ABELLA TWINS- COMPILATION GUIDE TO POTTY TRAINING

Most mothers like me would also like to say goodbye to stinky diapers. Good for us that my twins babies had a chance to have a one year supply of diapers in one particular contest they won last year, but unfortunately the supply wont last. that why this is one of the milestones that I and other parents look forward to most. But I actually don't have any idea how to start it that why I come up w/ this research hoping that I could also understand and apply strategies to my kids.

Is your child ready?

You can probably begin potty training if he:

• Knows words for urine, stool, and toilet
• Is somewhat bothered by feeling wet or soiled
• Shows interest in using the potty (he's open to sitting on it or curious about bathrooms)
• Has an awareness of when he's about to urinate or have a bowel movement
• Your child may say "poop" and "pee-pee," show some desire to be changed, and even be enchanted by the potty (but blithely make puddles everywhere when his diaper's off). Ultimately, knowing whether your child's ready comes down to guesswork. If it turns out he isn't, you can simply try again after a few weeks or months.

Signs of readiness can include:

• Showing discomfort when wearing a dirty diaper

• Choosing a particular area to have a bowel movement

• Staying dry for at least two hours straight

• Showing an interest in or asking questions about the bathroom

• Wanting to sit on the toilet

Toilet-training infants has become a recent trend, but it really isn't until toddler hood that kids can take an active part in training. "Elimination Communication" is actually more about helping parents understand when a baby needs to go than helping a child go on his own.

Are you ready?

Potty training takes energy and patience. It requires countless bathroom visits, not to mention the extra laundry and puddle cleaning. All of which you're expected to do with an encouraging smile. If you and your spouse aren't up for it for whatever reason - new job, a new baby, marital stress - don't feel bad about postponing. It will be far easier if you wait until the timing is right. Talk to your caregiver to be sure she's ready, too. And if your child goes to daycare, check to see if it has any toilet-training routines or policies.

5 Ways to Know Your Child Is Ready

Are diaper-free days just around the corner? Most kids show an interest in the potty sometime between the ages of 2 and 3. It's time to give toilet training a try if your child displays two or more of the following signs, says Diane Stafford, coauthor of Potty Training for Dummies.

• She's interested in watching you use the toilet and helping you flush.

• He's uncomfortable in dirty diapers and wants them changed.

• She regularly has dry diapers in the morning or stays dry during naps.

• He lets you know when he needs to use the potty.

• She begins to develop a predictable peeing and pooping schedule.

5 Facts From the Pros

Here's some expert advice to keep in mind.

• Girls typically show an interest in using the potty at 23 months, and boys do so at 25 months.

• Being in day care or having a working mom has no negative impact on potty training.

• Children learning to use the toilet may move quickly from stage to stage (for example, peeing in the potty, then pooping there, then staying dry all night), or they may linger at any given stage for months and still be well within the norm.

• Spanking or disciplining your child after accidents can lead to power struggles and is not an effective way to potty train.

• Girls are normally fully trained by 33 months old and boys by 37 months.

Source: The Medical College of Wisconsin, Mil

Top potty-training strategies

The process may seem simple: Buy potty, introduce potty to child, have child sit on it clothed, then unclothed, buy fun underwear, be patient and upbeat. But potty training is not a one-diaper-fits-all process. Learning to tailor your potty-training strategy to your child's temperament - and your family's - will save you a lot of stress in the long run.

The HUG AND KISSES Approach :

Each time your child uses the potty correctly, give praise by clapping and giving kisses and hugs. Also point out her accomplishments to friends and relatives, so they can fuss over her, too Verbal praise builds self-esteem, and kids usually relish attention from a parent more than any toy.

It's to every parent's advantage to start with this approach and save the tangible rewards (ice cream, toys) for any hurdles you and your toddler may encounter along the way.

The cold-turkey underwear approach:

Let your child pick out several pairs of fun, big-kid underpants. Then, on the appointed day, make a production of putting on the underwear and let the spills fall where they may.

