Is summer a good time to do potty training?
Personally, I think summer time is a great time to do potty training, but what is an even better time, is when your child is ready. Sometimes those ready signs can be subtle and missed. When toddlers are over ready, potty training can feel like a real battle of wills. Let’s look at why summertime might be a good time to spend some time ditching the diaper or pull up and also, what some of the subtle signs can be.
Potty training in the summer can be more fun.
Playing with water can also help with the release if a child is feeling tense.
Through the summer, you can do some of your potty training outside, which can create a more natural transition into the process. Being outside, running around without a diaper on, playing with water and having the sense of being free, are good ways to get your child used to not having a diaper on all the time without having to think about not wearing it.
When the diaper is first removed, some children feel unsafe, and this can cause them to freeze, they are so conditioned to wearing something around their groin all the time, that once its removed, they have a hard time letting their pee or poop out, and can become tense when they need to go and upset or distressed.
Being in the garden, playing with water and not having a parent hovering around looking or predicting an ‘accident’ can allow them to release more easily, without the worry of having to do some clean up. Both the parent and the child can be more relaxed.
Is summer a good time to do potty training?
During the warmer months, you will also be more likely offering seasonal fruits and drinking more water, which can also keep things moving along. Your child can suck on home made ice lollies to stay hydrated, which his more fun than being pressured to keep drinking water whilst being restricted in the house, or to keep offering salty foods to make them more thirsty.
Parents often are put off from potty training, because of the number of ‘accidents’ children have when they are first venturing into this process. I personally don’t like to call them accidents, as your child is doing what they have always done, but potty training can sometimes get a little messy, and this can create stress or make them feel like they have done something wrong.
Peeing outside, results in barely any clean up (unless it’s a poop), which means that the pressure to do it right is removed. This can result in more releases which results in more learning. The more it comes out, and the more they get used to seeing and feeling it, the better connections are made between body and mind. Now the focus can be turned to where it goes.
Potty training is often a time of great stress, the more you push the more resistance you face, so the more things you can do to create a laid back environment, where the potty training is tied in with play, the easier it can be.
The signs that your child is ready for potty training can sometimes be subtle, here are some things that you can look out for.
Communication - is your toddler telling you once they have gone, before they got or acknowledging that they are going?
Removing clothing or diaper - are they undressing themselves, when they know that they need to be changed?
Recognizing what their body needs - can they tell you when they are hungry or thirsty?
Hiding to go poop - does your child have a favourite spot that they go too, to poop? common places are behind curtains and under tables - seeking out a private spot.
Dry diapers / pull ups - long periods of a dry diaper or waking up from a nap dry.
Seeing signs and not sure of the next steps? Thinking of potty training and feel unsure? Or have you started the process and feel stuck?
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