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Toilet Training your special child

Top Tips for Toilet Training your special child

Toilet training your special child

Make sure toilet training is fun.

Choose a good time to start toilet training when there is time to focus on this, and you are feeling fairly relaxed and positive. Avoid times of change such as holidays, when visitors are around, and starting nursery.

Always try to keep a relaxed and matter of fact approach to toilet training, and avoid battles about toileting – not always easy!

If toilet training is causing stress for you or your child it may be best to have a break and try again later.

Developing a Toileting Programme

Decide whether to use a potty or a toilet seat. It is important that your child feels comfortable, relaxed and secure. This is especially important for some children who are not well co-ordinated. A footstool is often helpful to achieve a good position and feel confident sitting on the toilet.

Learning to use the toilet avoids another change from potty to toilet.

Keep a record of your child’s bowel and bladder pattern over a few days to help with planning training.

Put your child on the toilet or potty regularly, about every hour or two, but not too often or they might find that toileting is boring or stressful! Choose times that you have found they may be more likely to wee or poo, and link the timing to how long your child can hold their wee. Initially reward your child for sitting on the toilet even if they do not do anything. Rewards may also be helpful if they have periods of the day when they are clean or less wet.

Teach toileting as part of a routine, with a sequence of actions that are the same every time. Pictures or photographs can give visual reinforcement and can be arranged to show your child their own programme.

Sometimes a parent or carer may be able to anticipate when their child is going to do a poo, and it may be possible to sit your child on the toilet at these times.

Children are more likely to poo twenty to thirty minutes after a meal as eating causes the whole bowel to become more active as food is being digested.

Try to link toileting to the daily routine e.g. before going out, and before and after meals.

It may help for other family members to show the child how they use the toilet.

Party blowers and whistles may encourage children to use the muscles they use to do a poo. Laughing and tickling also help to relax the muscles and make the practice fun.

Trainer pants are often helpful. Absorbent pants may give less sensation when they are wet and dirty (but can be convenient).

Suggestions for success

Try to encourage a good fluid intake, seven drinks (a cup full) a day is recommended. Water and very dilute juice is best and it is helpful to avoid fizzy drinks, coke, tea and coffee as these are not only generally unsuitable for young children but also can sometimes make bladder control more difficult (caffeine is a bladder stimulant). Frequent small drinks are usually easier than occasional large ones. Jellies and ice lollies and fruit smoothies may help to improve fluid intake.

Encourage the whole family to drink regularly.

Use clear language or signs to give instructions, e.g. ‘now do a wee’ (or a poo) rather than ‘use the toilet’, or ‘go to the bathroom’.

Many children will often not tell parents in advance when they need to go to the toilet until after they have learned bowel and bladder awareness. They may continue to need reminding for some time before going on their own.

Use support from other family members and professionals involved with the child.

Use clothes that are easy to remove to go to the toilet such as trousers with elasticated waistbands, and avoid tights!

Adding different food colourings to the cistern results in colourful water when the toilet is flushed which can be appealing to young children.

Pants with cartoon characters, trains or fairies are a good incentive to keep clean and dry.

Toilet breaks should be timed for before enjoyable activities, not in the middle of a favourite television programme or computer game.

Consistency

This is important. Make sure that everyone is using the same approach and the same words to your child.

This should include family, nursery staff, and child minders.

Your Health Visitor or School Nurse can help by giving information and support to nursery staff, and if needed can draw up a care plan.

Some things to avoid

Don’t say “do you want to go to the toilet?” Most children will say “No” – they would rather play!

Try not to postpone training too long. Children may get used to wearing a nappy and find it comfortable, and less trouble than going to the toilet. It can be difficult for some children then to change their routine to use the potty or toilet when they have learned that the nappy is for their wee and poo.

Try to avoid constipation, if possible by giving a healthy diet (often difficult in small children). Many children have very restricted diets, and are reluctant to eat healthy food and try new flavours. If children are constipated, especially if there is any discomfort when they have their bowels open, visit your family doctor. It is unhelpful for children to link discomfort or pain with doing a poo and this can make them anxious about going to the toilet. It can sometimes cause children to hold in their poo and become constipated. They may sometimes need a gentle laxative to keep the bowels soft and working regularly.

Try to avoid children developing rituals linked to toileting, these can be difficult to change later.

If your child is clearly not ready to use the toilet after a good effort to learn, discontinue training and try again after a few months to allow some maturation to take place. It will also help everyone to relax about toileting issues.

The Toilet Time pack is available to purchase from the ERIC webshop.

Click here to view and purchase the pack.

This information is taken from Toilet Time: A visual and sequencing aid for toileting which includes removable pictures. Devised by Lesley Burton.

The Toilet Time Pack is available for purchase. It comprises:- A Parents guide to helping children with toilet training – a 17 page booklet of information to support toilet training; 60 Toilet Time stickers; The Toilet Time Book- A visual and sequencing aid for toileting which includes removable pictures. A 10 page ring bound laminated aid complete with Velcro backed pictures.

Also available: The Toilet Time Teaching Cards and Parents Guide – as a pack.