Most kids enjoy feeling like a grown-up. When they do have accidents, they feel the discomfort much more acutely than they would with training pants.

You, of course, feel the discomfort much more acutely, too, since there will be lots to clean up in the early days of the process.

If you're very patient, don't mind messes, can stick close to home during the process, and have a washing machine at the ready, and your child seems to be truly motivated, underpants are believed by many to be a better way to go than disposables.

No-mess disposable-training pants approach:

Once you've determined your child is potty-friendly, switch her from regular diapers to disposable training pants. While she gets the hang of pulling them up and down like big-kid pants, you give the usual amount of encouragement: taking her to the bathroom at regular intervals, asking her frequently if she has to go, giving lots of praise when she successfully gets to the potty in time.Disposable trainers contain accidents, keeping cleanups to a minimum.

Training pants are more expensive than diapers, and many kids take longer to catch on because they don't get that uncomfortable sensation of urine running down their legs. If you don't mind waiting a little longer for results, or if too much mess will put you over the edge, take this route.

The get-with-the-program approach:

Set aside a block of time - say, the month before preschool or a vacation from work - and make a focused effort to promote potty use. Stay close to home, gently steer your toddler to the bathroom at predictable points in the day (though you should also ask if she needs to use the toilet to help her recognize the sensations), and sit near the potty while waiting for some action. At the end of the allotted time, your child will be closer to the goal of being completely potty trained.

Creating a pattern day after day helps your little one focus and learn. And regularly scheduled trips to the bathroom cut back on accidents. You'll have to structure your time so that you're home a lot. A change of environment may distract both you and your child.

If you've got a generally cooperative child who thrives on routine and seems enthusiastic, this could be just the thing. But it's not right for your family if you or your child has a low tolerance for frustration, a limited attention span, or other kids around to distract from the process. Then, too, there's the issue of defiance. You run the risk of creating resistance if the deadline you choose is too tight or you're too intense. If your toddler is prone to power struggles, try another tack.

The sticker-chart approach:

Reward your child after each of her potty accomplishments with something small, like a sticker. You may want to hold out the promise of a bigger treat, such as buying underwear together, after she accumulates a certain number of stickers or stays dry for an entire week.

Let's face it - for some kids, the thought of a shopping trip with you can be highly motivating. You run the risk of having your child demand compensation for every "performance."

It can be, if you know when to draw the line. Your child should soon forget about the rewards. But if you think your child will try to manipulate the situation, especially if you have a tendency to give in to maintain the peace, rewards may be a bad route to take.

The he-gets-in-when-ready approach:

Starting at around age 2, watch for signals that your child is ready, but don't apply any pressure. Put a potty seat in the bathroom, for example, but don't insist that she use it. When she does, lavish hugs and praise, and in time she should approach it more and more frequently.

Less frustration and fewer messy accidents because, in theory, a child succeeds quickly once she's ready. More than likely, your child will be in diapers longer. Plus, the actual process may stretch out. Which means you'll need to be able to tolerate the cost of larger diapers - and maybe raised eyebrows from others.

This approach works with almost any child because most kids eventually realize that only babies wear diapers. But you will need to muster the patience to wait. And if you don't mind diapers, what the heck. On the other hand, if you've been going by the book on things like taking away the bottle and the pacifier, you may find the long transition from dependency to self-sufficiency frustrating.

4 Potty-Training Pitfalls and How to Deal

Pediatrician Mark Wolraich, M.D., editor of American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Toilet Training, gives advice on overcoming some common stumbling blocks.

• Pitfall: My child will use the potty but refuses to flush.

• Solution: Most kids go through a developmental stage when they don't like to see a "part of themselves" disappear, so they resist having their bowel movements flushed down the toilet, Dr. Wolraich explains. "That's probably what's
  happening—but don't make a big deal of it." The fix here is simply to remain patient. This too shall pass, and your toddler will be flushing in no time.

• Pitfall: We've had accidents in the car, but we don't know whether we should put her in diapers for outings.

