If you have had success with your potty training, but are now facing accidents every day, try to find out what’s caused it. Insight from real parents informed us that a reason for going from dry days and nights to having frequent accidents again can be as simple as the novelty of potty training has worn off for your little one. Another reason may be that your child is developing a different skill such as speaking, and potty training is too distracting for them right now. No matter the reason, try to be patient, it’s likely that your little one will be ready to try potty training again soon.
The Pottiagogo Travel Potty and biodegradable potty liners can easily fold up and fit into a backpack, so you can be prepared wherever your day takes you.
We hope that this advice will help you when facing daily potty training accidents; this phase won’t last forever! Stay patient and try to understand what your little one is communicating to you.
Related Blog: Are Nappies Stunting Your Child’s Ability To Potty Train? | Pottiagogo
]]>Typically parents in the UK introduce the potty when their child is between two and three years old. Some children are ready earlier than this, and some take a little longer. Whatever your opinion on potty training, it’s important to remember that they all get there eventually. Often it’s beneficial to wait until your toddler shows signs of being ready to use the potty rather than trying to force them to train early, which can make the whole process more emotionally painful and more challenging work than it needs to be. This article will look at the best time to start potty training, what signs to look for, and how to prepare your child for their journey into big kid pants.
When should I start potty training?
Every child develops at a different pace. So whilst little Jessie from baby club might be out of nappies during the day by the age of two, and your mum says you were using the potty and wearing big girl pants at 18 months, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your toddler still being in nappies at two, three and even beyond if they are not quite ready. Those mums with helpful advice on early potty training have probably forgotten all the accidents and regression that often follows early potty training. It wasn’t that long ago that it was normal for a one-year-old to be placed on the potty after each meal until they evacuated. If repeated for a long time, this method was successful. However, it can also be described more as a conditioning exercise rather than a learnt skill for the child. Times have changed, and children are now training later than they were many years ago, with the average potty training age increasing from two and a half to three and a half in recent years.
So, rather than focusing on your child’s age, it’s always better to look for signs of potty training readiness and worrying less about how their peers are doing or what the national average is.
For example, when your child can control their bladder and bowels, shows a preference towards being clean and dry, and is no longer happy to sit in a soggy nappy for a short while, they may be clear signs it’s time to start potty training. Your toddler will also need to understand basic instructions about using the potty to start the potty training process. Potty training, just like using a spoon, is a learned skill that is best attempted when your child is developmentally ready.
Physical and Emotional Development
What do we mean by physically and emotionally ready? Essentially it’s when the child can recognise their need to use the toilet, get themselves to the potty or ask for help, be able to pull down their trousers and underwear in time and sit on the potty to do their business.
Some Child experts believe that it’s better to wait until a child can carry out most of these actions themselves before starting potty training to make the whole process quicker and less stressful for everyone involved.
In addition to being physically ready for the potty, your child also needs to show signs of being emotionally prepared if you don’t want a serious battle of wills on your hands. This means that they are interested in and wish to use the potty, and they can manage any toileting related fears. It’s not uncommon for children to struggle with their emotional readiness until preschool age. However, as your child reaches three to four years old, you may find that they become more willing to use the potty through a desire to imitate their peers and be just like their friend at nursery.
How do I help my child get ready for potty training?
While much of successful potty training is led by the child’s level of readiness, if you adopt a wait-and-see approach for your child to express an interest in the potty without any intervention, you could find yourself waiting a long time. Here’s a quick overview of some things you can do to get your child potty ready:
Teach by example
Children learn by imitation. One of the best things you can do to help your toddler or preschooler prepare for potty training is to teach by example. Let your child see you and other family members using the toilet, explain that you feel you need to go, and talk them through the process of taking down pants, sitting on the seat doing what you’ve got to do, and wiping, pulling up clothing after through to washing your hands. Also, highlight why each stage is essential. For example, I pull down my pants, so I don’t get any wee on them. You’ll probably adopt a similar approach when your child needs to learn other skills such as teeth brushing and getting dressed, and there’s no reason why potty training should be different.
Keep talking
If you notice your child has a particular facial expression when they are about to fill their nappy, talk to them about it. Explain that this is their potty feeling so they can associate the feeling of when they need to go with an action or name. Explain that it’s natural and everyone, including a mummy, daddy, siblings, grandparents, friends, and even animals, experience the same thing. See if your child can tell you when they have filled their nappy so you can change it, and they understand that if they don’t change it, they may get sore. Take any opportunity to talk about toileting and potties to normalise it.
Make the potty part of life.
Whilst they might not be interested in using it, putting a potty in your bathroom or another area of the home makes it part of everyday life. Regularly explain to them what it is for and why we use it. If they have an older sibling, perhaps they can demonstrate how to use it. You can adopt the same method when you are away from home too. If you plan on incorporating a travel potty into your routines for holidays and day trips, take it with you, even before training starts. This clarifies that a potty isn’t just for home and is something you need wherever you go. Pop it out when you are changing nappies on the go to get them used to seeing it wherever you are.
Our pottiagogo folding potty is perfect for this as it folds neatly in your bag, and you can just bring it out as and when needed without taking up too much space in your change bag. Whether at home or away, if your child is interested, ask them to sit on the potty whilst having a nappy change or getting ready for bed. Even if they don’t do anything, it will show them there’s nothing scary about taking a seat for a moment.
Whilst there are no hard and fast rules for when to start potty training, looking out for signs of your child being potty ready and taking the time to prepare your child for potty training early will ensure your toilet training journey gets off to the best possible start when the time is right for you. As well as the information above, check out our previous article on when do I know my toddler is ready to potty train for more signs of potty readiness to look out for.
]]>For some parents getting out and about with children of this age can be daunting, overwhelming, and downright exhausting. Helping a two-year-old adjust to a new baby and finding activities that suit both children can prove near on impossible, and the distant memory of your maternity leave with just one child filled with mum and baby classes and coffee with your NCT friends probably seems like a walk in the park in comparison. If this is you, we've put together these helpful hints on managing the competing demands of a toddler and baby when you are out and about to make your next item a little more manageable.
Newborns feed and sleep a lot. This means they will spend a lot of time snuggled up in the warmth of your arms and attached to you while feeding or nursing. This can be tedious for an active toddler when they want you to engage and play. One of the greatest tips I was ever given is to pack a small bag filled with snacks and activities when going outside that only gets brought out when you need to feed or comfort the baby. These can be filled with simple crafts, colouring, toys or games that will buy you a half-hour of feeding time without your big boy or girl feeling put out. You can apply the same idea at home but have a box of independent play toys you can point your toddler towards if you get stuck under a baby for an extended period.
Establishing a routine with a newborn doesn’t seem like such a challenge with one child. You can schedule naps around baby classes and do your housework and meal prep during quieter periods. But when you throw another child into the mix and your routine is likely to be turned on its head. But, you’ll find a way to prioritise what needs doing to make sure your babies are taken care of. If it means baby naps while at a toddler group instead of at home like you did with your first, that’s fine. If it means you only get time to wash up or hoover once a day instead of after every meal, that’s ok too. Choose your battles, and don’t stress over the small stuff. It’ll get done. Naturally, you’ll fall into a pattern and routine that works for your family.
Toddlers love to play, and if you have a newborn that just doesn’t want to be put down, babywearing could well make your life easier. You’ll have two hands to get more involved in your toddlers' play or help them with any activities, and your newborn will feel safe and secure being next to you. Babywearing isn’t only convenient for playtime. It’s also great for getting things done around the home and for helping your toddler when they reach that potty-training milestone, as you’ll have two hands-free to help them quickly at those critical moments!
When you have two children, the mum guilt becomes very real. But, even if you can’t get down and play, toddlers love to get involved. If the baby is particularly restless, give your older child some responsibility, ask them to fetch nappies, wipes and their baby sibling favourite toy. Get them to join in with comforting the baby by stroking them gently or singing a favourite nursery rhyme. If your toddler likes to draw, ask them to draw a picture to cheer the baby up. These small tasks make toddlers feel valued and involved with the care of the baby. Some children also love having their own baby doll to mimic taking care of their baby brother or sister just like mummy or daddy.
If you are finding managing the demands of your baby and toddler tough at home, the thought of going outside might be daunting. However, it’s amazing how getting out for a leg stretch and a bit of fresh air can boost your mood and make everything seem manageable again. To make getting out easier, keep a going out bag stocked at all times so you can make a quick escape from home without too much stress. We would suggest including the following:
Managing two small children whilst sleep deprived is a challenge. There will be days when your routine feels like a well-oiled machine and others where it feels like just getting everyone fed and to bed is your only achievement. Sometimes your house is a mess, and you can’t keep up with everyone's demands and your life admin. But your children are only small for such a brief period, embrace the craziness and never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. You are doing great.
]]>The most important and positive change from a waste point of view when you complete the process of potty training your child is that they’ll not be using disposable nappies any longer. Anyone who has raised a child will know how many nappies your child gets through in a week, and it’s usually not a small number! That’s something that your family can leave behind entirely once potty training has been fully completed.
Fewer disposable nappies means you won’t be throwing out nappies into the trash each day. According to reports from environmental charity, WRAP, an estimated three billion nappies are thrown away every year in the UK, accounting for 2-3% of all household waste. We all know that this isn’t particularly good for the environment and the impact we directly have on it. If you want to reduce your environmental impact, potting training your child as early on as possible is certainly something that’s a good idea. Filling up landfill with nappies is never a good thing.
