Toddler Newsletter January 2013
Those of us who teach with the Montessori Method of education see the effect of Montessori education on a daily basis. We watch the children's fine and gross motor skills become refined, their sense of order is encouraged, and their independence grows through daily interactions within a Montessori environment.
One way independence grows is in toilet training. Toilet training is a very important part of the Montessori toddler curriculum. In our toddler classroom, we understand that the process is led by the child, and they must learn to listen to their own body, go when they feel the need, and the only consequence is they have to take care of the mess when there is an accident. There is no pressure and no need to adhere to a time schedule or have negative, adult imposed consequences.
Every time we change a diaper, we allow the child to sit on the toilet, and we empty the poop into the toilet and let the child flush it down. The child may not go to the bathroom on the toilet, but they start to get in the habit of sitting and connecting the whole process. After they get a new diaper, they wash their hands to help establish the habit of washing after going to the bathroom.
Signs of readiness
-The child can stay dry for longer periods of time, through rest, or overnight
-The child signals they have soiled their diaper, or they recognize the feeling of needing to poop or pee.
-The child can pull their own pants up and down.
-The child can get themselves onto the toilet.
-The child can follow a simple direction.
-The child is able to stop what they are doing when they have the sensation of needing to poop or pee, i.e. they are in touch with their physical sensations.
-The child has asked to wear underwear, or is interested in underwear.
-The child shows interest in the toilet, wants to flush it, wants to put toilet paper in it.
-The child shows curiosity in other peoples toiling.
-The child is not afraid of the toilet.
When your child shows signs of being interested in toilet training, there are several things you can do to follow their lead.
-Get rid of all diapers/pull-ups and get some underwear.
-Provide a small potty for them.
-Teach them how to wipe.
-be a good example, i.e. let them see you and siblings using the bathroom. It can help boys if they see their fathers using the toilet, and girls see their mothers.
-Dedicate several days or weeks to staying at home or close to home.
-Make going to the bathroom a natural part of the day (we always go before a meal, before we leave the house, when we come home etc).
This way, the schedule or the clock is the boss, not the parent. You may get into a power struggle if you tell them to go, but if you suggest that “the clock says it’s time to use the potty,” or “before we eat we always use the potty,” you may have less power struggles.
-Use positive language. For example, if they have an accident, you could say, “We put our pee in the toilet” instead of “Don’t pee on the floor.”
-There should be no pressure on a child to learn. Just as it takes time to learn to read, it takes time to learn to use the toilet.
- Consistency is important.
-Say "you may use the potty/toilet" instead of "Do you need to use the potty/toilet?" Don't ask unless you are prepared for them to say "No,” because you have to have to respect their “no.”
-After you begin potty training, do not put your child back in a diaper when you run errands or when they have a nap. Be prepared when you go out, bring extra clothing, make frequent potty stops, put a cover on the car seat. You can also put plastic pants over their underwear to keep the pee from going everywhere if they do have an accident. This is recommended over putting on a diaper because they feel the wetness. In a diaper, they do not feel wet, and it can make training take longer.
-toilet training may force you to slow down for a time, to spend more time at home. This is a very special time in your child's life, and you don't want to rush them through it or get frustrated with their learning. Toilet training can take a while, and it can mean extra laundry and cleaning up potty accidents.
When you and your child are ready to start toilet training, start on a Friday after school or during a school break. This gives you the whole weekend or break to work with them at home. Then bring them to school on Monday with a lot of extra clothing, mostly pants and underwear. Bring pants that they can easily pull up and down by themselves, that are not too tight.
Class News;
We graduated 3 children to Primary level and have had one child join our class. We have several interviews and will probably have more children join our class. We have our toddler PIM meeting coming up January 24th, at 8am. You can bring your child to the gym and join the meeting in the classroom.
Upcoming events;
January 2013
January 16
Portraits new students/retakes
at 8:30 a.m. MPR
January 17
LE PIM 4:30–5:45 p.m.
In classrooms -FREE ASC-
January 21
Martin Luther King Jr. Day– School Closed
January 24
Toddler PIM 8:00 a.m.
In classrooms
January 25
UE/MS Science Fair
7:30–9:00 a.m. Science Lab
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