When Your Wee One Goes Wee Wee Well
After reading several books about potty training (my son was a
little tyke pre-Internet) and having little success, I found
some helpful information tucked way in the back of a woman's
magazine's classified section.
"Anatomically correct dolls - order yours today" it said. The ad
explained that this was a great way to teach potty training to
your young 'un. With the doll came a little pamphlet on how to
potty train.
Here is what I did, and did it work!
I ordered my son an anatomically correct boy doll. It arrived
with a baby bottle as well. I explained to my going-on-two child
that he had to feed his baby its bottle but that his baby would
need to go potty soon afterwards. I showed him how to put the
potty chair in the toilet bowl for dolly to pee, and how to
empty it in the toilet bowl and flush afterwards.
The first few baby doll feeding times resulted in wet
surroundings as the doll urinated before my son made his way,
doll in hand, to the toilet bowl. But then he got wise. I'd hear
him talking to his baby. "Let's go wee wee," he'd say, and
scurry to the toilet, prop the doll in front of the potty, watch
him urinate, empty the potty and then flush.
One week later there was my very own toddler, standing in front
of the toilet bowl and urinating.
Success! And I'd hardly had to do anything at all.
Now I hear that this is the method recommended by Dr. Phil. He
suggests as well that when the dolly goes potty successfully the
very first time you and your child should throw dolly a "potty
party" with boisterous noise makers and anything else fun and
rambunctious you can think of. Of course, when the doll's potty
success is followed by your child's potty success your little
one would get a potty party too.
A few key pointers are in order here, too.
Potty training must be attempted at the right time. Don't expect
your child to be ready prior to 18 months old, and it could take
until she or he is 2 1/2 years old. Don't rush it. Your child
must be walking, and probably running, well, and able to
communicate that he or she needs to go - now! Whether the
message is pee or poop or wee wee or whatever - your young 'un
just needs to be able to get the message across. Some of the
ready-to-start-potty training signs are dry diapers, a child
distressed by a messy diaper, and consistently firm stools.
You're going to need to help your child at first, so you don't
want to miss the signals that it's time to "go." The message may
come in the form of dancing around with hands on genitals, or
frantic tugs at his clothing.
A potty chair or potty seat is almost crucial. A little tyke may
be afraid of that big noisy, "what if I fall in?" bowl. If so
the potty chair is the way to go. It's a miniaturized toilet
that's entirely separate from your own bowl. A potty seat, in
contrast, fits right inside your own toilet but accommodates the
child's smaller body.
Potty training dolls today, $20-$40 each, come equipped with
baby bottles and their very own potty seat. Two manufacturers
are Gotz Aquini and Corolle. The Corolle dolls have their own
diapers and are designed to hold water and wet on demand.