There are so many other benefits that come with potty training your child early as well. For example, you’ll find that your child becomes much more confident when they’re potty trained. Many children lack confidence with these things if they learn late or the potty training process takes too long. That’s why it pays off to start early and put plenty of time into it.
When it comes to potty training, it is true that if you start sooner you’re more likely to finish sooner. It’s not an easy process for parents and as a result, potty training is often pushed back as the hustle and bustle of family life takes over. However, focusing on getting your child potty trained early on can actually have a positive impact on family life; especially if your family often tends to be on the go.
There are all kinds of health problems that can develop if your child continues to use nappies for longer than they need to. For example, infections, including UTIs are more common in children that are using nappies. So for the healthiest possible way forward for your child, you should get away from nappies and towards fully potty training as soon as possible.
There are many great reasons why early potty training should be encouraged, as the benefits above prove that. If you’re concerned about the waste and the environmental impact of using disposable nappies, completing the potty training process with your child as early on as possible is definitely a good idea.
Start potty training with a Pottiagogo travel potty.
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Hi Everyone!
In the past few weeks we have interviewed a number of parents and carers and had conversations on the topic of getting back to school with little children after a long summer break. Getting back into the swing of school has never been more challenging for parents and children especially after the turbulence and impact of COVID 19. Kids across the UK are back behind their school desks and with this comes the usual scramble for preparation. If you’re feeling stressed about returning to the routine of it all, we’ve compiled a few pointers to help you ease back into normality.
Let’s find out more …
It is likely to be an emotional wrench for your child and you should probably be prepared for a few tears as your child slowly adjusts to spending time apart from you and visa versa. You may be surprised at just how much of a void you yourself are feeling which is all part of the adjustment to a new daily routine. Perhaps build in a few treats for yourself, perhaps take a slightly longer walk at lunch time as it won’t be long before the school day ends and you are back there to pick your child up.
Keep talking to each other and checking in how your child is feeling. This in turn will create a natural dialogue with your children as this is always the best way to calm those nerves for both of you. Keep things positive and get your child excited about their first few days experience by talking about some of their favourite parts of school and focus on all the positive things that they have to look forward to such as making new friends, starting fantastic art projects, playing lots of new games and sports or reading together with their teacher. At the end of the day they will still be coming home to share their experiences
It's totally understandable if bedtimes have slipped across the summer holidays as all those days off inevitably lead to lenient sleeping times. Taking back control of bedtime again before school starts is really important if you want your children to be ripe and ready for their first day. Also make sure you stick to the routine across the weekends to ensure your children are rested enough for Monday mornings. We recommend reducing screen time well before bath and bed to help improve your child's quality of sleep and concentration and sticking to a regular bath time to allow enough time for your child to wind down.
We know this is easier said than done as we are all multitasking but this is so important as a parent and especially so if you have a number of children to organise. Getting all the stationary and school uniforms before the start of term is a great way to build some excitement for the new school year to get your children enthusiastic. On a daily basis we recommend you get everything together the night before the school day with your children by creating a tick list of what’s needed. Encourage them to help you pull it all together. Buying brand new pens, pencils and rubbers is way more thrilling than you would’ve thought but getting used to being responsible for what you take is even more exciting.
Once your child has settled in that little bit of extra effort talking to your child's teachers can make all the difference. Within a few weeks you could be creating study plans, setting goals to build on your child’s progress. After months off, it’s best to give your child’s teachers a ring to discuss how the school is moving forward, helping you prepare for the new school year.
If you are particularly worried about readiness for toilet independence it is vital you share your concerns with the school and together you can put a plan in place to accelerate this and identify if there is a health concern that needs to be dealt with.
Visit ERIC's ‘Let’s Go Potty’ website, here.
Discover more potty training tips, here.
Shop our range of travel potties, here.
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Once your child has potty trained and is reliably clean and dry and finally out of nappies during the day, you may be wondering when and how to tackle night time training? Read on to find out how to know your child is ready and get lots of tips to help you both prepare for the next stage of the toilet training journey...
Your child's bladder is still maturing up to the age of five and night time dryness is expected to take longer than the daytime. Each child is an individual so try to avoid comparisons with others the same age - just because they are out of nappies in the day doesn’t mean they will automatically be dry at night too.
Clues that your child may be ready to start night time training include:
Before you begin, think about what's going to make it easier for your child to use the toilet in the middle of the night?
What’s a good routine before bedtime?
Try to make it a calm, positive experience for both of you. Offer your child lots of encouragement and reassurance. Always reward the efforts they are making to be dry rather than whether it's worked to now. Try to avoid putting too much pressure on them to be a ‘big boy/girl’ and try to avoid making a fuss out of accidents - it's all part of the process just like with potty training.
Try without nappies or pull-ups for at least a week to see if it makes any difference. If accidents keep happening every night, or more than once a night and you’re finding it stressful coping with washing, it's better to go back to nappies and try again after a few weeks.
What if my child doesn't get dry at night?
Some children will take much longer to learn night time dryness. Take a look at ERIC’s Guide to Night Time Wetting if bedwetting continues after the age of five years and talk to your GP as help and treatment are available.
]]>Our aim is to help you bring a little more sparkle and share our ideas and tips to help you create some wonderful memories.
All of us here at Pottiagogo HQ want to get you and your little ones out enjoying life so we have put our heads together and come up with our Top 3 Summer Fun & Camping Activities to create family experiences to remember.
Do you even know what a Smore is? We didn’t until we looked it up and realised it was a word play on ‘Gimme Some More’ because it is so delicious everyone wants a second helping!
Firstly you need to set up your campfire and get it burning down to the embers. Please be really careful here around the safety of your children as we want to make sure that no little ones get anywhere near the hot embers of the campfire and that no one gets hurt. You can read all about how to do that here. Campfire safety
So back to the Smores. The campfire has been going for a while and the embers are now glowing and you need to get the vital ingredients ready. You need big marshmallows for mega toasting, a range of crunchy biscuits to make the sandwich (think Digestives, Chocolate Hob Nobs), a bar of milk chocolate already broken into small slabs, 1 long toasting marshmallow stick per child (perhaps the kids can try and find these themselves?) and a few napkins to wipe sticky fingers.
Now it's time to toast the marshmallows on the end of the stick. There is a bit of an art to this as the trick is to not burn it but make the sugar slightly caramelise on the outside and on the inside the marshmallow to soften in the middle. This is a great opportunity for a family competition as everyone know’s how to do it best! Each toasted marshmallow (thank you Daddy!) should be squished between 2 biscuits with a small piece of chocolate from a chocolate bar for extra ooomph. Remember, the sandwich should be eaten when the marshmallow has cooled down a bit as they can be quite hot to start off with.
Top Parents Tip - A grown up should double check the marshmallows are cool enough to eat and voila campfire heaven pudding Smores and lots of smiles all round!
Children of all ages love glow sticks and they lend themselves to all sorts of creative fun. Glow sticks are readily available online and in lots of retailers and we recommend getting a range of colours and 10 to 15 per child to keep them busy.
Just imagine after a great day at the beach you could ask your children to make up their own campfire dance show and then just before bedtime and just as it's getting dark you can let the fun light show begin. Send us your videos and we will put them on our social media! Yay. You can find some more fun ideas here: Scouts Activities.
Top Parents Tip - Make sure you follow fire safety guidelines and keep your little ones well away from the fire and embers. Make the inside of the tent extra special by using glow sticks inside the tent to make a pretty hanging light. Nothing could be more relaxing than going to sleep with the soft luminescent glow of the colours of the rainbow all around your little ones.
(3) Peach Melba
For us a peach melba is a wondrous treat from the 70’s (how long?) but in fact the peach melba was created by Auguste Escoffier in 1893 (even longer) and was created for a famous singer called Nellie Melba (along with Melba toast! Who knew?). There are numerous versions of this amazing pudding but we are suggesting a version that is easy to create around the campfire as an extra special treat.
You will need a tin of peaches (enough for a peach each), a punnet of raspberries, raspberry sauce, vanilla ice cream, squirty cream.
Top Parents Tip - Keep your ice-cream in a freezer bag as fire and ice-cream is not a great combination! Also speed of serving will be essential to stop it melting quickly so we recommend using a block of ice-cream as it's easier to cut up in a hurry. Ask the children to create a factory assembly line and give each one of them a role to do to create the peach melba.
Child 1 puts 1 peach per bowl, Child 2 adds a few raspberries per bowl, Child 3 adds a scoop of ice cream, Child 4 adds a squeeze of raspberry sauce, Child 5 has the most important job as they add the final touch of the squirty cream.
Fantastic job done just serve and tuck in, yummy.
Top Parents Tip - It might get messy so make sure you have a few wipes to hand.
Discover more potty training tips, here.
Shop our range of travel potties, here.
]]>Pottiagogo are proud to bring this ‘Potty Training Myths and Truths’ blog series to you in association with children's bowel and bladder charity, ERIC. This blog series will shed light on the topic of potting training and overcoming potty training hurdles with guidance and advice from ERIC’s team of potty training experts.
In this blog, we will explore the reasons why potty training may turn into a battle of wills and what experts would suggest to help overcome this little bump in the road.
It’s really common for children to show all the signs of being ready to start potty training, but for some reason they stubbornly refuse to go anywhere near a potty or toilet let alone sit on it to do a wee or poo! Then there’s those little ones who were perfectly happy to sit for the first week, but all of a sudden decide that potty training isn’t for them anymore and the shutters go down. Why does this happen and what can be done to break the potty deadlock?
