Potty about Potty Training – my theories on the matter
At last the weather looks as though it might be taking a turn for the better and staying that way, and as a result we’ve noticed an increased demand for trainer pants. Now I know that many of you will only have little ones under a year old, but I believe you can actually make it easier for yourself in the long run if you start potty training now.
‘Are you mad?’ I can hear you thinking… Have you ever read the rather scary Mumsnet potty training forum ? As you can see on Mumsnet, most of the children these days are not starting potty training till they’re almost 3 or in many cases even older, and consequently it is a big deal to the child and many parents have problems. When we started Twinkle Twinkle the average age of potty training was around 2 years 3 months, now it’s nearer 3. In my opinion a lot of the later potty training is encouraged by the disposable manufacturers (lets face it, it IS in their interests to say this) by advising parents to not start till their child is ‘ready’. With the introduction of pull up nappies (which to a baby are just nappies for weeing and pooing in – they’re not bothered how they do up) and the marketing men rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of the extra % profit as they’re in many cases double the cost of conventional disposables, parents are being lulled into a false sense of potty training will be coming soon when in reality it’s probably quite the opposite.
In the olden days of terry squares and no washing machines, any nappy that wasn’t weed or pooed upon was a bonus. From a very early age parents used to catch wees and poos. Most parents know the signs of a poo – I’m sure you’ve seen that scrunched up going red face, quite often mid-morning or after a meal. So it’s very easy to whip the nappy off and pop the baby on a potty to catch it. Likewise first thing in the morning, when you change their night nappy all that cold air hitting the body encourages the bladder to contract and produce a wee – in the olden days this too would be ‘caught’ on a potty. Indeed Dr Spock the 1950s baby guru advises that most babies have some sort of bladder control by the age of about 18 months and should be able to achieve day time training without much problem. It’s my opinion that the increasing age of potty training is exacerbated by the increased independence once a child is over 2. Before then, most babies are willing to copy, and very happy to please. Therefore the earlier a potty is introduced either for copying a sibling or parent, or just for catching wees and poos, the more normal and acceptable this is to use as well as or instead of a nappy. Once it’s part of the routine, it’s easier for the parent to adapt to using the potty more than a nappy as the child or as the parent feels able. Quite often at around 2, toddlers begin to dislike having their play disrupted for a nappy change and sometimes it’s easier to suggest they might prefer to use a potty to save having to have a nappy changed. (I do find it amusing that Pampers suggest that it’s a good idea at this stage to DELAY potty training Pampers and potty training at 2 - they would say that wouldn’t they?!). The later the potty is brought into the routine, the more independent child is quite likely to show increased resistance to using it in preference to the comfort zone of the nappy, whereas a child that has for many months been encouraged to produce wees and poos on the potty will not see it as anything outside of the norm, and thus can often be readily encouraged to use it in preference to a nappy.
Trainer pants are a useful transition tool for the almost potty trained child, as they will hold a little accident (where the child realises they’re beginning to wee), and save their clothing. We’ve a new range of funky Happy Heinys trainer pants in fun prints just arrived in stock.
Happy Heinys cow hide and monkey trainer pants
These have a pocket into which you can stuff any boosters or terry squares/prefolds you might have to hand so you can vary the absorbency to suit your own child’s requirements. We have also introduced a special pack of 5 Bright Bots trainer pants in boy/girl/neutral selections at 10% off the usual single price – we choose the colours from our stock to suit, you gain the discount.
