dramatically when you’re not at home.
Be prepared when you’re going someplace exciting. Toy stores,
carousels, train stations—anything that thrills your child—will most
likely bring on a pee and possibly a poop. Remember: the anus is a
sphincter muscle that opens with emotion.
To promote healthy pooping, be sure your child is adequately
hydrated. Encourage drinking water over milk or juice. It’s better for
you and creates a great habit. Be conscious you’re not withholding
liquids as a way to try to manage accidents.
Be creative and think on your feet. What works today might not
tomorrow. Come up with something new. If you come up with a
unique solution that works for you but you’ve never heard of anyone
else doing it, go for it! Every child, and every circumstance, is
different. Go with the flow. I remember a former client, Diane, who
was having a hard time getting her son Luke to pee in the potty. Luke
loved everything about toilet paper. In a moment of insight, when
she knew he had to pee, she put a square of toilet paper in the potty.
Luke peed in it! That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. A lot of
parents get very nervous and want to do everything “by the book,”
literally. It’s okay to use your own creative ideas if they strike. Just
about everything is okay if the pee is landing in the potty and you’re
not doing anything too weird. I’ll leave what constitutes “weird” to
your own family parameters.