It’s really important to remember that potty training is a steep learning curve for children and a huge milestone for them to reach. One day they are allowed to wee and poo exactly when and where they choose in their cosy portable toilet but then off comes their nappy and they’re now expected to begin the journey towards independent toileting. With that in mind, the Pottiagogo travel potty acts as a convenient replacement to the nappy as it is a portable potty that can easily be folded and carried for when your child needs the potty on the gogo!
Once you’ve established that they’re ready to be potty trained, try take a consistent approach especially as far as nappies or pull ups are concerned. Going in and out of nappies risks making the process even harder as it gives a mixed message. Children can end up feeling really confused about where and when they can wee and poo and unsure of what’s being expected of them.
If your child is looked after by a relative or is in childcare make sure you let them know that you’re starting potty training and the way you’re planning to do it. It really helps if everyone who cares for your child is doing the same thing; using the same language, following the agreed routine and rewarding for the same things.
Until they can act on their own body’s signals for a wee or poo, children need to be given a consistent toileting routine. If your child can stay dry for intervals of around 2 hours, that’s when you should be taking them for a wee rather than every 30 minutes ‘just in case’ – this won’t allow their bladders to stretch and learn to hold more. Going too often also means a child can quickly become bored by this new activity that seems to keep interrupting their play time!
The best time to get a poo in the potty is 20-30 minutes after your child has eaten as this stimulates our bowel to make way for the extra food that is going through our system. It’s also a good idea to encourage children to sit on the potty when they first wake up and just before they go to bed.
Following the routine also reduces the need to keep asking your child if they need to do a wee or poo – another flashpoint for frustration when they merrily say ‘no’ and then there’s a puddle or poo on the floor 5 minutes later! A clear instruction: it’s toilet time now without giving a choice or room for argument should yield results…
Encourage boys to sit down to wee when they first start potty training and for at least one or two of their toilet trips going forward. Boys empty their bladders better sitting down and doing one or two squats a day can also help to avoid problems with constipation.
Little children have a short attention and can get bored easily. In the first week of potty training everything is a game and treats keep appearing, but what can you do when their initial excitement wears off and the promise of a sticker on their chart is no longer working?
Don't make them sit for too long on the potty or toilet, two or three minutes is fine.
Give them a small, instant reward and lots of praise for achievable goals and each step along the ways e.g. agreeing to sit and washing hand afterwards. This means that even if they don’t produce a wee or poo every time, you have a way of keeping them motivated and incentivised to work with you.
Keep some toys and books handy to occupy them while they sit. For children who are nervous about letting go of a wee or poo, an activity like blowing bubbles is a brilliant way to keep them distracted, relaxed and using the same muscles they need to push a poo out.
We hope this blog is helpful at providing you with expert advice to help you overcome any potty training bumps in the road that you might be experiencing.
Visit ERIC's ‘Let’s Go Potty’ website, here.
Discover more potty training tips, here.
Shop our range of travel potties, here.
Related blogs:
Potty Myths & Truths in association with ERIC - Common Potty Training Myths Debunked
Potty Myths & Truths in association with ERIC - Potty Accidents At Nursery or Preschool
]]>Instead of listening to hearsay and myths, we at Pottiagogo have talked to trusted partners and experts to help our families with the challenges of toilet training. Pottiagogo are proud to bring this ‘Potty Training Myths and Truths’ blog series to you in association with children's bowel and bladder charity, ERIC. This blog series will shed light on the topic of potting training and overcoming potty training hurdles with guidance and advice from ERIC’s team of potty training experts.
In this blog, we will debunk some common potty training myths and old potty training tales that you may have heard and that you might have felt pressure from, so let’s begin debunking!
“Potty training can easily be done over a weekend”
Children can pick up new skills quickly, but getting potty training done over a weekend is an unrealistic pressure to put on yourself and your child! Managing it over a couple of days is the exception rather than the norm. Becoming reliably clean and dry takes weeks or months for some children with lots of accidents along the way. Try not to panic when they have accidents; puddles on the floor are all part of the learning process.
“Wait until your child is at least 2 or even 3 years old before starting to potty train them”
Every child is different; they learn to walk and talk at different times and they learn how to use the toilet at different times too. Potty training is a skill we need to teach our children, just like brushing their teeth. Most children are ready to be potty trained between 18 months and 3 years old but that doesn’t mean you can’t start to talk to them about where wee and poo goes right from when they are young babies. You know your child better than anyone else so don’t feel you have to start potty training just because other people think you should.
“If you start potty training later, it will be done quicker”
The average time it takes to potty train is the same whether your child is between 19-24months or after 25 months. The longer children spend in nappies the harder it can be to persuade them to wee and poo in a potty or toilet.
“Becoming potty trained means your child will soon stop needing a night-time nappy”
Just because your child has potty trained and is reliably clean and dry in the day it doesn’t always follow that they will stop being wet at night. Night-time training is quite different from daytime toilet training. Your child's bladder is still maturing up to the age of five and achieving continence whilst children sleep is expected to take longer than the daytime.
“Pull ups help children to potty train”
Pull ups are convenient and may seem as though your child is moving on a stage from nappies. However, they are very good at keeping children dry and comfortable just like their nappy did! For potty training to be successful, it’s best to go straight to pants from nappies as this will help your child to learn the signals they need to be aware of to show it’s time to sit on the potty or toilet. Substituting pull ups for nappies or pants is more likely to slow this learning process down.
“You should wait for warmer weather before beginning potty training”
It can be tempting to wait for sunnier days before starting because it means children can wear less and washing is easier to dry. However, your child may show signs of readiness in the middle of winter so why wait to begin?! Just remember to make sure their clothes are easy for them to pull up and down themselves so jogging bottoms and leggings rather than dungarees and fiddly buttons or zips.
“Limiting how much your child drinks will make it easier to potty train them”
The opposite of this is actually true! To maximise potty training success and help to keep children’s bladder healthy, it’s really important that they keep drinking plenty of water-based fluids. Between 6 – 8 drinks spread throughout the day is best. This will help to give them a good strong signal when their bladder is getting full that pee is on its way and they need to get to the potty.
“It’s important to stay home and avoid going out for the first couple of weeks of potty training”
It can reduce stress levels to wait until things are going well with potty training at home before going out and about, but that isn’t always possible. Try to keep your first trips short, plan where you’re going and find out where the nearest toilet is. Remember to take everything you may need like the potty, wipes and a change of clothes.
We hope this blog puts your mind at ease and helps you realise that there are a lot of potty training myths out there and it is ok to question them in order to sift the myths and uncover the potty training truths.
Visit ERIC's ‘Let’s Go Potty’ website, here.
Discover more potty training tips, here.
Shop our range of travel potties, here.
Related blog: Potty Myths & Truths in association with ERIC - Potty Accidents At Nursery or Preschool
]]>Pottiagogo are proud to bring this ‘Potty Training Myths and Truths’ blog series to you in association with children's bowel and bladder charity, ERIC. This blog series will shed light on the topic of potting training and overcoming potty training hurdles with guidance and advice from ERIC’s team of potty training experts.
In this blog, we will discuss why some children take a backwards step and start having accidents when they start nursery or pre-school.
It’s not uncommon for children who are potty trained and reliably clean and dry at home to start having accidents when they start nursery or pre-school. Why does this happen? It could be just one of the following factors or a combination of reasons:
There’s a whole new routine to get used to - your child will be meeting new people and adjusting to a different environment and schedule. Whilst exciting, this can also be very tiring for them. Accidents are more likely to happen when they get tired and forget to listen out for their body’s signals and respond in time. This should settle down as they get used to nursery life.
Without you there to remind them to go to the toilet and be able to react quickly if they show signs of getting desperate, your child is learning how to manage their toilet trips independently for the first time. Check with staff what the toilet routine and policy is - are letting the children have free access to the toilet at all times?
Some children get so engrossed in what they’re doing that they find it hard to break off and get to the toilet in time. Let them know they need to go when they first feel the urge, as holding on to it is likely to result in an accident.
With a busy routine to adjust to it can be easy for a young child to forget to drink as well as they do at home with you not there prompt them. Check with staff that the children are given regular reminders about drinking and have ready access to their water bottles.
Lots of us would prefer to use the toilet in the comfort of our own home and young children are no different. There could be something about the toilets your child finds difficult – a different type of flush perhaps from the one they’re used to or a hand drier they are scared by. Ask to visit the toilets with your child to see if there’s a reason why they may be avoiding going.
If children hold on for longer than they should before going to the toilet, they are more likely to have an accident and possibly become constipated.
Children usually stop having accidents as they get used to the hustle and bustle of nursery or preschool life. Their bodies are still maturing and accidents are all part of the process of learning to manage their bladder and bowels. If the accidents don’t settle down however or get worse, it could be a sign that your child has become constipated. For more help with spotting the signs of constipation and how it should be treated, visit the ERIC website: www.eric.org.uk.
We hope this blog has helped reassure you that it’s not uncommon for children to struggle with potty training when they start nursery or preschool. There is lots of information available from ERIC, and your GP is also someone else you can contact for help and advice if bladder or bowel problems continue.
Here are some tips for keeping artificial sugar levels down in your little one’s diet if you’re worried a sugar obsession might be brewing!
