11 Responses to “When Potty Training, My Doctor Said To Go Cold Turkey To “big Girl Underwear”. What About Nap Time? Diapers?”

1. Nurse Answer Mama Says:
   September 2nd, 2009 at 7:47 pm

   How many kids does this doc have? I’m not sure I agree with her. Different kids respond better to different things. My nephew did very well with pull-ups.
   Night training??????
   Everyone I know has put their child in a diaper or pull-up to sleep until the child was old enough to express the need to not want to wear it.

2. s7e28w81 Says:
   September 3rd, 2009 at 12:22 am

   Same goes for naps. It takes a bit longer to get used to the urge while sleeping.
   Use the pull ups for naps and nighttime. If her naps are short (like 1 or 2 hours) you can probably get her to go ahead of time and just put a waterproof barrier under the sheets for the naps.

3. I <3 my boys Says:
   September 3rd, 2009 at 3:58 am

   I agree with your Dr. about the pullups. However, you will have to launder her bedsheets, clothing, etc. just about after every nap. Try putting her in big girl undies and rubber pants over those at naptime and bedtime. Make sure she goes potty before nighttime and nap time and RIGHT after she wakes up.

4. momof3bo Says:
   September 3rd, 2009 at 5:18 am

   Naptime should last no more than 2 hrs. When a child is really ready to pottytrain they can go 2 hrs dry so if she goes potty before naptime and as soon as she wakesup the underware will be fine. The Dr is right, the pullups are to much like diapers so they just think of them as diapers. Pullups never worked with my boys.

5. ??Mum To Superkids?? Says:
   September 3rd, 2009 at 8:10 am

   Your doctor is spot on. How long does your daughter nap for? As long as it’s only a couple of hours or less, use the underwear. Most children can stay dry for that long, especially if they’re ready to potty train. If she has an occasional accident that’s fine, just change her and reassure her that these things happen and it’s just part of learning. To make it a bit easier on you, you might want to try some of those training pants over the underwear to minimise any mess.
   Take her to the potty straight before bed, and limit the fluids a little bit for the last half an hour before nap time, and she’ll be fine!

6. Imagine Whirled Peas Says:
   September 3rd, 2009 at 2:16 pm

   I kept a diaper on my daughter for nights and naps until she consistently woke up dry. Potty training is about control, and it takes longer for them to be able to control when they are sleeping.

7. jeffsbab Says:
   September 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm

   dont use pull-ups…your doctor is right…they do feel just like diapers and that will just slow down the process…i just kept my son naked or in underwear every minute of the day…during naps and at night. yes, you will have to do alot of laundry, but with taking him to the potty every half hour or hour while wearing underwear or nothing at all, he will catch on in no time. you just have to be completely commited to his potty training. good luck! i know how frustrating it can be.

8. Deborah H Says:
   September 4th, 2009 at 12:35 am

   Here is what I did – underpants at nap and a choice at night time. For awhile my son (3.5) alternated his choice between pull ups and underpants and eventually he only chose underpants.
   My son is dry at naptime and 50/50 at night – he is a very heavy sleeper.
   Layer your child’s bed with a waterproof mattress pad (I rarely have to wash this). Follow with a fitted sheet.
   Use overlay pads on top of the sheet that tuck in on the sides and you won’t have to wash as much stuff.http://bedwettingstore.com/Bedding/categ…
   The kind that tuck in are best.
   I wash his quilt and his overlay pad and I’m done.
   I also have a waterproof pillow cover that is really nice and soft http://bedwettingstore.com/Bedding/pc_pr…
   I will be going cold turkey with my daughter very soon (20 months old now and mostly dry in underpants during the day and pull ups at nap, night and car).
   I went cold turkey (no pull ups except night) with my son at an earlier age and he was trained faster than her because of it.
   Also, wearing only a shirt and underpants around the house helps. That way the child can quickly remove their underpants without obstacles.
   Be patient and don’t force anything or there will be resistance.
   An article I find helpful http://www.littleredrobin.com/pages/toil…

9. Seasoned Mom Says:
   September 4th, 2009 at 2:09 am

   I recommend using protective bedding for nap and bedtime (when ready). Yes, your laundry will increase for a while; sorry!
   Also, try to pay close attention to her when it is about time for her to wake up from her nap. As soon as you notice she is begining to awaken, pick her up and take her straight to the potty. Try to move and talk gently – you don’t want to scare her. This will help her associate the need to go with waking up, and help her gradually gain more nighttime control.

10. arial39 Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 7:27 am

    your dr is right, i tried pullups on my now 9 year old daughter when she was 2, and she just used them like a diaper, took them off and got her some cute little panties with cartoons on them that she liked and she pretty much broke herself immediately, i just got one of those zip up mattress covers for her bed, and on the rare occasion she had an accident i just changed her sheets wiped down the cover and put her back in bed

11. mystic_e Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 11:33 am

    There are things doctors are qualified to give advice about -potty training isn’t really one of them.http://blogs.webmd.com/healthy-children/…
    To be fair, my profession is no stranger to parent-bashing. Most pediatricians, alas, never took a course in developmental psychology in their lives (even worse, they don’t think they need one). They become pediatricians and – poof! – they are considered experts in child development, which they most assuredly are not.
    Rather, they are subject to the same “blank slate” prejudice as everyone else, so they don’t recognize the child’s contribution (such as a difficult temperament) to the problem. They often unsympathetically blame the parents for everything. They overgeneralize from their own limited personal family experiences (good or bad) and may be insensitive to problems they never personally experienced. And they overrate what did and did not work with their own kids.
    All of this is magnified during pediatric training by being taught how magically effective (1-2-3 magic!) measures like time-out are (dream on). So, if a child continues to misbehave despite the wonderful advice we have given their parents, it must be that the parents are not doing their job. Rotten kid = rotten parent. Bash, bash, bash. End of discussion.