Children can be regarded as the most intelligent creatures on the earth, for their capability to learn and adapt to things in their early years is outstanding. According to scientists, our babies have faster synapsis rates in their early years, which also means that they can regress a bit during their learning years. One of the chief examples is accidents after potty training. Most of the children start having potty accidents even after weeks of successful training, which is completely normal. My kids encountered the same issues while growing up, and I still remember how frustrating it got for me until I set my mind on finding a solution. Today, I’m going to share my experience, research, and tips with you, to help you and your child get through this phase as healthily as possible.
Just like adults, children are bound to make mistakes and that’s what healthy growing up looks like. Most of the parents do not get to the root cause of the accidents and start getting frustrated over their child for potty accidents. Knowing the reason behind these accidents can help you get this fixed earlier. There can be multiple reasons behind these accidents like, maybe your child wasn’t potty trained in the first place, or maybe they are stressed because of the new routine that they weren’t prepared for, maybe they got distracted during playing and did not feel the urgency, or it could be that they are afraid of the potty altogether and the list goes on. Now you can either get upset and lash out at them, making the accidents even worse or refer to a gentle approach. These accidents are just temporary and can be avoided by talking to them and rewarding them. It’s better to ask your child why this happened, and why they should respond to their need sooner than later to avoid accidents like this. You can also resort to rewarding them for not having potty accidents as this works best for children. Your children look up to you so make sure that you do not let them down and be there for them and understand them, whenever they need.
What could be the reasons behind potty-training accidents?
Certain changes could be the leading factor behind potty accidents, so make sure that you observe the common triggers like:
- Most of the children lack the readiness and miss the right timing. We all know that timing is a crucial part of potty training and can lead to accidents if missed. Research says that Children around 3-4 years have better potty training readiness and hence, have lesser accidents.
- Your children could be suffering from stress as a result of any change in the house or your lives. Your child can be stressed because of the new daycare, caregiver, baby, or change in routine.
- Feeling tired or sluggish could be one of the reasons behind potty accidents, as your child is likely to miss the right time and may lose control along the way.
- During potty training, it is better to know if your child is ready or not. You need to be supportive, understanding, and observing to know if your child can handle or is ready to give up diapers or not. Pressuring them to potty train is likely going to backfire and lead to consistent accidents.
- One of the main reasons for potty accidents is a distraction. Children mostly ignore or are too distracted during playing or watching a cartoon that they postpone their trip to the toilet.
- Most of the children develop fear surrounding potty and start avoiding it. Due to their inability to communicate their anxiety and fear, this could turn into a headache for you. You can avoid this from happening if you stay with them during their potty sessions.
Ways to handle Potty training accidents
Cleaning up your baby’s pee can be tiresome and frustrating for you, especially when you patiently trained them for weeks. Your child is still learning and growing, and punishing them or scolding them won’t help any of you. So, be patient, observe the patterns, pick the cues, and get to the bottom of the reason this is happening. Your little bit of attention and our tips will help you move past this phase.
- Potty training is after all a training and is bound to fail at times even after successful implementation. Never treat your child harshly after an accident as it will more likely to have negative impacts than positive.
- Most children develop readiness around the age of 3 but your child could be different. So make sure that you potty train them according to their age and readiness.
- If your child’s or your routine has changed in some way and has led to potty accidents then it’s time you talk to your kid. Your child can understand your encouragement and support so talk to them and reassure them.
- Sometimes it’s better to go over the potty training basics again. Teach them to use the potty in the morning, after meals or snacks, before the car ride, and bedtime to avoid accidents.
- Keep the potty setup where it is easily visible and approachable, and dress them in comfortable bottoms that are not hard to take off.
- Every time your child undergoes a successful potty session, praise them, reward them and encourage them for the future
- If your child is having potty accidents for a month now then it’s a sign that he/she is not ready yet. It is okay for your child to learn late and depends upon their capacity and speed to learn.
What preparations to make for potty-training accidents?
According to pediatricians, most of potty-trained children have potty accidents every day. Even children who have been trained for 6 months are bound to have accidents every once a week. Potty accidents are unprecedented and can happen at any time regardless of the place or time. By following these few tips you can prepare yourself for any unwanted event at any time.
- Before leaving the home make sure to pack an extra set of clothes for the baby.
- Make sure that you make your baby use the toilet before leaving for the party or ride. Sometimes they refuse to go or tell you they do not feel the need but we all know it’s best for both of you.
- Make your child familiar with the bathroom when you go to a new place. Take them to the new bathroom, and tell them to use it if they feel the need. Children might feel afraid of using a new toilet so it`s better to go with them to avoid any accidents.
- Even with all the precautions, you might still find yourself in the situation you have been dreading from. Make sure to stay calm when your child makes a mistake and ask them politely to have told you if they needed to go.
What is the 3-day potty training method and how does it work?
A 3-day potty training method is used to potty train your child within three days. But, before you get started you have to make sure that your child is ready for this transition. Here are the few things you need to keep in mind before you decide to make this dream come true. Your child is ready for the potty training
- If he hates sitting on a wet diaper and starts crying for a diaper change.
- If he can walk freely without falling, able to pull their bottoms down, and can sit on the potty without any help from you.
- If he’s shy, meaning goes behind a door or curtain to do his business.
When it’s time to potty train your child make sure that you postpone all your shopping and outings, and spend your three days entirely with your child, having no other commitments. Follow these steps and say goodbye to diapers forever:
- Change your baby’s diaper as soon as they wake up, and dress them up in an oversize shirt and underwear and tell them that they will be using the potty instead of the diaper.
- Feed them breakfast and have them drink extra milk to speed up the process. Take them to the potty to relieve themselves after 15 minutes of having a meal.
- Continue with your day but do not leave the house. Stay with your kid doing coloring, painting, and watching cartoons.
- Make them drink water as much as possible and make them go to the potty every 15 minutes. Follow this routine for three consecutive days.
- Do not let them have liquids after dinner during training
- Have them go to the potty before going to bed
- Wake your child up in the middle of the night to pee even if you have to set an alarm.
- Repeat this process for three days or more if you feel your child needs more training.
- Do not get upset over potty accidents because that’s the part of training and building blocks to a successful transition.