Whilst the front of the packaging might be more eye-catching for both children and adults, it is important to check the nutritional values on the back of the packaging to see what additives and grams of sugar are lurking in the food. Snacks advertised as ‘healthy’ are often not as healthy as they seem and it’s not always foods that you need to keep an eye on. Watch out for smoothies as these may tempt you by sounding healthy but they contain fructose too! The average bottled smoothie contains between 18 and 28 grams, or between 4.5 and 7 teaspoons, of sugar per 8-ounce serving, much of it added sugar.
This is one step you as parents and caregivers can take to help manage the sugar levels in the foods in your home; plus it helps to keep your cupboards a temptation-free zone for little climbers who like to sneak a snack!
Swapping out sugary snacks for healthier alternatives such as brightly coloured chopped up fruit and vegetables or rice cakes can help your child establish a healthy diet from a young age. Often fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper than processed snacks and it means you know exactly what is in them.
If you start off by introducing one or two swaps to your child’s diet such as carrot sticks or raisins, it might not be as daunting for them. In fact, they might not even notice, and before long you might be able to get them to curb their sweet tooth altogether!
A great way of making foods seem more appealing when they may not have the same bright packaging or free toys as the ones full of sugar is by creating a work of art out of the meal. Whether it be an age old smiley face or a jungle animal, food presented in a fun way can help put a smile on a child’s face and help distract them from thinking of those sugary branded favourites.
Snack baskets went viral on social media recently and it has worked a treat for many families during lockdown. Snack baskets can be made up the night before or in the morning as the family starts their day. One snack basket per family member tends to be placed in the kitchen and is labelled with the family member’s name. The snack basket is then filled with the snacks that they are allowed for the day. This is a great way of getting all the family involved and tracking how many snacks are being consumed. It helps to keep those sugar crashes at bay throughout the day too!
We hope you found this Pottiagogo blog helpful at identifying ways to reduce sugar content in your child’s diet!
Related blogs: Three Great Dinnertime Recipes for Toddlers
]]>It's time to take advantage of what spring and nature have to offer, and get creative with some springtime activities! The team at Pottiagogo have pulled together a list of 12 spring crafts and activities for your family to choose from planting sunflowers, to going on hunts for ladybugs! So without further ado, take a look at some of our springtime activities:
Spring is an important time for planting seeds, as the days lengthen and the sun strengthens. Therefore, we recommend popping to your local garden centre and picking up some sunflower seeds (the perfect flowers to bloom this spring!)
Sunflowers can be sown straight into the ground where they are going to flower, so make sure the space you are going to sow is weed free by using a trowel to remove the weeds. Place the seed in carefully and cover them up with soil. Don’t forget to water the seeds gently. As they grow, if the plants are crowded, then thin them out to about 45cm apart leaving the strongest, tallest plants. As your sunflower begins to grow taller than you, you will need to help support the stem, by placing a cane near the stem and loosely tying the cane to the plant with string.
Camping is great fun and a chance to "be at one with nature". Many happy memories are made when sitting around a campfire sharing jokes or fairy tales and stargazing at night (watch out for shooting stars!). If your little one is potty training, you don’t need to fret. Simply, throw a travel potty into your boot and you’re ready to go!
Worms like cool, dark environments, so look for them in the evening or after a rain shower. Wear some old clothes, grab a shovel or spade, and a tub to position them in (with air holes, of course). When you're done inspecting your worms, release them into your compost pile or garden beds to help improve the soil.
It's a beautiful time of year to go for a walk in the woods and admire the new growth of spring. The time will surely pass by with hikes, orienteering tracks, and bike paths! If it's warm enough to enjoy the outdoors, don't forget to bring a picnic and a waterproof picnic blanket. Somehow, food tastes better al fresco!
Take a family stroll to see what signs of spring you can find. It may be the appearance of buds on trees, fresh flowers, baby lambs, or the sound of a cuckoo. Spring is even the perfect weather for heading out with a kite to a nearby park or hill (especially if it's windy!)
With the brighter days, kids can go out and play all day. For a perfect lunch time snack, why don’t you create an edible caterpillar with the kids? Simply create the body out of grapes or apple slices, the face out of a cherry tomato or strawberry slice, and the eyes out of tasty googly eyes or raisins. Bonus points to those who go and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar afterwards!
Image from Bright Star Kids
There's something about rain showers and puddles in the spring. Put on your wetsuit and wellies and head outdoors to play around in the puddles around your local area (you can still run a bath afterwards to warm and clean everyone!)
Taking a piece of paper, folding it in half, opening it, and putting lots of different splashes of paint into the center of your piece of paper is one of the simplest and most enjoyable art projects for any child. The more colors there are, the better. To flatten the paper, fold it again and gently run your hands along the fold. Then open your eyes to see your lovely butterfly!
For a Ladybird Hunt, take your magnifying glasses and a plastic tub outside. When you catch a ladybird, place it in the tub carefully so you can count its spots.
Create a Ladybird Chart to keep track of how many ladybirds you find with different numbers of spots. When you're done, kindly let them go.
Every child enjoys gardening; there's something magical about squishing your fingertips into the dirt, and of course, watering the seeds after they've been planted. The most important thing you can do is keep your plants well-watered. To keep your child interested in the growing process, take weekly photographs of the vegetables' progress along with their measurements, or have them draw weekly pictures or an image of how they see the finished product.
It's a little sloppy, but it's a lot of fun! Using your thumb print dipped in paint for the head and other fingerprints for the rest of the body for your bunny family keepsake.
What child doesn’t love baking? Spring is the perfect time to bake a batch of cookies or buns and use brightly colored icing sugar to decorate them. For fun cookie recipes, explore here.
Related blogs:
]]>Is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable? The answer may surprise you! Play this fun, interactive game with your toddler and young children to encourage healthy eating. Older children and adults can get involved too as you take turns to guess whether certain foods are fruits or vegetables. To play the game, have a selection of ready-to-eat foods nearby that you can point to and ask your audience if it’s a fruit or a veggie. Pictures of vegetables will also work, though if you play with real food it means your toddler can also have a healthy snack at the same time.
Here’s a list of fruits that are commonly mistaken as vegetables to start the game with; feel free to add your own too!
A ‘Rainbow Day’ is a challenge you can try with your toddler and little ones to encourage healthy eating. The aim is to eat healthy foods of as many colours of the rainbow as you can in one day. When you are planning your ‘Rainbow Day’, try to teach your toddler about the difference in nutrition from each food group e.g. carbohydrates, like pasta, will give you energy whereas water will keep you hydrated. To help explain this, you could even make a ‘healthy eating plate’.
Unlike the ceramic plates we eat from, a healthy eating plate is usually a bit bigger and made from paper or scrap cardboard as shown below. Safely cut out a large plate shape from your material and gather some pens to draw with. On your plate, draw clear sections labelled: protein, carbohydrates, fats, fruits and vegetables. You can then draw different foods or print some small pictures of foods out and engage your toddler to interact with the healthy eating plate. Ask them where they think certain foods belong e.g. bread, crisps or strawberries and stick them into the right category. The idea of this exercise is to show your toddler and little ones the different food groups that make up healthy eating.
Food doesn’t have to just be for fuel, it can also be art that you eat! To encourage your toddler to eat well-rounded healthy meals, you could try designing food art with them using food from the different food groups of the healthy eating plate, like the two examples below.
A wonderful bonding activity that is also positive for the environment would be home growing your own fruit and vegetables. Try growing your food from home with your little ones. This activity will encourage them to have an interest in healthy eating as they will be able to watch their planted vegetables grow into something tasty that they can eat. Green beans, herbs, tomatoes and peas are all easy examples of the types of food you can grow in a small patch of soil. If you have a bigger garden, why not even plant your vegetable patch? Encourage your little ones to help you plant the seeds, water the crop and harvest when ready - watch as their excitement grows!
You can encourage healthy eating in your toddlers by showing enthusiasm for trying sugar-free alternatives. Opt-out of buying foods that are full of artificial ingredients and instead choose more natural foods, yoghurts and drinks for your toddler to try. It doesn’t have to be all at once, but small swaps to sugar-free and natural foods with healthy bacteria is a good place to start. Alternative snacks could include dried fruits, active-bio yoghurt, nuts, cheese, vegetable sticks, hard-boiled eggs or mini sandwich quarters. To give water some flavour, you can try adding a small amount of diluted juice to it for your toddler to enjoy a different taste. Snacks that aren’t sugar-free are fine now and again! Though if you want to encourage a healthy diet, it’s important to have some sugar-free or low sugar alternatives.
Have fun with your healthy eating activities and remember it’s all about trying something new, offering encouragement and promoting well-rounded health! Children can also learn from example, so if they see their parents and caregivers try new, healthier foods, they will likely be interested in trying them too!
Good luck!
Related Blog: Three Great Dinner Time Recipes For Toddlers]]>In this series, we interview influential parents to have an open conversation on the topic of potty training. We at Pottiagogo are thrilled to say that this monthly blog series has brought about plenty of open conversations with real parents about the highs and lows of potty training. We hope it will break down the taboo of potty training and allow parents to start feeling more comfortable when talking about their child’s potty training journey.
Without further ado, we would like to introduce Laura to our ‘Potty Talk’ series. Laura is a Motherhood and Parenting Blogger, who can be found on Instagram (@AprilAndEnid) sharing beautiful images, insight and her tips on Motherhood. Laura has kindly agreed to share her potty training experiences with the Pottiagogo community.
