Childproofing Potty Training

Okay, I have absolutely no ideas, just empathy. Kaelyn figured out how to get past our door locks in a very short amount of time and we haven’t found anything better. We haven’t found any cabinet locks that work on ours. So… we just try to keep anything breakable out of her reach and listen for the sound of running water so we can run and get her out of the bathroom. We also routinely find all sorts of random things “put away” in the fridge. Honestly, I’m torn between being frustrated that she gets into everything and impressed by her problem solving skills.

I ended up putting dangerous stuff in high cabinets and safe stuff like rubbermaid containers, pots and pans, etc. in the lower cabinets. I haven’t found a safety latch that my little “geniouses” can’t figure out either.

The “Appliance Lock” works great on the fridge and you can install it up high and out of reach. I forgot who makes it but I think it’s “Safety First.” I get them at walmart.

As for night time training, what I did with Liza is start talking to her about it. I’d say, “You know, mommy and daddy get up at night when we have to go wee-wee. You can do that too. And then you’ll be really grown up, and you won’t have to wear pull ups anymore.” I started limiting how much she drank after 6 pm, and for a few weeks I’d wake her right before I fell asleep for the night to go potty, or I’d wake her if I woke up some time in the night and bring her to the potty. All those things combined got her to be dry at night.

I’m working on the same plan with Ellie right now. In addition to the strategies I used with Liza I am thinking of adding a reward for her to look forward since she doesn’t seem to be as motivated as Liza was. A little bribery does no harm, right?

Duct tape, seriously, I have all of our cabinets (also without knobs) duct taped closed!!! Cheap yet effective, not the most eye catching child-proofing method however, but Aidan can’t get it off, he tried for literally 20 mins when I first put it on, and finally just gave up and walked away.

Austin wet the bed for a while after he was potty trained, probably til he was almost 5, but still had a few accidents here and there til he was 6, I always put him in underwear with a waterproofing thing under the sheet, very annoying for me to have to change, but it made him aware that he needed to go potty at night too!

Aidansmom792007-2-6 14:20:18

Jill, LOL about the duct tape.. but the question is, can YOU get into those cupboards!

I really like the magnet locks. We keep the magnet up on the fridge and the kids can’t reach it, and then we use it to open the cupboards that we need to. Took a bit of getting used to, but the kids quickly gave up on getting into them. Also, if your cuboards are side by side (i.e. two with handles near each other, you can get these things that you thread through the handles- you need to push a button and pull another part at the same time, so I doubt that a 4 year old could do it).

As for the potty training at night, are you using pull ups or diapers. If diapers, then I would switch to pull ups. If for no reason other than to start a “big boy” conversation. Firstly, I would cut back liquids for about two hours before bed time and make sure to have him go pee before bed. Then I’d put on a pull up, and explain that he’s a big boy now and no more diapers, so if he has to go pee then he needs to call mummy or daddy and go in the toilet. We don’t pee in the bed b/c then our pajamas and our sheets might get wet, and that wouldn’t feel good. Then I’d go over it with him again asking him questions. I might tell him that if he wakes up without making pee in his pull up then he can have a special treat in the morning (like a granola bar or something). But I wouldn’t push it. If things don’t improve, then I’d see what your ped thinks about it. He’s still young, and I’ve heard of some kids taking longer to get it then others. We were fortunate that when Sarah got the concept of daytime potty training, the nightime piece clicked for her as well. My nephew is going to be 4 in May and he still doesn’t have the daytime thing down perfectly, and they use pull ups with him at night. They’ve talked to him about calling if he needs to go pee at night, but our ped has said not to push it. Good luck.

Yep, the locks for our cabinets only last for a short time. Alexis is Miss I will figure anything out, like her daddy. She first started to pull on the cabinets until the latched broke then she learned how to unlatch them. I gave up and just put everything that can cause problems up! I’m not how long that is going to last especially with Taylor crawling around. Potty training, the good thing about Alexis is she actually wakes up every night to go to the bathroom. Our neighbor’s son is also a very deep sleeper, she has been cutting out fluids around 6:30pm will give him small sips if needed but she has been waking him up around 10:30 at night and taking him to the bathroom. He goes potty and then goes right to bed. He told his mom the other day, Mommy Please don’t wake me up to go potty, I just want to sleep. She told him he has to not potty in his pull up and she will no longer wake him up. Amazingly that has happened for the past few days. Don’t know if you want to wake him up to go to the bathroom at night.

Heather,

I’ve babysat a few children who were like Isaac. They wanted to be dry at night but they were deep sleepers. Waking them at 10 or 11 pm did help. Have you tried that? I’m probaby going to have to do that with Ellie because she’s a deep sleepr. The few times I did take her to the potty between 10 and midnight, she woke up dry the next morning.