• Solution: Switching back and forth between diapers, disposables, and underwear is confusing for a child. Keep it
  consistent at home, at day care, and on outings. When you head out with a toddler who is still learning to use the toilet, keep a portable potty in the back of your car; that way, you can always make an emergency stop if necessary. And don't forget to take her to the bathroom as soon as you reach your destination and once more just before you head home.

• Pitfall: My son has been using the potty for about a month, but now he's saying that he wants to go back to diapers.

• Solution: Take a good look at what's happening in your household. Because potty training is one of the last developmental skills that 2- to 3-year-olds master, it's often one of the first that regresses when something such as a new sibling disrupts the child's routine, Dr. Wolraich says. If your tot is having accidents on a consistent basis, use diapers for a while until he's ready to try again. Many kids take a few steps backward, but that doesn't stop them from reaching their goals.

• Pitfall: My daughter will pee in the toilet but won't poop there.

• Solution: "You need to watch the situation closely," advises Dr. Wolraich. Your child could be constipated, or maybe she was constipated within the last few weeks. If it hurt her to go to the bathroom that time, she'll probably be scared or reluctant to go again. If the problem persists, talk to her pediatrician.

2 Things to Say (And 2 Not to Say) After an Accident

Say This: "It's okay. Accidents happen!" Encourage your tot by letting him know that "mistakes" are perfectly normal and acceptable, and that everyone has them.

Don't Say This: "I told you that we don't go potty in our pants anymore!" Since he just pooped or peed in his pants, this statement isn't helpful.

Say This: "Let's clean up. Someday you'll go in the toilet!" Here, you're reinforcing the idea that she will succeed at using the potty eventually—and that's something she really needs to hear, especially after an accident.

Don't Say This: "You're too big to wet your pants!" You can see (and probably smell) the unmistakable evidence that she's not too big to miss the potty boat. These words will shame and embarrass your child rather than empower or encourage her.

Why he may be wetting the bed and how to put an end to it.

By age 3 or 4, most children are able to sleep through the night without wetting the bed. But 5 to 7 million children -- mostly boys -- older than age 6 are not able to stay dry. Bed-wetting can be exhausting and upsetting for the whole family. The good news is that it usually does not signal an emotional or physical problem. Most children outgrow the tendency by puberty.

Causes

Nighttime bed-wetting (nocturnal enuresis) usually occurs because the child's bladder is not yet large enough to hold a full night's output of urine, or because he has not yet developed the urge to wake up in response to a full bladder.

Studies also show that children who wet the bed may have an abnormally low level of an antidiuretic hormone (ADH). This hormone helps the kidneys retain water, reducing the amount of urine filling the bladder. This tendency is often associated with a family history of bed-wetting.

Treatment

• Bed-wetting is not something that's in your child's control, so punishment for wet nights and rewards for dry nights are not helpful or appropriate. Children are usually embarrassed by this problem, so it's unlikely that your child would be wetting the bed on purpose. Reassure him that he's not the only one with this problem -- there are probably other kids in his class who also wet the bed.

• Discourage him from drinking large amounts of fluids before bed, especially caffeinated sodas. However, don't be too rigid. If he's genuinely thirsty, let him have a drink.

• Have him go to the bathroom right before he goes to bed.

• Wake him up to use the bathroom before you go to bed.

• If these methods don't work, your pediatrician may recommend a bed-wetting alarm. With this device, a lightweight alarm (worn near the shoulder) is attached to a sensor that clips on the child's underwear. A buzzer sounds at the first drop of urine. Over time, children learn to sense the need to wake up on their own, so they don't wet the bed.

• As a last resort, your pediatrician may recommend DDAVP, a synthetic antidiuretic hormone, which is a prescription medication. It's available as tablets and as a nasal spray.

Actually, even after your child is a potty pro, expect that there will be a few accidents. Until he's 3 and hasn't had an accident for six months, he's not officially potty trained. It may take a few false starts, but eventually, one strategy or another will click with your child, and you'll both say goodbye to the diapers. Hoping I would be able to use this for my twins.... wish me luck!

All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.