Potty Time Review

I have a daycare full of kids of all ages.  Add to that, my daughter has a strong will and mind of her own.  So, now that she is 2, we are trying to find a way to potty train while running a daycare.  Plus, encourage a few others to start potty training and solidify potty habits of the older kids who sometimes need help remembering to wash hands and wipe after going.  All in all, it’s a time consuming nightmare that I personally wish they would know with a good night’s sleep and the turning of 2.  Alas, that is not the case and so I am on the potty training trail!

I do not believe in giving kids food as a reward other than for eating their most hated dinner item, even then it should be used sparingly.  I also, think that giving a physical treat for doing something they will be expected to do every day for the rest of their life is a miss use of that incentive tool.  Instead I tell the kids that if they use the potty, actually go in the toilet, they get to wash their hands and flick the light switch to turn off the light.  Kids love washing hands, well playing in the water, and independence is huge around this time which makes getting to wash hands and turn off lights a worthy reward.  My daughter gets very upset when she is unable to go in the potty since she doesn’t get to do those things.  My problem is that running the daycare means other kids and fun activities going on, so actually going to the bathroom during the day is a hard sell.  I’ve tried praising the older kids for trying, but she only wants to talk about going potty instead of doing it.  I can’t say I blame her; I mean would you rather play with musical instruments or sit in a bathroom on the toilet?

I was offered the chance to review the Potty Time DVD andCD, which is a tool that can be used to incentivize kids.  So, upon its arrival I had all the kids sit down and popped it in, I figured the true test would be how long the kids would interact with the DVD.

The oldest kid (5) had minimal interest, but indulged the younger kids.  The second oldest coming in at 3 ½ loved trying to do all the signs, dancing around, and it honestly has seemed to help them remember to wash and wipe even during play as long as I say they can’t sign it until they do it! My daughter loved dancing to it and doing the potty dance, she actually requests to watch the DVD at least once a day and I love how it isn’t just going Potty they talk about, but how the body works, the importance of cleanliness, different signs, and the senses; which means that when my daughter pulls this out to watch she isn’t just getting a reminder to go potty, but an education on the body and its functions plus how to do sign language.  The next 2 year old who isn’t quite ready to Potty Train yet, but off and on starting to show interest, asked to go twice after watching this so they could do the potty dance. Time will tell if this helps ignite the Potty bug!  My 1 year old loved all the fun music and bounced around doing his little bobby dance and laughing at the older kids doing their own dances or signs.  I was pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment the kids found with this DVD, plus that it does seem to help them get excited about different Potty Stages.  The CD is great for craft time background music or dance party theme dance!

 

Potty Training is hard work and takes time, effort, consistency, and everyone in your child’s life to be on board and using the same tactics to achieve this milestone.  A DVD and a CD aren’t going to potty train your kid for you, but they are a fun way to get your little one interested in their body and the potty plus any reason to get a few wiggles out is always a great bonus in my world.  Check it out if you are getting ready for this milestone!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.