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Top 5 tips on how to prepare your newly potty trained child for daycare

#daycaretips #pottytraining #preschooltips May 04, 2022

You have just spent time at home potty training your child... maybe you took off a day or two of work and focused the whole weekend on getting your kiddo out of diapers. But when Monday rolls in and its time to get back to work and daycare, you're wondering... what next?!

Transitioning your newly potty trained child into daycare is a BIG DEAL.

For one, your child has only had a few days of practice of having to listen to their body's urges and use a potty for the very first time!

This is a colossal shift from wearing diapers where they have not had to think twice about what and where poop and pee are. And whilst your child may be tracking well in the comforts of home, transitioning to school out of diapers can be a challenging transition for some kids.

Think about it for a second. Your child is literally going to school as a whole new person! They are adapting a whole new habit of doing something that they have not had to think about since they were born, and now they are heading to school without the safety net of your prompts and reminders. 

The good news is, there are some things you can do BEFORE you send your child to school to better prepare them for the transition

 

1. Practice, practice, practice!

Ensure your child has had enough practice at home to fully grasp their newest skill!

The reality is, just one weekend or even just 3 days at home does not give children enough time to practice.

The more time at home with your child practicing using the potty, the better! So if you can take the extra day or two off work or if you can schedule this time around a holiday, the more practice and prepared your child will be.

2. Get your child used to bathrooms outside of home 

It's possible at this point that your child may be comfortable in your bathroom at home, but they have never actually seen or been into another bathroom outside of the home.

Different bathrooms can trigger anxiety and fear in kids, particularly bathrooms that are not similar to your home set up (like school or other public restrooms!)

The goal here is to acclimatize your child with all types of bathrooms to they can make the same associations they do with the bathroom at home!

Start by getting your child to bathrooms at homes they are familiar with like family or friends. Then take them to another public bathroom like at a cafe or restaurant and finally to a public restroom with stalls and multiple people in there at the same time. 

Its possible your child may not want to use the bathroom at these new locations at first - this is okay! The more you take them to these different locations, the more comfortable your child will get over time.

Before your child heads back to school and while they are in training, make sure that visit some other bathrooms outside of the home. 

3. Visit the school bathroom together

 

Often, just having you there with your child to explore the bathroom and provide support is enough for your child to begin feeling comfortable in the school bathroom. 

Point out the similarities with your bathroom at home, going through all the steps!

4. Have a conversation with the school to understand their process for pottying. 

 Chat with your child's teacher ahead of time to give them a heads up that you are planning to potty train your child.

Ask them questions about their process for pottying so you can better prepare your child emotionally for when they head back to school. 

For example, some of the questions you may want to ask

  • How often do they take the kids to go potty?
  • How do they prompt the kids to go?
  • What happens if a child needs to go outside of these times?
  • Where is the toilet or potty located and what is the set up?

Having an understanding of the process will help you to prepare your child for when they need to go.

Doing practice runs at home in a non-pressure setting is a playful and effective way to get your child prepared! 

5. Let your child know which teacher they can ask for help 

 

This may seem obvious to you, but remember this is a whole new transition for your child and they need a bit a hand holding!

Be sure to give your child a teachers name for who they can reach out to if they need some help with going potty. 

If the teacher changes on a particular day, be sure to make your child aware of this too!

 

Kim Lippy is a potty training expert and mom of two kids. If you would like further guidance on a stress-free way to potty training at home with tips on how to transition back into routine, check out her online course.

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