These experts know toilet training because a lot of them work with preschoolers who are going through the process every day. There are several advantages to sending your child to preschool, one big advantage is the years of advice your preschooler's teacher can share with you. Here some words of wisdom from Hudson Valley Preschool Teachers:
Little Explorers Nursery & Day Care Center of New Paltz, Owner Jeana Fanelli; 845-256-2299.
"If a preschooler shows interest in using the potty at preschool, we tell the parents and work with them so that potty training can continue at home." She offers three suggestions: Be consistent. Don't go back and forth between pull-ups and underwear. And be prepared for failure.
Ivy League Preschool, Owner Ami McGovern;845-534-0164.
“We do a 'potty train' in our preschool,” say Ami McGovern. “The kids all line up; they say Choo! Choo!, and they all march to the bathroom together. We find this is very effective in getting the kids on board because everyone wants to ride the potty train.” Parents must be relaxed about the process suggests Amy. She feels if parents are agitated then the preschoolers tend not to do it. “Be calm. Whether your kids are potty trained or not is not a reflection on you as a parent.”
READ MORE: #1 reason to send your child to preschool
PrimeTime Early Learning Centers of Middletown, Director Eva Ramos;
845-692-0500.
“Take the preschooler’s lead; if they show interest and they like going on the potty, then they are ready,” says Eva Ramos. “Don’t push them. The more you push the more negative experience it becomes.” Eva says at their center they first introduce the preschoolers to sit on the potty, and they reward the children with sticker charts and stamps. She feels that typically children around the age of 2 or 2½ start showing interest in using the potty.
READ MORE: Potty training tips from the experts
Rose Hill Manor Day School of Beacon, Educational Consultant Kim Steuber; (845) 691-7565.
“We wait for parents to have success at home, and then we transfer that effort at the center,” says Kim Steuber. Kim feels that kids must be comfortable going to the potty at home before they do it outside.
Pattycake Playhouse of Newburgh, Owner, Donna Conklin;845-562-6322.
"I’ve had parents come to me about potty training because mom is pregnant and she doesn’t want two children in diapers. But the preschooler has to be ready. We have a check list that says the child is ready to be potty trained: they wake up from naps dry means they have control; they stay dry for extended periods of time; they alert their parents or the teacher they have a dirty diaper; they have the dexterity to pull their pants down and up, and they have become curious about the bathroom.
Michelle’s words of advice are “Don’t push it. If it becomes a battle take a break for a couple of weeks and try again.”