Let’s find out more about Laura and her potty training journey…
1. How many children do you have and how old are they?
April who is 4 and Enid who is 2.
Northamptonshire, England.
3. What baby/toddler presents would you recommend that helped their developmental milestones?
Toys that encourage imagination and open-ended play. Things like wooden bricks, playdoh, or arts and crafts.
4. How old was your child when you first started potty training and how did you know they were ready?
2 years. I knew she was ready as she started to take an interest in the toilet and could tell us when her nappy was wet.
5. What were your biggest potty training challenges?
Night-time was a lot harder and she wasn't dry overnight until about a year after day time training.
6. Do you have any funny/embarrassing potty training stories?
Before we had our Pottiagogo I took my daughter for a wee in the woods and it went all over my wellies!
7. Why do you love your Pottiagogo?
No more going potty on my boots!! With two girls who love the outdoors, it's a game-changer. It's very flat once folded so it fits inside my backpack. The liners are biodegradable which is important to me too.
8. How often do you take your Pottiagogo on your travels?
It's always in the boot in case of an emergency lay-by stop, and we take it on all our walks. It's especially useful in lockdown when all the toilets are shut!
9. What are your top potty training tips to advice other parents?
Have lots of towels on standby. I potty trained in the summer so there were fewer clothes to get on and off, and they can just go nappy free in the garden.
Thank you for answering our questions, Laura! We’re so glad to hear that our travel potty has been able to help you potty train both of your girls, April and Enid. And that your boots can stay dry for another day!
We hope you have enjoyed our third ‘Potty Talk’ series with Laura. Come back next month to hear more potty training stories and tips from real parents!
If you’re ready to take the plunge with potty training, browse our Pottiagogo Travel Potty Range, including our Biodegradable Potty Liners.
To find out more about Laura and her life in Motherhood, check her out on Instagram at her handle @AprilAndEnid!
Featured image from @AprilAndEnid
]]>Bubble Fun
What’s a bath without some bubbles? Bubbles can really make bathtime fun for toddlers and young children. You can blow bubbles and create fun shapes in the foam with your toddler to help them enjoy bathtime. You can also get your toddler involved in bathtime by showing them how bubbles are made; when you mix your bubble bath into running water. If bubble baths aren’t quite cutting it, you could try a different approach to bathtime fun. For example, using bathtime toys.
Fun Bathtime Toys
Do you have balls from a ball pit? If so, try using these balls for fun in your toddler’s bath. Pop some in and they will float in the water beside your toddler to create a fun distraction. Playing with bathtime toys can help your toddler to enjoy bathtime more. It doesn’t have to be floatable balls, find out what bathtime toys are available that your toddler might like and incorporate these into their bathtime routine.
Be Calm and Gentle
If your toddler is showing signs of fear and reluctance to bathing, it is important to listen to what is going on for them. Are they afraid of the water or soap? Talk to them about what these things are and why it is important to keep clean. To help your toddler feel comfortable with bathtime, parents find that sitting in with their toddler when they are in the bath can help. Try to avoid splashing water into your toddler’s face by surprise and make sure that the water isn’t too hot or cold for them. Lower your toddler gently into the bathtub water and help them to feel comfortable by holding their hand if they want. Your toddler may also simply be too tired for a bath, so perhaps trying to bath at an earlier time in the evening is all that they need.
Decrease The Frequency of Baths
If all of a sudden your toddler finds bathing very distressing, you can reduce the number of baths they take in a week. If you decide this, you can still clean your child with a washcloth on the days they aren’t having a bath. It’s normal for a toddler to reach a developmental stage where they are against baths. This stage won’t last for long and before you know it, they will be back in the tub, enjoying bath time again.
Try Showering
Parents often use shower washes instead when their toddler seems to hate bathtime. Instead of having your toddler sit down in the bath, wash them standing up either in the bathtub, at the sink, on a shower mat or by you holding the showerhead safely and comfortably for them as they clean standing upright in the shower, under parental supervision.
Show Them That Bathtime Can Be Fun
If your toddler begins to show a strong dislike for bathtime, you can try to bath when they bath. Run a bath for yourself and use your toddler’s bath toys in the bath. Show your toddler that you are enjoying your bathtime by using fun bathtime toys and playing with bubbles. Allow your toddler to wash at the sink during this time and not in the bathtub and see if they show an interest in bathing now that they’ve seen their parent do it. Eventually, your toddler will want to try bathing on their own again and at least this way you get to enjoy your own bath!
Have patience with your toddler when they show signs that they hate bathtime. They won’t hate it forever and with these top tips hopefully, you can try new ways that will help you and your toddler get along just fine when it comes to bathtime.
Related blog: Traits of The Terrible 2s & What To Do
]]>Being a parent is hard going at times and it’s OK to struggle. You weren’t born knowing everything and neither is your child or partner. Facing a struggle will help you to grow as a parent as you adapt new skills and create space for learning. If you, your partner or someone you know is struggling with parenting, we welcome you to read the following advice. Together we can help ease any parenthood struggles and gain insight into how we can help each other.
Embrace The Goodness
By this, we mean try to surround yourself with positivity. You can do this by making time to spend with the people who make you feel good and positive about yourself and life.
Whilst it might not always be easy to spot, goodness and positivity are out there. Mindfulness exercises and positive affirmations are one way you can encourage positivity and embrace goodness. Acts of kindness, gratitude, warmth and care are a great way to appreciate the small things.
Express your feelings, share your thoughts and encourage positive communication. Spending time outdoors is proven to help boost positive feelings and to help you to feel connected with nature. You can intentionally reflect on the things that make you happy for example, with your morning coffee. Remind yourself to embrace the goodness and remember that a cuddle with your family pet and loved ones will always go a long way.
Create a Social Network for Yourself
If you’d like to build supportive relationships with new people, classes and clubs are a great way to do this. You can find online classes and workshops on Facebook, LinkedIn and in the newspaper. It is likely that there are clubs in your local area that you didn’t know existed that may interest you, such as a crochet or walking club. You can also turn to online forums if you’d like to discuss anything parenting related such as MumsNet.
Protect Yourself From Negativity
Especially online! With the increase in social media use today, it’s really important for our mental health that our online platforms reflect positivity. Protect yourself from negativity by removing, muting or unfollowing accounts that don’t bring you joy in some way. Create space and boundaries for yourself so you can thrive without the weight of negativity on your shoulders.
Use Cognitive Empathy
If you find you are struggling due to taking on too much emotion from someone that is close to you, psychologists suggest using cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy is used as a more cerebral approach to empathy rather than a compassionate approach; where we can ‘feel the pain’ for others too much and cause over-internalization of other’s problems. Use cognitive empathy to visualise the other person’s or your child’s point of view and imagine what could they do to make themselves feel better. It is less draining to use cognitive empathy, it doesn’t increase stress hormones and studies have shown that using cognitive empathy leads to less reactive decisions and good judgement calls.
Sleep and Eat Well
As a parent, you may feel that you’ve given up good sleep and your general wellbeing for one reason or another. Most likely, because you are putting others before you. If you are struggling, it is OK. A way that you can help yourself is to make sure that you are allowing yourself time to rest, hydrate, exercise, eat well and pay attention to your overall wellbeing.
Feeling Unsupported?
Reach out if you’re feeling unsupported. Friends, family, neighbours or those that care about you might be able to help. If you feel that you don’t have anyone you can speak to, pick up your phone and reach out to a parenting helpline such as Parent’s Helpline or Family Lives. Family Lives offer the option to talk to someone online for support. You are never alone and there are lots more parent helplines out there should you feel you need to speak to someone.
We are here to tell you that it’s OK to struggle as a parent. Try to talk with someone who can relate and share the load. Try not to blame yourself or to make yourself feel guilty in comparison to what you see online. By seeking advice and support you are already working through your struggle - and that is very much an awesome thing for a parent to do.
We hope this blog has reassured you that it’s OK to struggle as a parent and you now have some options to help when you feel that you are struggling. Support is always available.
Related blog: What To Do When “No” Is Your Toddler’s Favourite Word
]]>Make Sure They’re Comfortable in Their Room
A child’s bedroom should provide comfort, safety, and a place to relax. If your child is struggling to sleep through the night, ensure that your child is comfortable in their room. Is there a problem with their bed or mattress? Why do they feel uncomfortable in their room and is there anything you can do to fix this? For example, could you install a night light that your child can relate feelings of warmth and comfort to if they were to wake up in the middle of the night?
Create a Consistent Bedtime Routine
A consistent bedtime routine offers your child the chance to regulate their body clock and to understand when it’s time to wind down from the day. A child requires this element of routine structure for their personal development and overall health. If you haven’t created a bedtime routine just yet, or perhaps the plan isn’t sticking quite as you’d once hoped, try to create a new bedtime routine that you can be consistent with. Incorporating bedtime activities can help to encourage your child into settling down for bed. An activity could be hearing a bedtime story being read aloud to them or reading along with their parent.
Try Potty Training
Is your child waking up in the night because they need to use the potty? If you’re in the midst of potty training or you haven’t reached that stage yet, consider if this could be the reason that your toddler is waking during the night. It could be that they are restless due to having consumed too much liquid before bed and are worried about bed wetting. Consider using the Pottiagogo Travel Potty in your training routine. It comes with biodegradable potty liners and the potty is transportable and lightweight, perfect for potty training on the go, at home, or visiting family.
