12
Not an ode exactly, more of a nod towards potty training/toilet training/toiletting.
One of the most stressful uphill challenges in any parent of a young child's life.
Add in the fact that your child has a learning disability (deep sigh).
Already that hill of a task has become Mount Everest, hasn't it?
Well, yes, teaching your little one to use the toilet will be tricky, but take a deep breath, accept that fact, and look around for tips that might help your journey become easier and more humorous.
First of all, accept that ALL children are different, and the timetable for wanting to use the toilet will differ for each one. Any time from 3 years to 8 years and upwards is 'normal' for a child with Down Syndrome.
Wait for the cue to come from your child. Do they pull at their clothes or tell you when they are wet or soiled?
Do they try to imitate older siblings or friends by trying to use a potty or toilet? Are diapers dry for longer periods of time? Then they are ready for your help to move them forward in the toiletting game.
This is just our experience, yours will be different. Let yourself be led by your child. (And burn any potty training manuals written by ladies who don't have children of their own..!)
To begin with we sat Natty on a potty just before bath time each night. It was fun, and there was no pressure, she relaxed while the bath ran, and occasionally produced a piddle! We did this for about a year without moving forward.
By:
Hayley Goleniowska
A year and a bit before she started school, we discussed potty training with her pre-school. They were keen to help out and we made plans together so that we did the same at home and at pre-school.
We spoke to a lovely Continence Nurse, I think I inadvertently pushed past several short lists, simply found her work number and called her. She was a wealth of knowledge! She made sure there wasn't a physical barrier to starting potty training. For example: Could Natty go several hours with a dry diaper? Once we were sure this was the case, she suggested using a ladies' incontinence pad such as TENA Lady inside a pretty pair of girls underwear This would allow her to choose her own pretty 'big girls' panties, and feel grown up, with all the security of a diaper.
We had tried potty training diapers in the past, such as pull-ups as they let the child feel when they are wet, but the bulkiness and similarity to a baby diaper was now holding us back.
We started using the pads. Each day we asked her at least twenty times if she needed to go.
We took her each time we went, and each time her sister went to the bathroom. After a few weeks, we began to get a few 'hits' on the potty.
The progress was painstakingly slow, and I guarantee you diapers would have been the easier option.
Ode to Potty
Training