So Jr. is 17 months old and tells me once he has done the deed (doesn’t talk but points to the bathroom). I wanna start getting him ready for toilet training by having him dry during the night.
This is what I am thinking, I am hoping I can get him to do all his stuff during the day so he can be dry at night and this way I can get him toilet trained and also not have to wake him up during the night (Just put a diaper for emergencies).
Right now, he takes at least 2 bottles per night and I have to change his diaper once during the night. He also takes the bottle as a comfort thing. Should I introduce pacifier or how do I cut out the drinking at night.
Please help, I don’t know if I am right in my approach. Thanks
I hope he is on solid foods, you can feed him more solid food after six in the evening till his sleepy time and cut down on fluids.
Then make potty training a game. Like hang a gong or put a dinner bell somewhere and tell him to hit that gong or ring that bell when he need to go to potty.
Also give him some treat every time he tell you vs he does not tell you before hand.
Another game can be like this:
Give him a target of getting some points when he tells and he will lose points if does not tell keep the score on the fridge and once he achieves the target he gets a gift. Kids learn everything fast if you make it a game or challenge for them.
I think first you need to get him to reduce his milk intake. He shouldn't be having bottles in the middle of the night. 2-3 bottles during the day is fine for a 17mo. Also, I'm not sure if the goal to have them dry overnight is the way to start pottytraining. From everything I've read/heard, they usually train easily during the day when they are ready, but sometimes parents keep them in pullups and such overnight a bit longer.
Sahar, Right now thing is he drinks milk more so as a comfort thing rather than actually being hungry. My reasoning is that if he is dry (or as close to it as possible) I would not have to take him to the bathroom at night. I can just do it all at once during the day.
I don't know if my reasoning even makes any sense.
Mirch bhai, he has a full fledged dinner with us. MashAllah he has an appetite, but the bottle might be a comfort thing. If I do try not to give him the bottle, hubby gets upset and gives it to him. I tried cutting down the bottle to half a bottle to ease him out of it but hubby gives him a full bottle.
Its your choice to keep him on the bottle ornot but a child his age does not need to feed during the night IMO, esp if he is well fed during the day. Like you said he is just using it for comfort perhaps. I got my daughter potty trained recently at 2.5 and all i can say is please dont force him in anyway. I tried because everyone around me was telling me to and it backfired on us. She took to it only when she was ready. Her day care providers also helped out by taking her to the bathroom every 30 mins or so. I tried doing the same at home. I also took her out of pullups because she treated them as diapers. She had a few days filled with accidents but Alhamdulillah she got it. I was putting her in diapers at night which she sometimes wet but mostly stayed dry. She recently told me last week, that she is a big girl and doesnt need diapers and that diapers are for babies. So we have been going diaper free since then. Hopefully it works out because changing the bedding if she wets it is a pain.
Autumn, at 17 months, mine was doing the following. Of course, no baby is like another. But it's just to give you the rough idea you're looking for.
8am wakes, 4oz of milk, some breakfast (soem combo of eggs, toast, cereal, yogurt, and fruit -- not all at the same time)
10am sometimes a snack of fruit or something if she had a smaller breakfast.
12pm lunch of meat, veggies, grains -- she eats what we eat usually, and has a very desi appetite
2pm 4-6oz of milk and then a nap
4-5pm some juice and fruit when she wakes
6pm dinner
8pm4-6oz of milk
8:30-9 bath and bedtime
She sleeps through the night (and has for a long time, so that might just be her way, she prefers sleep to food I guess :p ).
Sometimes she asks for more milk, and I let her have it. Pretty much, it's 2-3 servings a day they should be having, and I guess as much as they want at those servings. She usually only drinks 4-6 oz of milk at a time. Rarely wants more.
I guess I still don't understand why you want him to be dry through the night FIRST, when he won't be conscious.
I have only partially started toilet training my 22 month old yet, but need to do the whole thing soon. Since she was 9months my daughter has done #2 on her potty cuz of her constipation issues. She is not used to doing #2 in her diaper, so she's been trained in that for over a year. And she can identify when #1 happens while she's on the potty. I could start her but I am concerned about confusing her during our trip to Pak in December. Thinking I will wait until after that. She will be 2 at that point.
Thanks Sahar for your input, Jr. is definitely having a lot more milk than that. He does eaat but I don't know how much he should be ( I don't really measure food for him) he keeps coming back to taking more food from us and when he is done he says no.
I guess in my head I am thinking if a kid is being toilet trained wouldn't they be bothered by sensation of wanting to pee while asleep. I could be completely off.
Any ideas of how I can stop the bottle routine before bed and while in bed. Thanks guys really appreciate all your input.
I think after a year, the key is to offer food FIRST, and then bottle later. So the kid fills up on food first. And though I don't make separate food for her anymore, I do pay attention to her portions. I just sort of estimate how much she will eat based on how much I think she's been eating, and maybe take out a little more than that, in case she wants it. She usually does pretty well, mashAllah, especially during lunch. I also try to make sure she's getting a balance of grains, veggies, proteins, fruits, etc.
Also, I think at that age most toddlers are between 16-24oz of milk. But again, I would say go by serving rather than measuring the quantity of milk.
as for the middle of the night bottles, I'm not sure, but if I hear anything, I will post.
Automne77, focus on training him during the day. Don't make sleep time stressful for him where he has to get up to go pee or wet his bed and wake up crying because it's cold and wet. Good and undisturbed sleep is vital for growth at this age.
Do take him to the bathroom before bed so he understands your routine. And obviously he will pee less at night also.
Regarding food, it's good to have 3 meals identified and 2 snacks. Milk is not a snack. It's also important but 2-3 cups. Rest of the nutrition should come from a balance of protein, carbs, fruits and veggies. Serving your child a variety of foods from all color groups helps them become less fussy as they grow older.
Nikki and other parents who have been through this,
Do you have any recommendations for my 22-month old? As I said above, she already sits on the potty and does #2. She also will say peepee if it happens while she is on the potty (and sometimes a second or two before). If it weren't for this pending visit to Karachi n 7 weeks, I would start training her now for #1 as well. But since we are going I'm wondering if it is better to wait until after the trip? Or do you think this is not fair to her, if she seems developmentally ready? Is it bad to delay?
Sahar, I think your choti is ready. It takes a week to pee train, really. All I did was take my kid to the bathroom at regular intervals and especially a few minutes after a drink. So while they go potty just once or twice a day, the rest of the time you're telling her she needs to "go" and once she's sitting on the pot, she'll go. And especially since she knows peepee, tell her do peepee. Let her wear pullups during this time.
Now, once she's done, even when she wears a pullup during the day, she will want to go to a bathroom. So you'll just be needing diapers/pullups for sleep times and nap times.
However, if you don't feel she is ready, wait till you're back. It's not bad to delay. But just get over it!
Ladies, how do I go about doing this training business? I would like some input on tried and tested methods that have worked for you guys. Some things that concern me are that we live in a wall to wall carpeted apt and we pray in every room, I would like to have minimum accidents as possible. And also another question we go out on the weekends, will I be able to get him trained in 5 days, what if I can't get to a bathroom quick enough and we are outside.
and can I even train my kid who doesn't talk yet. The only word he says is mamma (to everything basically).