Consider The Impact of Daytime Napping
Navigating nap times can be a struggle. If your child is showing signs of tiredness during the day, a nap can help to make them feel better and give them energy, but on the other hand, if your child is napping for too long during the day, they won’t sleep through the night. So what do you do? To limit the impact of daytime napping on your nighttime routine, try to minimize the length and the number of naps your toddler has during the day, especially if they want to nap a few hours before their bedtime. In this instance, consider an activity that keeps your toddler focused and awake so they will be more likely to sleep through the night. This could include heading outdoors to get them some fresh air instead of a nap or carrying out a sensory activity such as playing with blocks or bubbles to awaken their senses. Leaving your toddler alone in front of the TV or listening to music might cause them to drift off without you knowing, so keep an eye on them if you can, and avoid doing things with your toddler that you already know makes them sleepy, for example, going for a drive in the car.
Be Patient and Consistent
Consistency is what’s really going to help develop a working bedtime routine for your toddler and ultimately this should have them sleeping through the night. You should be understanding of their needs but also try to teach them why sleeping is important and good for them. A child enjoys spending time with their parents and seeing what they do. If a simple bedtime activity, for example, reading a book isn’t quite getting your little one off to sleep, then try making their routine even longer. You could start their routine by asking them to show you how they brush their teeth, as well as cleaning their hands and tidying away their clothes at the end of the day. This is also an opportunity in their bedtime routine to begin using the Pottiagogo potty to assist with their potty training development.
Final Tips
Try to be patient with your toddler as they get used to their bedtime routine. As well as patience, try to have your toddler waking up at an appropriate time in the morning and making sure they have enough fuel for their day from food, water, and healthy snacks. If your toddler is napping too close to bedtime, try to play a game or have a go at an activity that will keep your toddler engaged right up until it’s time to go to bed. Be consistent in your routine and ensure that your child is comfortable.
Professional help is available to you and your child if you are struggling with sleeping through the night. Sleeplessness can create negative knock-on effects on your mental and physical health, as well as your toddler’s, so seek help if you are struggling.
We at Pottiagogo hope that you can use these tips to find comfort, guidance and the help you need so that you and your child can get back to catching your nighttime Zzz’s.
Related blog: How to Get Your Child to Sleep Through The Whole Night
]]>Without further ado, we would like to introduce Kiera Mai to our ‘Potty Talk’ series. Kiera Mai is a parenthood influencer, who can be found on Instagram sharing her insight into her family and experiences she faces with her young children. Kiera Mai has kindly agreed to share her potty training experiences with the Pottiagogo community.
Let’s find out more about Kiera and her potty training journey…
1. How many children do you have?
I have two children, Isla who is 3 years old, and Sienna who is 18 months old.
2. What region of the country do you live in?
We live in Hertfordshire.
3. What baby or toddler presents would you recommend that helped your children reach developmental milestones?
The main presents which I feel really benefited the girls were: books, walkers, jumperoos and building blocks. I also found that incorporating walks in the park and nursery rhymes from a very young age were also really beneficial for the girls’ development.
4. How old was your child when you first started potty training and how did you know they were ready?
I potty trained with Isla when she was 2 years old, but she just wasn’t ready, so I wanted to wait until she understood a bit more. When she was around 2.5 years old, she would always compare herself to Sienna saying she was a baby, so we tried it again. As Isla is so independent and wanted to “be a big girl”, I would say to her “babies do wee-wees in their nappies like Sienna, big girls do it in the potty or toilet.” She would sit there and really think about what I had said until it suddenly clicked with her!
5. What were the biggest potty training challenges?
I would probably say having a younger child does put pressure on you! Sienna was very clingy so I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to spend time supporting her potty training.
6. Do you have any funny/embarrassing potty training stories?
When we were on holiday, we were at the park and Isla had announced she needed to go to the toilet. So, we ran her to the toilet, they were quite far away and the whole time she was screaming that she had changed her mind, saying ‘she didn’t need a wee!’ (just because she wanted to stay at the park). We got near the toilets and she had repeated she didn’t need to go. We put her down on the marble floors in the hotel and of course, she couldn’t hold on any longer and went on the floor - I’ve never seen Joseph scoop her up so quickly! That is the only accident she has ever had in the daytime!
7. Why do you love your Pottiagogo?
It’s so convenient and means I don’t have to put nappies on her when we go out! It’s very lightweight and compact so fits in the changing bag, meaning I don’t need to carry it separately.
8. How often do you take your Pottiagogo on your travels?
Every time we go for walks out and about.
9. What are your top potty training tips to advise other parents?
Wait until they are ready, if you do it too early they get confused and have accidents! Don’t worry about how old everybody else’s children are. When you start - just go for it! Don’t keep putting nappies on them as this confuses them and they will just go in their nappies instead.
We have more ‘Potty Talk’ blogs coming your way in the series so look out for them!
We hope you have enjoyed our second ‘Potty Talk’ series with Kiera Mai. Come back next month to hear more potty training stories and tips from real parents!
If you’re ready to take the plunge with potty training, browse our Pottiagogo Potty Range.
To find out more about Kiera’s family life, check her out on Instagram at her handle @islaandsienna!
Featured image from @islaandsienna
'Potty Talk
Here we will cover key areas of potty training and playgroup. We’ve added some helpful stories from real mums to show how they coped when they faced this part of parenthood.
Get into a Potty Training Routine at Home
Starting at home, where your child is comfortable, try to use a potty routine. Using a routine at home will help your child develop the habit and learn the skill of going to the loo in a safe place. This understanding will stick with them when they are away from home, like at playgroup.
Potty Train before starting Playgroup
It’s a challenge, but try to stick to the training routine as much as you can. Aim to have your child trained to use the potty (or as close as you can) by the time your child is beginning playgroup.
What do I do if I’m struggling with Potty Training and my child is starting Playgroup soon?
It’s not uncommon to experience difficulty with timing. It’s a new experience for both parent and child; going off to playgroup. So it’s natural the child will face some confusion surrounding potty times and a few accidents may happen.
If you have been potty training at home, then it’s only a matter of time that your child will pick up the habit in their new safe place, playgroup. So try not to worry too much if accidents do happen.
Here’s what you should do between your current training and the beginning of your child’s playgroup.
Communication is Key
Whilst it might be your first experience with a playgroup, it probably isn’t for the childcare providers. They will have faced potty training issues before and are likely to have answers to your queries - so communicate with them.
Childcare providers will want to know what stage your child is at in their potty training journey. They will use this information to structure toilet times into the day and get an understanding of what support to offer your child at toilet time. Having clear, open communication will benefit your child, your childcare provider, and you - both for now and in the future.
Work Together
Assimilate a routine that works for both your child and care provider. Go over the routine and home and keep up at your end of the potty training agreement. Your child will form the habit of going to the potty and they will be able to enjoy the whole experience of what playgroup offers.
You can use the Pottiagogo travel potty with biodegradable potty liners at home, at grandparent’s house, and at playgroup to keep up your potty training routine.
If everyone is working towards the same goal, it will be much easier to achieve.
Avoid confusion
It’s wise to check that your potty training techniques align as much as possible. That way, you can keep things consistent for your child, hopefully limiting confusion as they get to grips with potty training.
Stories from Real Mums
A mum posed the following question online,
“My daughter is starting playgroup soon, she's being potty trained (at home) and still has occasional accidents when she's distracted … Do I just let her go - will the staff do what needs to be done?”
They received the following advice from other mums,
View Pottiagogo travel potties.
You can read this thread on MumsNet.
Strive to potty train in advance of playground starting as this will be one less thing to worry about when playgroup time comes for your child. Do try not to overthink the experience, it will happen eventually with the same potty training routines in place. We’ll admit it, potty training can be tough! So the best practice is to get a jump on it as soon as possible.
Potty train with Pottiagogo. Shop the Pottiagogo range today.
Related blog: 4 Potty Training Supplies you need in 2021
]]>Educate Toddlers on When to Wash Their Hands
A toddler will need to understand when to wash their hands. Dirty hands spread germs and bacteria, so it’s important to learn when to wash as well as how. Firstly, encourage hand washing as you would yourself; before eating, after using the bathroom, after playing outside, sharing toys, or handling other foods.
Show Them How to Wash Their Hands Thoroughly and Correctly
Washing hands in the correct way is a very important hygiene habit for toddlers to learn. Toddlers need to know: how to use the soap dispenser correctly, how to wash their hands, and the right amount of time to take washing, rinsing, and drying. Practice washing hands with them, ensure the little one gets washing all of their fingers, in-between the gaps, their palms and backs of their hands too. Rinse them with water and show them how to dry.
They also need to be shown how to wipe their bums properly. Watch this fun YouTube video of a lady using balloons to show the kids the direction to wipe!
Prioritise Teeth Brushing Early On
Oral hygiene routines are vital for kids of all ages. Early on, try to put a routine in place and give your kids everything they need to understand oral hygiene. When you are starting your routine, show your toddler how you do it and the tools you use e.g. a toothbrush and toothpaste. Try a routine in the morning and before bed. Flossing and visits to the dentist should also be a priority.
Practice Good Bathing Hygiene
Who doesn’t love a good bath? Your kids need to understand the importance of good bathing for their personal hygiene. This starts when they’re still toddlers. As you’ll be bathing them at this age, you should take the time to show them the right cleaning techniques and what they need to be doing to clean themselves correctly. These lessons will help to develop your toddler’s personal hygiene habits at an early age, which will help in future development. Cleaning can be fun! So encourage your toddler to enjoy their bathing practice e.g. with songs and rhymes.
