Children in the two-year and three-year rooms are often potty training at daycare and at home at the same time. It goes faster when both places do the same thing. Here is how to line them up.
Start when your child is ready, not when the calendar is
Signs that usually come first: staying dry for a couple of hours, noticing a wet or dirty diaper, showing interest in the toilet, and being able to pull pants up and down. Starting before those signs mostly adds laundry.
Tell the teachers what you do at home
- The words your family uses.
- The schedule you try at home, for example after meals and before naps.
- Whether you use pull-ups or underwear during the day, and what you use at nap time.
- What a good day looks like, so the teacher can tell you about it at pick-up.
Pack for accidents
- Several changes of clothes and underwear, including socks.
- Pull-ups or diapers for nap time if you use them.
- A bag for wet clothes.
- Shoes that are easy to take off and put on.
Keep it calm on both sides
Praise the tries, not only the successes, and treat accidents as part of the job. A child who is scolded at one place and praised at the other learns to hold it, which slows everything down.
Expect a step back now and then
A new room, a new baby at home, an illness or a change in schedule can bring accidents back for a week or two. Keep the routine the same and it passes.
At Nana's
Two-year-olds and three-year-olds have their own rooms, routines and teachers, so the schedule holds from day to day. Tell the desk or your child's teacher what you are doing at home and they will follow it. See the toddler and preschool program and your baby's first days in child care.
Frequently asked questions
Will daycare potty train my child for me?
Daycare and home do it together. The classroom follows the words and schedule you use at home, and the teacher tells you how the day went.
Pull-ups or underwear at daycare?
Tell the teachers which you use at home and at nap time, and pack several changes either way.
What age do children potty train at daycare?
Usually in the two-year and three-year rooms, when the readiness signs appear: staying dry for a couple of hours, noticing a wet diaper, interest in the toilet, pulling pants up and down.
What should I pack while potty training?
Several changes of clothes and underwear, socks, a bag for wet clothes, and pull-ups or diapers for nap time if you use them.