15. Potty Training Headaches

9/10/2020

Do your child refuse to poop on the toilet? Do your child only use the toilet while you supervising? Are you wondering if you can use diapers of pull-ups at night while potty training? Today I am going to answer those common potty training questions.

First, what should you do if your child refuse to poop on the toilet? You need to make sure constipation is not a factor. Next parents need to know in order for a child to change this behavior, they need specific encouragement. Pushing a child will not help in this situation, but rewards and encouragement will. For example, parents can take their child to a toy store, letting the child look over the selection for one special item of interest, on fun and attractive enough to make it worth the child while go to poop in the potty. parents should tell the child, if he/she poop in the potty for three day in a roll, they will bring the child back to the store and buy the toy. At home, parents can help the child understand what three consecutive days look like by using a calendar and stickers. This strategy is using rewards to reinforce right habits.  

Second, what shoud you do if your child did fine whe you supervising their potty, but when you are not present, you child have frequent accidents. In this case, we know that the child is being successfully introduced to the potty. however, the child need parents to remind to go to the potty rather than the child to recognize the urge to go and respnd appropriately. In this case, the child’s bladder and bowel control have been the mirror image of parents anticipationg the need to go and getting the child on the potty before the child had an accident. But when parents not being present, the control disappeared as well. It seems like the child has regressed, in reality, the child has not yet to acquire self-directed potty skills. At this point, parents want to continue to be as watchful as they can, but should also realize that the child may be weeks away from the level of success you thought they had already achieved.

Third, can parents use diapers of pull-ups at night while the child is moving toward nighttime dryness.  Using diaper or pull-ups at night will not necessarily hinder the progress made during the day. I recommend parents, whatever the technique you are using, trying to stay consistent with it. Don’t switch back and forth. You can use pull-up at night or  training pants, or you may use a diaper over underpants to keep the bedding dry.

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