Emphasise the Importance of Clothing Hygiene
If it was up to your child, they’d probably wear their favourite clothes every day! But as a parent, you understand this is somewhat unrealistic. Clothes will begin to pick up bacteria and start to smell if worn for too long. One tip, to encourage this simple hygiene habit is to show them when it’s okay to change clothes, for hygiene purposes and the importance of only wearing their clothes. It’s good to teach your toddler about changing underwear for washing after they’ve been worn once (even if they won’t be the ones washing them.)
Teach Them How to Safely Cough and Sneeze
The correct ways of coughing and sneezing without passing germs on to nearby people is something that has been much-publicised recently. But even outside of a pandemic, it’s useful for your child to understand these things so they don’t pass on germs to those around them.
Teach your child to cough and sneeze into a tissue (if there’s one available). You can also teach them to cough and sneeze into the corner of their elbow, or at least to cover their face with their hands. You could also incorporate this as another reason to wash your hands - to clean away germs and bacteria caused by sneezing and coughing.
Hygiene is vital for development, and now more so than ever before we’re all encouraged to take responsibility for our own hygiene practices. We’re all trying to do more to stay hygienic and avoid passing on germs to those around us. This makes now the perfect time to start educating your child on the hygiene issues and techniques we’ve discussed here today.
Explore our Pottiagogo Travel Potty range
Related blog: ]]>First of all, you need to think about how your own habits impact the time your kids spend looking at screens. If you’re always looking at your phone or sitting in front of the TV, you can’t really expect your kids to be doing anything different. They’ll follow your lead because you’re their parent and they look to you for guidance. When a parent does something, young children tend to follow suit, so keep that in mind.
You should try to set aside some time during the week for your family to be together doing things that don’t involve looking at screens. That might involve going outside and doing something active as a family or it might be about playing a board game or something like that. Having those moments when you can escape the screen as a family unit is really important.
If you’re worried about how much time your child is spending on mobile devices or other electronics, you could always take a look at the parental settings on these devices. They tend to be very good these days, putting parents in control of how much access their kids have to devices and how much time they can spend using them. It’s definitely something worth exploring.
You should encourage your kids to develop hobbies and to spend time on activities away from the screen, where possible. If they have things that they enjoy that don’t involve sitting watching a TV, tablet or phone, they’ll be less motivated to spend all of their time doing that. It’s up to you to offer up activities that you think they might enjoy if they’re not currently doing those things.
It is particularly important to encourage good fitness and well-being to keep your child’s body healthy and their mind positive, as much as possible. If needed, there are ways that you can make a deal with your child in terms of screen time when motivating them to carry out physical exercise. There are online fitness programmes available, such as Primary PE Planning that your child’s school may offer, which provide fun PE games and lessons that should help get your child up and moving about!
The last thing you want is for you kids to be hiding away in their room spending all their time looking at screens. That’s why you should try to keep their bedroom screen-free zone. As a parent, you’ll be able to control this when they’re younger, but it can be more difficult as they grow up. So try to keep the room as free of screens as possible for as long as possible.
Most parents don’t want their kids to spend too much of their time sitting in front of the screen. It’s not always the healthiest way to spend time and it can have long-term consequences, so it’s important to consider the steps you take to manage this challenge without creating conflict with your kids.
The first and most important thing you can do when working from home as a parent of young children is start the day as early as possible. That way, you can make sure that you complete as many of your parenting duties as possible before your working day begins. The last thing you want is to be trying to feed your kids breakfast while also taking part in the morning meeting.
It’s important to have everything you need around you when you’re working and parenting at the same time. If you’re potty training, invest in the right potty training resources such as a Pottiagogo travel potty that can easily be moved around your home and emptied simply by switching the biodegradable liner.
Also, find entertainment options that’ll keep your kids occupied. There are many digital programmes and software out there that can make parenting a little bit easier, and those resources only become more important when you’re trying to work at the same time. If you are home schooling, be sure to check out the Cbeebies website for quizzes, games and much more to help fill those often testing home schooling days.
It’s a good idea to encourage independent play for your kids while you’re working. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should just leave them to it and ignore them. But if they’re occupying themselves and playing independently, it’ll mean that you don’t have to be giving them your full attention 100% of the time, which of course isn’t possible anyway when you’re also working.
If you’re struggling to cope with the demands of parenting while also doing your job, you should get help. Maybe there’s a grandparent or other family member who can come over to look after the kids while you work. Or maybe you’ll need to hire a babysitter who can do that job for you. There’s nothing at all wrong with admitting that you need a little extra help with this task.
It’s important that you set aside times in the day when you can give your toddler your complete and undivided attention. That’s something that probably won’t be possible for the entire day, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the attempt to give them that attention at particular times, such as when you’re on breaks and when it’s lunch time, for example.
As more and more of us are now working from home and having to look after young children at the same time, it’s a good idea to get used to these challenges sooner rather than later. From there, you can start to establish good routines that work for your job and your child.
Shop Pottiagogo potties and biodegradable potty liners.
Related blogs:
]]>The first thing you’ll need is a good potty. Rather than buying more than one potty, why not buy one that does the job at home and when travelling. When you are potty training your child, the training doesn’t stop whether you’re in the house or out, so a foldable travel potty is convenient for use at all times. Our Pottiagogo travel potty allows you to carry on potty training confidently whenever and wherever you go.
It can be tough when you’re not at home to remain disciplined, but you don’t have to throw away all the progress you’ve made if you have a travel potty to take with you, and if the potty is the same as the one your child uses at home they are likely to remain confident when using it when out.
Plus, you won’t need to worry about discreetly disposing of the potty contents when you’re out either, as our biodegradable potty liners allows you to get rid of the contents discreetly.
It’s important for you to think about how you’re going to manage accidents that are likely to happen during the process of moving your child away from nappies and towards potty and toilet training. You should buy some waterproof sheets that protect the bed and help you to clean up those accidents a little more quickly when they inevitably happen.
One of the things that goes hand in hand with good potty training is good hygiene, both for you and for your child. That’s why you should make sure you have a good soap pump that’s accessible and easy to use for your child as well as for you. It’s a good way to improve their understanding of hygiene techniques as they also learn the basics of potty usage. Singing a song during hand washing can also make things fun and help to encourage this healthy habit for your child. There are lots of catchy hand washing songs available.
It’s important to have routines and schedules in place when potty training. That way, you can make sure that your child gets into the habit of going to the toilet or at least trying to at certain times. This will help them to get used to using the potty and later the toilet.
Once you’ve got all of these things in place, you’ll find the process of potty training goes a lot more smoothly for you. Most importantly, your child will take to it much more quickly and become comfortable with the idea of using a potty and a toilet. Just make sure you put the above items in place before you get started.
Shop Pottiagogo potties and biodegradable potty liners now.
]]>Bath time toys
Bath time is an evening ritual in many households and often it is filled to the brim with innocent laughter and bubbles. It is a time that parents and children often treasure and a bath time toy could make the event extra fun. During bath time, children are excited by the water, bubble bath and splashing, so why not add to the fun and invest in good quality bath toys that will last them throughout their childhood?
A bath time toy such as a motor boat or foam letters to stick on the sides of the bath can be stimulating for your child and encourage learning in a fun environment, whilst helping to make memories to cherish all at the same time.
Age-appropriate books
Although it may not seem as exciting as an electronic gift in the modern world we live in, a child can easily get lost in a book and it can spark creativity and imagination. If your child enjoys a bedtime story being read to them, giving them a book could be especially perfect for them, so that you can read the book together as part of their bedtime ritual and develop your bond further.
Their future teachers will also thank you later as this encouragement to read will help to develop their reading skills and vocabulary; often without them even realising. Whether it is a factual book or fictional book, the benefits are endless and your choices are pretty much limitless too, due to the wonderful array of age-appropriate book options out there.
Musical toys
Although often detested by many parents due to the noise they create, musical toys such as drums, cymbals or castanets really can help to awaken your child’s senses, build concentration and may even result in them taking a musical instrument up as a hobby in later life, so there are lots of benefits to them.
They can also be a great gift that all the family can get involved with and create joyous memories; particularly over the Christmas holidays. Often musical geniuses started off with a musical toy as a child; could your child be the next musical superstar? Why not gift them a musical toy and see!
Cognitive toys
Where possible, it is great to give a toddler a cognitive toy to encourage brain development. Whether it be flashing lights on a toy car that keeps them engaged or simply them being able to look at themselves in an age-appropriate mirror, they will no doubt be glued to the toy and likely take it with them wherever they go.
Another wonderful cognitive toy that is also multi-purpose is a set of stacking cups. They can build a tower with stacking cups, or hand them out like pretend cups of tea, which encourages them to use their hands and develop motor skills from a young age.
The Essentials
It’s nothing to be ashamed about if you bulk up your child’s gifts with essential items which see them through the years. Whether it be toothpaste, shampoo or a new potty in preparation for potty training or reigniting encouragement for potty training, it’s worth including as a gift. Plus gifts like these help instill appreciation for what parents provide for their child throughout the year. You would be surprised how many parents wrap up essential items around Christmas time and I suppose there is no time like the present to encourage children to appreciate the essentials they have. Find out more about our Pottiagogo potties.
