Inside: Looking ahead to summer potty training? Why potty training in the warm weather can make the process easier.
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Getting wiggles out. Getting your dose of Vitamin D (happy energy). Getting your child to pee and poop in a potty.
Three things that are often easier to do in the summer.
You’ve got the calendar out. If you’re thinking about when to jump into potty training your toddler, here are few reminders for summer potty training.
Here's why summer is the ideal time to potty train for many families.
And how the summer can make potty training feel easier.
Plus, the one week you should never-ever potty train, if your toddler is about to start preschool..
The summer is actually an ideal time to potty train your toddler.
Here's why many families look to summer potty training:
1. Preschool is around the corner
For many toddlers, in a matter of weeks, preschool begins. Many preschool programs require that your child be potty trained during the day and for nap. So for many families, summer is the ideal time to potty train because you need to have your toddler ready for the preschool deadline.
Don't delay till the last week of August!
If you wait until you're days away from that preschool deadline, you will naturally feel pressure because it HAS to happen. So then what happens if the diapers come off and you hit a bump in your potty training journey?
What can you do to avoid seeing your toddler resist the potty at preschool or daycare?
Think about what happens (without fail) everytime something HAS to happen with your toddler.
Get out the door in 10 minutes?
Change the nap schedule?
Switch the dinner plan when a favorite food is not available?
It does not go smoothly.
With potty training, here you are, deciding to transition your toddler from diapers all the time to....poof! No diapers.
Your toddler may feel the pressure and then the storm comes.
You want to be in a calm, no-stress headspace to potty train, so set yourself up for success.
Don't delay till late August. Start now!
Because then you'll have time if you need to work through any potty training snags. Like potty resistance.
2. Summer potty training makes it easy to do Block One of Oh Crap Potty Training
A core part of Oh Crap Potty Training is the idea that jumping in with your child wearing underwear (after taking away the diapers) is the easiest way to set yourself up to see accidents. And over time, the accidents can become normalized.
So an easy way to teach your child this big new skill is to move in blocks of learning, as we talk about in Oh Crap Potty Training, rather than focusing on what day you're on in the process. Building in barriers as your child stacks success with getting more catches in the potty.
Since the bare bum time for Block One is such a big part of Oh Crap Potty Training, it makes sense that summer is the high time to potty train.
It's easier to have your toddler be running around with a bare bum in the warmer weather!
Both in your house (you don't have to worry about your child feeling chilled) and outside... you can make use of your yard as you venture outside.
Bare bums and summer potty training just go together.
3. Summer is often less scheduled
There's something to be said about the lazy days of summer. Many parents find the summer season is an easier time of year to find a slower week to tackle potty training. Winter has all the holidays which are not always an ideal time for everyone to step into potty training.
Some jobs slow down in the summer. For some parents, summer is an easier time to take time off of work. Many people have less commitments (classes for the kids, sports, etc.) in the summer.
So there's less stuff to miss.
The more you can slow down and potty train without all the must-go-here commitments, the easier it can be for the process to click. So for that reason alone, summer can be a great time for many people to step into potty training.
And it doesn't hurt to have some sunshine on your side, for staying positive.
Illustrations: Citrus and Mint