Given what we have covered above, one tip you might like to keep in mind when gifting this Christmas is to give a variety of small gifts which cover all areas in terms of supporting development and creating enjoyment, rather than spending lots on a trendy toy that your child might grow out of in the coming months. You never know you and your child might get more fulfillment out of it in the long run!
Shop our Pottiagogo potties today.
]]>These days we are fortunate to have a host of inspiring toddler friendly recipes available to us online, so we have picked a few of our favourites to help keep dinnertime exciting in these testing times.
Kid friendly Shepherd’s Pie cups from eazypeazymeals
First up, here is one meal idea that will keep your little ones quite literally smiling. This incorporates an age old winter warmer recipe with a child-friendly twist that means that the famous smiley potato faces are featured. Perhaps the smiley faces can act as a compromise at mealtime and could help a fussy eater become a little more adventurous. What is also great about this recipe is that the ingredients can be portion controlled in a muffin tin and the leftovers can be used for lunchtime the next day. This helps to keep food waste down too, which is a win win.
When it comes to the addition of meat in this recipe, beef mince tends to be a popular choice. However, lamb, pork or meat-free mince can be used.
For ingredients and method details, click here.
Red Lentil Lasagne from Healthy Little Foodies
This is a lovely winter warmer that everyone can enjoy. It is a healthy vegetarian recipe for all the family, and you don’t have to be vegetarian to try it. A quirky change from the traditional meat lasagne, this meat-free alternative is arguably no less yummy than a traditional lasagne. It has lots of fibre and roughage goodness, which should help to keep your little one’s digestive system in a healthy working order; making it perfect for potty training.
Check out the recipe for this yummy meal here.
Cheesy Spinach Pasta from Meg’s Meal Planning
Last but by no means least, this recipe is super quick and healthy, and should be ready for your family to scoff in just 15 minutes. It’s perfect for busy parents trying to make yummy meals for the whole family.
With just five ingredients that you might already have in your fridge, it can be whizzed up in next to no time, and might not even require a trip to the shop, which can be a blessing at a time like this. If you wanted to bulk it out further you could add cooked chicken, other vegetables such as bell peppers, or both meat and veg - the options are endless!
Discover how to make this quick and easy family meal here.
We hope these toddler-friendly recipes have left you feeling inspired, and we hope they get the yummy seal of approval from your family!
If you try out these toddler-friendly recipes, don’t forget to tag us @pottiagogo on Pottiagogo’s Instagram!
Interested in finding out more about diet and potty training?
Read our blog: Can Diet Affect Potty Training?
]]>Here are a few tips you can keep in mind when planning meals for your younger family members.
The first way you can try to keep things regular is to encourage them to eat a varied diet. A typical varied diet of fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates such as grains, and protein and calcium rich foods, whether it be meat and dairy or plant-based alternatives, will help those little bodies to grow and develop at a healthy rate. This will help make sure their bodies are developed enough to help with potty training success.
Although it’s not a recent discovery, it is important to note that fibre is key to help with regular toilet trips. That being said, it can be a parent’s best friend when potty training and can help to prevent your child straining when they’re sitting on the potty.
If your child is a fussy eater, the idea of trying to squeeze in more fibre to their diet without putting them off their food may seem particularly daunting. However, there are ways you can get fibre into their diet without them having to step too far out of their comfort zone. Perhaps you could try sprinkling some linseed over their favourite cereal or switching their bread to one that is higher in fibre.
Fibre content should always be printed on the back of ingredients, so if you’re trying to make decisions in the supermarket on similar products, you could check the back of the packets to see which has higher fibre content, and then opt for that one.
Although us adults may squirm at the thought of eating prunes, you would be surprised how many children love prunes. They are also widely available in a range of baby and toddler foods.
As your child reaches toddler age, it’s not uncommon for them to get a little fussier with food. They may also form opinions of foods based on other people’s reactions. It is therefore important that where possible you do not talk negatively or turn your nose up about particular foods such as prunes in their company, as this may put them off.
Although we tend to focus on food when we speak about diet, your child’s liquid intake is also important. I suppose it’s safe to say that it doesn’t take a genius to work out that liquid intake can affect the frequency of potty trips too.
Naturally enough, as we drink more water we will need to dash to the loo a little more and there is no exception for children. It is worth keeping in mind however that if you are potty training you may want to encourage your child to stop drinking after dinner time. This will leave them plenty of time to go to the potty before bed, which will help ensure they stay dry during the night.
On the topic of keeping hydrated, it’s worth noting that even as adults we can often forget to keep hydrated, so it is important that you help remind your child as well as yourself to drink up during the day.
We hope these helpful tips will help you plan your little one’s meals, so that their diet works hand in hand with potty training.
View our range of travel potties, so that your little one is never caught off guard on the go.
]]>Here are a few reward ideas that might encourage your child to keep up the good work on their journey to potty-hood.
An age-old sticker chart may just do the trick. Oh the joy some children feel when getting a sticker, whether it’s from a dentist, doctor, or from you. It’s pretty clear that a toddler can feel a sense of pride when they receive a shiny gold star sticker, so this may be the perfect reward for a potty user in the making. There are lots of potty reward chart ideas online and some free sticker charts available, but you could even create a personalised one yourself and involve your child.
If the sticker chart doesn’t do it for your little one, perhaps their favourite treat, such as some chocolate buttons or a box of crayons to draw with will work wonders. Whether they’re attempting the potty for the very first time or they have gone a full day with successfully using the potty, a little surprise may put a smile on their face. It doesn’t have to be costly, even something from your local pound shop would be worth a try. Perhaps you could even give them a mini award ceremony to celebrate their potty training success.
Making the potty experience more enjoyable for your child by involving books in the bathroom could help keep them entertained. It is one of the tricks of the potty training trade that can make the experience more fun than staring at the walls. There are some fun books specifically designed for potty training, which can help them learn about the potty training process and the benefits of it in a child-friendly way.
Each day your child stays dry, use the evening to celebrate their potty training triumph. You could let them choose their favourite book to read before bed or let them have a treat after dinner. It’s important that you make sure they understand why they’re being rewarded. This way it should encourage them to keep going, and maybe it could even lead to a dry night.
]]>We no longer give babies laxatives to encourage them to go to the toilet on a schedule, nor do we swaddle them in animal skins. Over the years in the Western World, we have wrapped our babies bottoms in cloths of all sorts to absorb waste ranging from cotton, muslin and the famous terry towelling. But, how has potty training actually evolved over the years? At Pottiagogo, we take a look at the history of potty training and how it has changed over the decades.
What was Potty Training like back in the 1800s?
In the late 1800s, the bottoms of babies were covered in cloth diapers that were typically made with safety pins secured with cotton or linen. Supplies and services were also minimal, so when a child had wet themselves, the nappy would often be hung up to dry. However, for accidents of the solid variety, the cloth would be thrown into a boiling pot of water.
Infections raised a greater threat as individuals became more conscious of bacteria, and proper toilet training grew as a top priority. Parents would also resort to dramatic steps to educate their children in order to prevent additional work: enemas, suppositories, and physical coercion were enlisted in an attempt to teach children to use the toilet at younger ages.
The Evolution of Potty Training
Terry towelling nappies were all the rage back in the day, and to an extent they have made a comeback due to the environmental benefits associated with them. Historically, they did require an element of hands on cleaning, so the invention of the washing machine in the 1930s was welcomed, but nappy innovation didn’t stop there.
That being said, with the changing of the times after World War II, the need for more practical nappies was ever-increasing, as mothers wanted more freedom from washing nappies so they could work and travel.
The Rise of the Disposable Diaper
To meet the demand for more practical nappies, along came the invention of the disposable nappy. Valerie Hunter Gordon was the inventor who created the first ‘Paddi’ in 1947, after she became fed up with the endless washing of traditional nappies.
Her prototypes were handmade out of old nylon parachutes, tissue wadding and cotton wool. These days nappies are typically made of layers of cotton, hemp, bamboo, microfiber, or plastic fibers such as PLA or PU to make them extra absorbent. It is a huge industry with reams of brands on offer. There is huge demand for them, as the average baby gets through 4,000 disposable nappies by the time they are potty trained.
The Future of Potty Training
Some estimates suggest 3 billion disposable nappies are thrown away every year in the UK alone, which equates to 2-3% of all household waste and lots and lots of carbon emissions.
The ease of use of a nappy may explain why there are so many used and discarded every year, but it also contributes to delayed potty training and could explain why recent reports suggest that more children are not being able to control their bladders before they start school at the age of 5. All the more reason to potty train as soon as possible!
Kickstart your child’s potty training journey today by shopping our eco-conscious range of Pottiagogo travel potties and biodegradable liners.
P.S - Oh how the mothers post-World War II would have loved a travel potty!
]]>Most children will probably use a potty for the first few weeks or months until they get the hang of giving you enough notice to get them to the bathroom on time.
A step stool in front of the toilet helps your toddler climb up and sit on the toilet. These come in all shapes and sizes and to suit every budget. You may find you use one to help your child reach the sink, long after they have finished potty training.
A training seat is a small seat that fits on top of your existing toilet seat.
A travel potty is a portable potty training system. Some travel potties are more portable than others, so it depends how much you want to carry with you. training system.
The Pottiagogo system is different from other travel potties, it won’t collapse when your child is using it and it can be set up easily. Just take a look at the reviews on our website.
To purchase the Pottiagogo Travel Potty visit our website.
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